Admiral Adama cares about the real Earth, too

Great ad on the oil spill from Edward James Olmos.



Yes, I'm embedding this because I was a huge BSG nerd and think Olmos rocks. No, that doesn't take away anything from the message.

(PS: I say the "real Earth" because, for those who don't know, BSG is about a group of refugees from 12 different planets trying to find "Earth.")

Holy Crap: Local Media Covers a Peaceful Protest

You know the oil spill is recognized as a disastrously bad man-made disaster when even the local media is covering protests against it.

Wrong 'Tude on Renewables

Attacking renewable energy because, um, it's not an instant fix or something, this op-ed, written by Eleanor Tillinghast, is a lame excuse at NIMBYism, but let's analyze it anyway, so people can get past the malarky. The main gist of the peice is coming from an "environmental" group in the Berkshires that doesn't want wind turbines in the Berkshires. The mountains are pretty, after all.

Here's what she has to say.

Governor Deval Patrick’s goal of 2,000 megawatts of wind power by 2020 will achieve very little at great cost, according to the state’s own data.... The governor has a study estimating that more than half his goal could be met in the Berkshires with 710 industrial wind turbines on public and private land. Those would replace just 5.3 percent of the state’s electricity consumption.

Just? 5.3%, for the math impaired, is 1 in 20. That's pretty damn good. Why should that number be attacked?

For those modest benefits, we would pay about $2.7 billion in federal, state, and local subsidies over 20 years.

It's expensive. And coal factories aren't? Even accepting that $2.7 billion figure, it's a pittance compared to either the long term costs of fossil fuels or the costs (long or short) of nuclear power plants.

It gets worse.

If we subsidized all electricity use in Massachusetts at that rate, we would spend $54 billion during that time on subsidies.

Major straw man alert. Who the hell is suggesting we do anything of the sort? If people read nothing but this sentence, they could tell this piece is not for real.

Now that Tillinghast is done with her straw men, she finally gets to an "alternative" proposal. The problem? It's by no means an alternative. She suggests we go after conservation as the big way to save the world. She's right that conservation is probably the most important aspect in tackling Global Warming -- and the most cost efficient -- but we can't conserve our way to the promised land. Conservation isn't an alternative, it's one piece of the puzzle. So are wind turbines.

We need to retire our state's oldest and worst coal plants, and we need to replace them with renewable sources. We need to be respectful in the way we build wind turbines and place solar panels, but there's a difference between respect and Not In My Backyard. In this case, we can build the Turbines this state desperately needs, throughout the state, while ensuring they don't detract from, but add to, our state's natural beauty. Tillinghast is terrified, but she should be far more terrified at the alternative. If society doesn't start building wind turbines all across the country, including the Berkshires, the world will become such a horrible place that Wind Turbines at the Berkshires will become a moot point.

A National Global Warming Solution

This is a serious piece of the puzzle, from Environment Massachusetts:

Boston, MA- A major draft bill released today by Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Energy & Environment Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) sets the stage for Congress to pass historic energy and global warming legislation, according to Environment Massachusetts.

The draft bill uses a framework advanced by major U.S. businesses.

"This is a pragmatic bill that tries to balance a historic opportunity to unleash clean energy to rebuild our economy and stop the climate crisis, with the diversity of views on the Energy & Commerce Committee," said Environment Massachusetts Field Organizer Winston Vaughan.

The draft legislation released today in Washington D.C. follows in the footsteps of major bills passed last year by the Massachusetts legislature designed to tackle global warming emissions and boost state efforts to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

"I commend Chairmen Markey and Waxman for their ongoing leadership in the area of global climate change, which is the most pressing environmental issue of our time." Said Representative Smizik (D-Brookline), Chair of the newly formed Global Warming Committee in the State House. "Last year in Massachusetts, we passed the Global Warming Solutions Act, which will require the Commonwealth to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. A strong federal climate change program is critical to addressing this pollution problem and will help states like Massachusetts achieve their emissions reduction goals. I look forward to supporting Chairmen Markey and Waxman as they work to garner support from their colleagues in Congress."

Other Bay State Legislators also expressed their support "As we work to build Massachusetts' clean energy economy and put Bay Staters to work building solar panels and wind farms, we'll need a strong partnership with the federal government," said Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) Vice-Chair of the State Senate Environment Committee. "Today's bill from Chairmen Waxman and Markey is a great step in that direction."

The draft bill sets standards to repower America with clean energy, including a requirement that the nation obtain 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, like wind and solar power, by 2025. The draft bill also requires the United States to reduce its global warming emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 through a combination of domestic action and efforts to help stop tropical deforestation."

Smizik and Eldridge really make the critical important point: we did great work in Massachusetts passing a major bill that will reduce our emissions, but at the end of the day this is a global problem and therefore requires a global fix. America needs to lead on this issue - and the Markey/Waxman bill would be an absolutely amazing first step.

The Fly Ash Bill, Today's Globe Ed

Great bill, great editorial, great step for Massachusetts to take - if we can make her take that step.

The gist of the bill:

COAL is the cheapest source of electricity. One major reason why is that mining companies and coal-burning utilities have managed to pass many of its health and environmental costs - from the dust miners breathe to greenhouse gases - onto society at large. The latest demonstration of this came in Tennessee just before Christmas, when a lake of coal fly ash broke through its earthen dam and oozed out over 300 acres, damaging or destroying at least 15 houses.

In Massachusetts, where fly ash from the Salem power plant once contaminated the Lake Wenham water supply of Beverly, ash that is not reused in concrete production or other beneficial applications ends up in lined and covered landfills. Even in this state, though, there is no law mandating safe disposal. A bill co-sponsored by Representatives Lori Ehrlich of Marblehead and Mary Grant of Beverly would do so.

The Globe neglected to mention the fact that the fly-ash bill is revenue neutral, which is especially important in this fiscal crisis we're living in.

Disclosure: I live in Ehrlich's district and volunteered on her special election and general election campaigns, both taking place in '08.

Drilling off Cape Cod?

Eeek.

Just got this presser from Environment Massachusetts:

Rep. Markey files bill to protect Georges Bank from drilling

Environment Massachusetts applauds Representative Markey for introducing a bill to protect Georges Bank, an immensely productive fishing area about 60 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, and other marine sanctuaries around the coasts from the pollution of offshore oil and gas drilling.

Congress allowed the annual moratorium on expanded drilling to lapse on September 30, 2008, at which time the Bush administration released a proposed five year drilling program that would allow drilling as close as 3 miles to Cape Cod and the entire New England shoreline.

“Protecting the unique marine ecosystem of Georges Bank and other marine sanctuaries from the dangers of offshore drilling is a critically important now that Congress has let the moratorium on offshore drilling lapse,” said Winston Vaughan, of Environment Massachusetts.

He added, “We must see an end to the annual battle over protecting our nation’s coastline. It’s time for Congress to reinstate the offshore drilling moratorium and make it permanent.”

“Many of our fish populations are rebounding and our marine mammals and turtles are finally receiving the protections they need. We can’t go backwards and allow their special places to be threatened by drilling,” said Vaughan.

Let's just say that only in my most horrid nightmares would there be drilling off the coast of Cape Cod - or, really, anywhere. This really transcends NIMBY issues because we a) don't need off-shore drilling and b) off-shore drilling is disastrous to the environment. Compare that with Cape Wind, which is fantastic for the environment and is in the Cape's best interest (which explains why a super majority in the Cape supports Cape Wind) and it's easy to see what's good energy policy versus bad. We should be willing to use our oceans and environment, not abuse them. So let's hope Rep. Markey gets this bill passed.

The Globe Neglected to Mention

That a Super Majority of the Cape and Islands' citizens support Cape Wind, or that the "unavoidable" impact to views would be the size of a human thumb on a beautiful day, as it allowed the NIMBY crowd to trash Cape Wind in its latest article. Kudos to Patrick for pushing construction of wind projects quickly, 10% of the Bay State's energy is both meaningful and realistic.

Ian Bowles: Heading to DC?

Now this is interesting.

Governor Deval Patrick's top environmental chief has landed on President-elect Barack Obama's list of would-be candidates to lead the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Ian Bowles, the Patrick administration's secretary for energy and environmental affairs, has been a point person for passing legislation this year on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, setting renewable energy goals, and pushing wind power.

Putting someone at the EPA who both gets it and has had real results... After 8 years of Bush, that's an amazing turnaround. Good luck to Ian!

More Nuclear Now!

Because Nuclear Energy is so safe, as Senator McSame says.

Eek.

The allure of nuclear technology disappears once people have a better understanding of it.

• Over the lifetime of a plant, which far exceeds its lifetime as a functioning, energy-producing plant, the costs of that plant will by far outweigh the energy it produces. (Even when accounting for recycling technologies, which I do support for existing nuclear plants.)
• The short term costs of making a nuclear power plant are great, the long term costs - as already suggested - are staggering. Investing in more nuclear power as a means to become energy independent makes about as much sense as investing in Lehman brothers right now.
  
• We still don't have an effective means to dispose of the waste, which is a problem that will last, oh, say, forever.
  
• If anything does happen to these plants, the word "catastrophic" seems minimal and simplistic. And, honestly, when it comes to human beings, accidents are always going to happen. See France and all of their "safe" plants.
• There's plenty of better ways to invest our money than investing it in what is now old technology at this point. Focusing on wind, solar, conservation and new battery technologies seems like a much better effort to this layman's mind.
• Did anyone ever mention that nuclear power is a limited resource? No? More nuclear plants will mean we'll use all our Earthly nuclear supply rapidly, running out of it perhaps quicker than fossil fuels.
  
• I wish I could find a link to an awesome documentary I watched on Nuclear Power about a year or so ago. It didn't take sides, trying to present a full picture so people could make up their own minds. I came into it with an open mind, left dead-set against nuclear plants. Given their long term costs, never mind potential for disaster, they're just not a logical path toward energy independence or a solution to Global Warming.
• I was inspired to write this blog in response to this one.
  

A Good Example for the Cape and Islands

Block Island residents are willing to do their parts.

"If we did have wind turbines, they would be smokin'," said Dave Houseman, general manager of the 19th-century Spring House Hotel, looking out at the breakers below. "Chances are you wouldn't even see them. But I think if you did, it's something you could get used to."

His remark reflects a widely held sentiment here since a developer recently proposed erecting a $1.5 billion wind farm in the waters off this isolated island.

The company has proposed building more than 100 turbines, each one up to 240 feet tall.

Of course, the reality is that the overwhelming majority of people on Cape Cod and the Islands support Cape Wind - and it's just the wealthy vacationers who own mansions on the beach that oppose it - but this opposition has got to end. Cape Wind needs to be streamlined. It will be absolutely pathetic if Rhode Island beats us to a big wind project, given the years Cape Wind has been in the works. Time is quickly running out to stop Global Warming from reaching the brink, in which the beast feeds itself and there's nothing we can do to stop it, so there's really no more time to waste on projects like Cape Wind.

Cool Green News

This is exactly what we need happening across the whole economy.

The city's largest property owner - spurred by high energy prices and rising demand from tenants - is seeking "green" certification for all of its office buildings, marking a major milestone in Mayor Thomas M. Menino's push to make Boston the nation's most environmentally friendly city.

Equity Office Properties Trust, which owns 20 structures in and around Boston, is outfitting its buildings with features ranging from energy-saving heating and cooling units to new bike racks as part of a multimillion-dollar effort to stamp its buildings with the green label.

"We're doing this from a social responsibility perspective, but it's also become necessary to maintain tenants," said Greg Shay, president of Boston operations for Equity Office. "It's gotten to the point where not taking action is somewhat foolish."

The important thing here is the fact that going green saves money in the medium-to-long run.

The company is still tallying total savings, but executives estimate they will save $1.5 million in electricity costs by 2012 on six buildings where upgrades are underway.

Massachusetts should begin to require everyone to go green, perhaps with a ten year phase in, getting energy-star furnaces and other things that will save money and energy very quickly. The carrot stick's already on the table - 0% loans to switch to energy star gas furnaces, replace old windows and add insulation, etc. up to $10k over 7 years, along with numerous rebates on all those products - now we need the sticks. Switching to that type of furnace from an oil furnace, over just a few years, will actually save a family money - especially with the 0% loan. So there's no excuses! It's time for the stick approach - the environment can't wait because we're too lazy to make the switch or just don't have the facts.

House Takes Up Global Warming

Kudos to the Speaker's Office for pushing forward legislation on Global Warming. The Global Warming Solutions Act, which passed in the Senate, will be one of the final bills to be up for debate this session. There are some sublte differences between the House and Senate versions, and not a lot of time to sign a cohesive bill, but I hope that whatever the differences that exist, they can be worked out before the end of the session. The climate can't afford to wait for Massachusetts to boldly do its part in combatting Global Warming.

Other good news from the end of this session: 1913's all but dead and it looks like Massachusetts will soon have next day registration.

It's been a great year for Massachusetts, but

There's more work to be done. Of course, this is music to my ears.

The state House of Representatives is likely to debate the final vote on repealing the 1913 law Tuesday, PolitickerMA.com has learned.

According to a House leadership source with knowledge of the legislative schedule, debate over the law is expected to occur when the House returns to full session Tuesday.

Given the homophobia that's still alive in today's society, repealing 1913 will send a great message that Massachusetts won't stand for hatred and fear. One of the last vestiges of legally-mandated human rights abuse against glbt people will finally be gone, so we can focus on the far more difficult problems facing our commonwealth and country.

That said, while I'm very greatful for all the effort Speaker DiMasi and most of the House has displayed this year - one of the most successful and effective in memory - there's still more work to be done in just a few short days. Most important of all the bills that could be passed before it's too late is the Global Warming Solutions Act, capping emissions and setting policy that would make Massachusetts a true leader on Global Warming. We've passed a great Energy bill in this state this year, but unfortunately it didn't cap emissions. We can't afford to wait another year to make bold plans to cut emissions.

The Senate passed the Global Warming Solutions Act already, led by Senator Pacheco, so now it's the House's turn. It would be terrible to waste this golden opportunity. Unfortunately, because we're already at the Global Warming tipping point, the climate can't wait. If DiMasi and House Democrats can get this bill a vote during the last days of the session, a vote that will likely pass, this year will truly go down as one of the most effective legislative years in modern Massachusetts history. It will be a triumphant year for those who think Government can be a part of the solution.

Please, call your State Representative, and even ring DiMasi's office. Thank them for taking up 1913, imploring them to vote the right way. But don't forget to tell them that the climate matters and can't wait, either.
--
Most of this blog is cross-posted at BlueMassGroup, with plenty of good comments on other important bills with just a few days to pass.

Salem's Power Plant: Bye Bye?

There's a good story in today's Salem News about the movement to close down the Power Plant in Salem, which was originally meant to have an expiration date in the 1980s. It's lived well past its time, no longer producing nearly as much electricity as other plants in the state, all the while becoming the 2nd highest power plant polluter in Massachusetts (one of the "Filthy Five" that even Mitt Romney threatened to close!). Did I mention 3 of its workers recently died due to unsafe working environment, or that the coal-based pollution isn't exactly healthy for people in the area?

The plant pumps out 2 tons of Mercury and Lead annually. It also emits nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide, greenhouse gases that lead to global warming

A recent Harvard study concluded that those living within 30 miles of the plant are at greater risk of premature death, respiratory illnesses and cancer. There were 14,400 asthma attacks per year related to the plant's emissions.

Well, of course it isn't. It's an ancient, coal-based power plant that can't even manage to cover the mounds of coal sitting out in the open by the windy Salem Harbor, ready to be sprayed all across Salem, Beverly and Marblehead. The Power Plant's been forced to clean their soot and coal remnants beyond the historic 'header Old Town.

Yet, if people were to read some of the comments in the Salem News article, you'd think it was a Moonbat rebellion or something. Apparently, people like me won't be satisfied until every last American is eating nuts, fruits and berries, living in caves. Not.

So, let's clear up some popular misconceptions.

But, Ryan, I've lived here all my life - and I'm not sick!

Just because you have no known diseases caused by the pollution coming out of the Salem Power Plant doesn't mean everyone's fine - and it doesn't mean you won't get sick in years to come. People are effected by things differently. Some people, after living near the plant for years, may develop cancer - while others could have lived there their entire lifetimes and been fine. Just like smokers - some people get cancer and die in their 30s, then there's people like my Grandmother who have been smoking two backs a day for most of their 80 years in existance and still manage to (somehow) breathe. Just because you're not sick, doesn't mean others aren't. Try to use your brains!

But, Ryan, if you close down the plant, where will all the electricity come from?

What, you think Salem is the only source of power in this area? We've managed to survive six months without Salem's power quite well, with no forced outages because of the plant's closure (and let's not forget that it was closed because it killed people). Surely, the North Shore won't suddenly be reduced to the Stone Age because an ancient power plant that should have been closed decades ago finally rests in peace. Meanwhile, a bigger, better, more efficient facility will take its place somewhere nearby, because that's how the economy works.

But, Ryan, there's 147 jobs at stake! We can't lose them!

We need not shed tears - we're not going to lose any jobs here, even if some people will be inconvenienced. These are highly skilled workers that will be sought after from companies all across Massachusetts, New England and the country. Now, no one wants to lose a job - and I'm never thrilled with the prospect that people occasionally become unemployed, but 147 is a number we can eat, with a lot of other power plants out there. Rest assured, we're not condemning 147 people to a life of misery and poverty. The community can work with Dominion, the owner of the plant, to relocate these jobs among the many other plants across the state, as well as several new ones in the planning stages as we speak, with more to come. We can't hold a community hostage over 147 jobs, especially jobs that won't really be lost, when a dangerous facility needs to be closed.

Furthermore, let's gain some perspective here. The Power Plant isn't Salem's largest employer, or anywhere close to it. Salem employs over 23,000 people in the city, with the power plant representing less than 1% of that. Salem will do just fine in the jobs market. In fact, things could grow. Whatever comes after the Salem Power Plant will assuredly create hundreds of new jobs - both permanent and in construction. So, in effect, by closing this plant, it may soon end up being a net-plus for jobs in Salem and across Massachusetts.

But, Ryan, the Power Plant pays Salem more than $4 million in property taxes! Whatever will it do without those taxes?

Well, the power plant used to pay $8 million+ in property taxes. Salem's still here, $4 million shy of old numbers. Here's the good news: the Salem Power Plant is on acres and acres of water-front property.

Let's take a nice, aerial view.


View Larger Map

One word comes to mind: Jesus! The site's roughly as large as 1/3rd of Marblehead Neck (just scroll southward), with absolutely killer views and potential for harbor space. Who in their right mind doesn't think such a large slot of coastal land, in Historic Downtown Salem and on the Harbor, with millions of tourists a year and inside the nation's 7th largest metropolitan area, wouldn't attract hundreds of millions in investments? Or millions of tourists and costumers a year?

Seriously, it's the real estate development chance of a lifetime. Properties like this aren't even supposed to exist. Whatever comes after the plant will be paying millions in property taxes, quite likely even exceeding the $4 million figure if its ever divvied up into many commercial properties that all have to pay taxes. In fact, Salem Power Plant is quite possibly not only costing Salem and the area in terms of health and the environment, but even in jobs and tax revenue. We're a bright species - we should be making better use of our space.

But, Ryan, you must be a moonbat or something!

Thanks, Howie Carr, for completely poisoning our state. Who needs a bright, hopeful society looking to the future - when we can breed a large base or residents to tear down any new and good idea, no matter how necessary it is or how much it makes sense. But, thanks, really, for protecting us from all those Moonbats!

The simple fact is Power Plants aren't built to last forever. This plant is particularly old, one of the most nefarious in terms of pollution, and doesn't bring much in return for the costs we put up with - its paltry sum of electricity could easily be replaced by a Wind Farm, or we could create more electricity, cleaner and efficient, through Natural Gas or even a newer coal plant (though, please, anything but coal!). However, none of those things can happen if we cling to our old ways, reject any new ideas and plan for the future. If we want a better society, we have to build it, which sometimes means tearing down our old, outmoded and inefficient ways that aren't contributing to society today.

A Good Project

I plan to write more about this later.

Cool - Wind Power Expansion in RI

What would you rather?


or

?

It appears Rhode Island will be building their own Cape Wind, likely off the coast of Block Island - which is a tourist destination as jam packed as any in Massachusetts. If Rhode Island wants to plow full steam ahead there, surely that's reason enough to tell the wealthy who vacation on the Cape and Islands to shove it stop their maneuvering on Cape Wind, which will be more than a mile out to see and barely viewable to the naked eye (from the few parts of the Cape where people will actually be able to see it).

Obviously, residents on Block Island, along with Rhode Island in general, get it.

The governor has said he wants proposals to include providing power to Block Island so that the 1,000 residents there can see some relief in electricity rates. They are currently paying about 40 cents per kilowatt-hour, more than four times the rate paid by mainland residents.

Cape Cod would also directly benefit from Cape Wind, since the energy produced there would mainly go to the Cape - enough to power 2/3rds of the entire region.

Just the one wind turbine project in Rhode Island will meet the state's goals alone -

The sites could each contain 56 wind turbines and could generate a total of 220 megawatts of electricity –– enough to power 220,000 homes, the study said. That’s about 1½ times the power needed to reach the 15-percent goal.

Unfortunately, while Cape Wind will produce as much energy, it won't meet the 15% goal for Massachusetts. However, there's a second, slightly smaller Wind Turbine project in the planning stages off the South Coast. Furthermore, towns across Massachusetts are adding wind turbines to their repertoire, getting this state closer to its goal every day. There's lots more work to be done, but Massachusetts will get there.

Yo, Globe: Wind's Popular on the Cape

Two new wind turbines will be built on Deer Island in Boston - a nice, local project that city residents should be proud of. Of course, the Globe had to tie in the not-even-related-or-even-comparable Cape Wind project. It's disappointing to see the Globe repeat the long-ago debunked claim that...

Cape Wind... [is] heatedly opposed by many people

Um.. really? What does "many" mean? A large majority of people on Cape Cod support the project, over 3/4s of the Commonwealth is for it. If the Globe feels the need to make comparisons to Cape Wind, which is such a massive and important project that it really isn't similar at all to the Deer Island project, it ought to at least give a more accurate picture of the real level of support. After all, "many" people still believe the world is flat. Cape Wind, by the numbers, is one of the least divisive and most popular issues out there. I'm almost convinced that the only person who doesn't support Cape Wind at this point is Senator Kennedy, and the only people who think the project is "controversial" are journalists in the mainstream media.

Rethinking the Role of Government

Are We Asking the Right Questions?

It's usually a fool's errand to open up a debate on why government exists. It's a subject that will stir all sorts of passions - and not all of them well informed. "Why do we have governments and what purposes do they best serve?" is an inconvenient question to ask, but one that begs an answer. How the bulk of the people answer that question reflects the policies our government chooses to adopt. Of course, many would say, "Government exists to maintain stability in society," and many would still expand the answer to, "provide for protection." But, ultimately, both answers are so vague that they aren't very helpful at all. How does government provide for stability? What is it protecting us from? If people thought about those questions more often, perhaps many of our common problems would simply evaporate.

With those questions in mind, if Government's purpose is to prevent anarchy and be a stabilizing force, is our government actually doing it's job? Part of the answer involves considering how the human mind works. We, as a species, tend to make decisions that solely benefit us first, without thinking too heavily on how our decisions impact others - even if we're kindhearted souls that wouldn't hurt a fly. We buy the car that's most comfortable, if we can afford it, not the one that just gets us to where we need to go without leaving a huge carbon footprint. We vote for the candidates who will slash taxes, instead of voting for the candidate with nuanced positions that would ultimately be more beneficial to us as they better our educational system, support affordable, universal health care and grow the economy.

Ultimately, given how the human mind works, shouldn't part of what government does be in making sure our personal decisions - what's best for us at an individual level - also be decisions that benefit society as a whole? For example, all across the country, there's a movement to buy bigger and better houses further and further away from cities, instead of restoring what we have now and using smart growth to build more housing in better locations for everyone - still beautiful, yet efficient, near public transportation and within close distance to plenty of job opportunities and open space.

Since our country has almost no uniformed development strategy, almost all the development across the country is in the form of building Big on the outskirts of cities, stretching further and further out. Can anyone actually blame individuals who choose to get the biggest bang for their buck, only at the cost of a shortish commute (which is often no longer than using public transportation, anyway)? It's no surprise that we see more and more people commuting for ever-longer stretches with their gas-guzzling, but very comfortable SUVs. They're only too happy to own their brand-new 30,000 square foot McMansion with a dozen automatic sprinklers that turn on three times a day, with a yard and a stellar school system to boot.

Meanwhile, they get the added bonus of not having the burden to think of all the other people they've left behind, or how their decisions impact others. Hey, why should they? That huge McMansion is more house than people could buy in the city, after all - and as for all the kiddies stuck in the sucky schools that they no longer have to deal with, it's not their problem anymore. But, when everyone employs that sort of rational thought, there's a very large and very real toll to society - one that this current generation is only beginning to universally feel. We're creating two Americas, running out of oil and energy and polluting the world at an ever-increasing rate, all because we can't take a step back and think things through. All of these houses and cars, etc. are coming at a huge cost - and we haven't even paid the interest on it yet.

Instead of this nearly non-existent development strategy that's about as organized and well thought out as a Chimp with a crayon, our society could be meeting, discussing and figuring out how to make sure individual decisions are the best decisions at the aggregate level, too. We could be making sure our urban and already-built suburban neighborhoods offer top notch schools, great public transportation and conserve as much energy as possible while affording a comfortable lifestyle (we can have our comfort and eat it too). We could be making sure there's ample affordable housing being developed or redeveloped to keep our talented, young families and individuals in their home states, along with amazing opportunities in public higher ed and better resources to connect people with good jobs. We could be making sure we have more and better parks, with plenty of open space for people and children with an active lifestyle everywhere. We could be addressing the systemic problems that are causing budget gaps year after year, creating solutions that would solve those gaps and actually address the systemic problems we all face. We could be doing all those things, but we're not.

In terms of innovation and solving problems, our government is doing a whole lot of nothing - and few people are standing up and doing anything about it. It's as if the government inaction is so confusing that people have been bewildered and caught off guard for decades. It's perhaps the worst case of Deer-Caught-in-a-Headlight yet. Except, here we are - no solutions in hand, terrible leaders in charge and with few people clamoring for change. Maybe, if people were asking the right questions - contemplating how government can best serve us - we'd cease to be ordinary folk and become the active, engaged citizens who can actually solve these messes. It's a tall order for we, the people, who sadly seem to be comprised of more ordinary folk than the type of citizenry who wouldn't let problems slide. The more we have of active citizens, engaged in asking and answering our common questions, the more likely we'll be in addressing our common problems. There's no reason why the Government can't, and shouldn't, be creating incentives for individuals to make the right decisions not only for themselves, but everyone else too. The ultimate question is, do we have the citizen base who can make the demands and be the force for change to make it happen?

My, How the Winds are Changing...

Good news all around.

After years of study, Hull officials are now seeking approval of state environmental regulators to install four wind turbines, each about 430 feet high, in ocean waters about a mile and a half east of Nantasket Beach.

Ian A. Bowles, the state secretary of energy and environmental affairs and a wind-power advocate, could approve the project as soon as Feb. 6 or order further environmental studies.

There's almost no resistance to Hull's proposal because, guess what, wind turbines make complete sense. Hull will be the first town in Massachusetts to power their entire town by wind-powered renewable energy.

Note Hull has a municipal electric company, something that has given Hull much more flexibility in deciding how it'll create it's electricity. Other towns with a municipal system have been aggressive in trying to create wind turbines, such as Rowley and Princeton, which is replacing their 1980s era wind turbines soon. I'm guessing these coincidences probably aren't really coincidences at all (never mind the fact that municipal electric companies tend to be much cheaper than buying private power).

Anyone keeping score? Cape Wind passed its biggest hurdle, while towns like Hull and Princeton are showing true leadership in regards to renewable energy. Meanwhile, the state's second large wind farm, the Dartmouth/Mattapoisett project, will hopefully soon follow Cape Wind's suit. Maybe Massachusetts will meet its renewable energy goals after all. Lets hope all these green projects - and many more - are built as quick as humanly possible.

Hooray!

Cape Wind passed a major hurdle today. For those who don't know, Cape Wind helped this blogger decide Ryan's Take should primarily be a state blog, not based on some other premise. It's important that Cape Wind be built, sooner rather than later. It's even more important that the rest of the state follow suit.

Renewable Energy is here, today - affordable and ready to implement. We need to make sure this industry grows in Massachusetts and that this state becomes an international leader in confronting Global Warming. The climate tipping point quickly approaches, so it's good to know the Bay State is one step closer to making sure the Mass Bay won't be expanding any time soon.