James P. Lombard: Weblog Archives
July 22, 2004
Benson Narrows Hydrogeology
I have completed a report that looks at groundwater chemistry in aquifers adjacent to the Benson Narrows, in Arizona. Here is a copy of the report. Some of the illustrations in the report are large so please be patient.
Posted by: jlombard at 06:16 PM | Comments 0)
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greencarcongress.com
I don't like trying to reinvent the wheel, so no more posts on the subject of alternative transport fuels. Instead, I suggest that you regularly read greencarcongress.com. Mr. Millikin has a piece on Japanese crude oil imports falling as its nuclear reactors are restarted. Take it from there, and spend a few hours browsing through the rest of his blog.
Posted by: jlombard at 03:41 PM | Comments 0)
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July 21, 2004
How Much Energy Does It Take To Make Biodiesel?
I clipped this table from an article that discusses USDA research on the "energy balance" for petroleum and biodiesel fuels. It looks like three gallons of biodiesel are produced using one gallon of petroleum fuel for a net energy gain. On the other hand, there is a net energy loss in extracting, transporting, and manufacturing gasoline and diesel from petroleum.
Posted by: jlombard at 06:06 PM | Comments 0)
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July 16, 2004
Barack Obama Firing On All Eight Cylinders
Barack Obama, running for US Sentate in Illinois, made a speech about foreign policy, where he outlined eight policy areas for renewing America's leadership in the world. Mr. Obama is a thoughtful, well informed man, and his speech is worth a read. The last, but not least, policy point was:
"Free America from its dependence on foreign oil. In an increasingly more hostile and dangerous world, neither American security, nor our economic potential, can afford to be hold hostage by those half a world away because our nation is too dependent on others for our energy. We must take concrete steps to move us toward energy independence including requiring that 20 percent of the nation’s power supply portfolio come from renewable sources like wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy by 2020, and that a percentage of our nation’s fuel supply is provided by renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel."
This opinion is currently popular in numerous opinion pieces in newspapers, news magazines, and internet blogs that I am reading, and it is one that I happen to share with Mr. Obama and others.
Posted by: jlombard at 12:12 PM | Comments 0)
Category: Policies
July 14, 2004
Removed Irrigation Pumps
This is a picture of eight irrigation pumps and motors that were removed from wells at The Nature Conservancy's Three Links Farm, in Arizona. Groundwater is no longer pumped from these wells; instead, the groundwater is allowed to seep upward to create year-round flow in the San Pedro River.
Posted by: jlombard at 06:09 PM | Comments 0)
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July 02, 2004
Biodiesel Bug Bite
The biodiesel bug has bitten me, so I am now driving a 1981 Mercedes Benz 300D (a five-cylinder diesel engine model). The fuel I am using is called B100, and is produced from specially processed vegetable oil, such as soy bean oil. No modifications were needed to the car, so I just filled up with 100% biodiesel at Arizona Petroleum in Tucson.
Posted by: jlombard at 10:01 AM | Comments 0)
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