Saturday, June 13, 2009

Green Conference Uncertainties

ENERGY
Uncertainty over incentives hinders green industry, experts say
Attendees at MiaGreen, a green expo, talked about green businesses and how their interdependence with government can prove frustrating.
BY JOEL POELHUIS
jpoelhuis@MiamiHerald.com
Florida businesses and workers hoping to break into the green industry say uncertainty over policies and funding of incentives is putting a damper on growth.

Ralph Avallone, president of the International Green Energy Council, said, for example, that it has been difficult to access federal stimulus money allocated for green jobs.

''They're not writing those checks,'' he said.

Avallone was among the speakers at the MiaGreen Expo and Convention at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The two-day event, which concluded Friday, attracted more than 1,000 people who presented the latest green products and discussed job opportunities, training and trade issues.

Exhibitor Luis A. D'Agostino, managing partner of Miami's High Point Energy, said government incentives are very important to keep solar and wind systems affordable to his commercial and residential customers.

D'Agostino said his firm's largest solar systems cost around $280,000.

A state of Florida rebate of up to $100,000 for commercial solar applications and a federal tax credit of 30 percent of the cost should make such a system more affordable.

But funding for the Florida program has run out.

According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's website, the number of applicants for the program has exceeded the $5 million that was appropriated.

Now applicants are being wait-listed.

Applications for rebates for those on the waiting list total more than $6 million. The state has applied for two grants totaling $14.4 million from the federal stimulus package to finance the rebates and expects to hear about the grants in the next few months.

All this uncertainty doesn't help D'Agostino's discussions with customers or lenders.

''It's very hard to sell solar energy,'' he said. ``The client has to come out-of-pocket with the money and wait for the incentives.''

To maximize their resources, The Green Energy Council, a privately funded lobbying group, partnered with Our Green Value, a private career training and placement company, to offer a training session in Delray Beach earlier this month.

Sloan Sherman, the Florida director of Our Green Value, said demand for the training programs also exceeds funding. She said another session that had been planned in West Palm Beach was also integrated into the Delray Beach program to provide additional scholarships for trainees who learned about energy auditing and implementing energy-efficiency programs.

Dawn Dzurilla, president and founder of Gaia Human Capital Consultants -- a headhunting firm specializing in recruiting green talent, said South Florida has some work to do to establish the green industry growth of cities such as Austin and Boulder, Colo.

She said a crucial selling point for a company is a location with an educational feeder system for engineers and researchers.

''When a firm establishes a beachhead, the first thing they say is, `Where do you get your local talent, where do you get your workforce?''' Dzurilla said

Friday, June 12, 2009

NYC Cab Sharing To Begin

TRANSPORTATION==============

New York City will embark upon a cab sharing plan this autumn. One component will be group-ride cab stands that allow drivers to pick up several passengers traveling along the same busy route for a flat fee. Another component involves equipping some taxis with multiple meters, so additional passengers going the same way can be picked up and the individual, discounted fares can be tracked. Some cabs will also have LED screens so potential riders can see the destination neighborhood. [ http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/news/614352.html ]NYC approves experiment in cab sharing

NEW YORK, May 29 (UPI) -- The New York Taxi and Limousine Commission has approved experiments in shared taxis. [ http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/news/627910.html ]Could cab-sharing work here?

Would you share a taxicab with total strangers headed in the same direction -- at any time, day or night -- in exchange for a 50 percent fare cut? Instead of waiting for a rush-hour bus on a congested route, would you pay $3 or $4 to share a "group-ride cab" with three other passengers?

Sounds much more energy efficient than what they have now. Also saves money.

animal-vehicle collisions

COLLABORATION=============

The Arizona Department of Transportation, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and several other public and private organizations have partnered to save wildlife and highway drivers from animal-vehicle collisions. The consortium is using GIS technology to identify the locations where deer and elk are apt to cross the road and then installing underpasses at those points. Besides the safety of Arizona s residents and visitors, preventing collisions saves the state money; as the state owns all wildlife, it can be held liable when a collision occurs.

I wonder what is the history of success or failure with these underpasses? Sounds like a good idea but do they actually work? Do the animals learn to use the underpasses?

Digital Textbooks in California

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION=====================

This fall, California high school students may be using digital textbooksfor some of their math and science classes. If certain free and opendigital textbooks meet state-approved standards, this first-in-the-nation initiative could reduce education costs for the state and make it easier for students to work in multiple settings. Some schools, which cater tolow income students without reliable computer access, worry that the transition to this new technology could be difficult. [ http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/news/622835.html ]California schools see distant digital future for textbooks.

Teachers and textbook techies, take note. The state is reviewing digital versions of textbooks that could be used in high school math and science classes next year. It's the first step in a transition from the 5-pound texts loaded into school kids' backpacks to computer-based books and learning materials,and California is the first state to try it. When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger addressed the Legislature on Tuesday, he said going digital could save schools hundreds of millions of dollars a year. School administrators realize this could be the future of instruction,but they say it won't save them money anytime soon. And for school districts like River Delta Unified along the Sacramento River, the transition will be challenging. Many of the district's 2,500 students live in homes without computer access. And the district getsits Internet through cables that can clog up with too much information traffic. "For the state to give us a disk, it would be like giving us a gallon of gas and no car to put it in," said River Delta's Chief EducationalServices Officer Robert Hubbel. And districts like River Delta can't afford to buy that hypothetical car. Last school year, the state allocated $419 million for instructional materials. "That's hundreds of millions of dollars that could be used to hire more teachers and to reduce class sizes," Schwarzenegger told the Legislature. Maybe one day, county Superintendent of Schools Dave Gordon said. In Sacramento County, schools spend $2 million per subject for newbooks and replace them every seven years, he said. The law requiresschools to provide students with learning materials both at school andat home. Before districts can scrap textbooks completely, they will have toensure that each student has computers at home and in the classroom. Teachers will need training, and there will have to be technical support for when things go wrong. "It would take a lot of time and effort to convert from a paper-based environment to an environment where every kid had Internet and laptops," Gordon said. Carl Fahle, program manager of instruction and technology in the SanJuan Unified School District, said schools might be able to printchapters of digital books or buy iPods or Kindles for students to access them. "Those devices are coming down in price enough that they are affordable," Fahle said. Secretary of Education spokeswoman Jennifer Hsiang said schools spend roughly $100 on textbooks for each high school student per year. The governor's digital education project began last month to identify digital textbooks that are free and downloadable. Nonprofts and other free providers have until June 15 to submit materials to the CaliforniaLearning Resources Network, which will determine if they're in line with state curriculum. The plan is to have links to high school science and math textbooks online by Aug. 10. If all goes well, they'll expand into other subjects, director Brian Bridges said. The longevity of the program depends on the people who provide instructional materials continuing to do so for free, said Tom Adams, the state Department of Education's director of curriculum frameworks and instructional resources. "There are costs in development, and we'll see whether they continue to get donators to support them," he said. Bridges said nobody has asked the schools how they'll use the digital option yet. "It'll be interesting to see how this comes out," Bridges said. Jay Diskey, executive director of the Association of American Publishers school division, said publishing companies aren't very threatened by the prospect of free digital textbooks. Established educational publishing companies provide more than just textbooks, he said. "It's an entire program that comes with teacher editions, online support materials, extensive planning and pacing charts." Elk Grove Unified School District's textbook clerk Laura Hall said she already has seen student and teacher reactions to electronic books. Newer textbooks come with CDs or online versions, and Hall said those aren't nearly as popular. Teachers are slow to try them, and parents complain and demand hard textbooks just because they aren't used to them, she said. "I tell them even if they can't flip pages, it's still a textbook," she said. "They want nothing of it." Training for teachers who didn't learn in the digital age and for parents skeptical of the technology would have to be part of the process,Fahle said. "The prospects are obviously very exciting, but the devil's going to be in the details," Fahle said.

It DOES sound like it could save several million trees a year!

American Microfinance

Grameen Bank, the microfinance institution founded by Nobel Peace Prizewinner Muhammad Yunus, will open a branch in Omaha, Nebraska, after its success in the Queens borough of New York City last year. The bank will initially serve the low-income community in South Omaha and will then expand its operations to other areas. Yunus believes that microcredit can address the difficulties American communities are facing in the financial crisis.

[ http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/news/614424.html ]Grameen American expands to Omaha

Nobel Prize-winning microcredit pioneer Muhammad Yunus announced this week that this year he will open the second American branch of his international microcredit institution, Grameen Bank, in Omaha,Nebraska. The Midwestern office will be the second American branch opened by Grameen since the bank specializing in small loans for poor entrepreneurs opened in New York City s Queens borough last year. Bank officials say they chose Omaha for the second branch location because of strong local support and demand for microfinance services. Initially, the bank plans to serve the low-income entrepreneurs in South Omaha, extending loans to at least 250 borrowers in its first year of operation. Eventually, officials plan to expand to other parts of the state. Traditionally, microcredit clients are sustenance entrepreneurs in developing countries, or low-income entrepreneurs who do not qualify for traditional bank loans. But as the recession takes more jobs and bank loans become harder to secure, the small-scale lending system isgaining in prominence as a means of spurring business. (See web-exclusive feature)

Yunus, the banker who popularized microcredit internationally after making his first loan to Bangladeshi villagers in 1976 with $27 dollars out of his own pocket, said yesterday that American communities should consider having a Grameen America branch as a means of addressing the hardship caused by the financial crisis. The first Grameen America branch in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, New York, has lent more than $1.6 million to 660 women living at or below the poverty line since opening in January of 2008. The average loan size to date is $2,200. Grameen America s success and growth in 2008 came in an environment where banks were cutting back on loans. Now, in 2009, Grameen America is expanding its operation to Omaha and continuing with its mission to make loans to low income people as a solution to economic hardships across the United States, said Yunus, whose efforts to alleviate poverty in Bangladesh won him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Another Grameen veteran, Habib Chowdhury, will lead the bank s Omaha branch. Chowdhury, who has managed Grameen microcredit programs since 1985, last launched and managed a Grameen microcredit program in Kosovo. In the nine years since the bank branch opened, it has provided loans to over 14,000 borrowers, including a large number of war victims, widows, and displaced women.

You wouldnt ordinarily think of America as a place in need of microfinance, but apparently it is, what with the recession. I DO believe in the microfinance movement.

Low-tech Lawnmowers

Maryland officials are using forty goats to mow grass and weeds alongpart of a state highway. These natural mowers are not only less expensive than conventional methods, but are also more environmentally friendly, as they reduce the state's carbon footprint and protect species native to thearea, such as a certain type of bog turtle. The goats will work until September. Places in New York and Colorado also use goats to trim grass.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Car Dealers Doing Well

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Why These Stocks Are Motoring Higher
By Toby Shute
June 9, 2009 | Comments (0)

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Solar power. Biotech. Energy storage. These areas have generated some big stock winners so far in 2009. Equally hot, however, are the publicly traded auto dealerships.

I can't blame you if you're surprised. From Saab to Chrysler to General Motors, the automaker field is littered with dead bodies. You know business is bad when Ford (NYSE: F) outshines its domestic competitors by not going bankrupt, and Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM) reports its first annual loss in, well, ever. This is a brutal environment for car sales, plain and simple.

So how is it possible that no less than four dealers -- Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE: ABG), Group 1 Automotive (NYSE: GPI), Lithia Motors, and Sonic Automotive (NYSE: SAH) -- have more than doubled in share price in 2009?

The independent auto dealers are definitely hurting, but it’s the manufacturers' own franchises that are shuttering dealerships most dramatically. In many cases, that leaves the independents as the last man standing in a given market. The CEO of Oregon-based Lithia Motors illustrated this process last month by pointing to a Eugene-area Jeep dealership that will close, leaving the franchise to Lithia, which already sells Chrysler and Dodge brands.

Of course, the financing of auto sales will remain challenging as long as the credit markets continue in their catatonic state, but some relief has come via the Federal Reserve's TALF program. CarMax (NYSE: KMX) tapped these low-cost funds in a near-$1 billion loan package that was sold to investors last month. Keep an eye on the securitization space to make sure the appetite for auto loans doesn't stall out.

As to those soaring share prices, I should note that these stocks have doubled in pretty much the least graceful way possible. Sonic Automotive, the most debt-addled of the group, experienced a greater than 95% peak-to-trough plunge prior to its recent recovery. Less leveraged players like CarMax and AutoNation (NYSE: AN) haven't seen quite as spectacular year-to-date gains, but their solvency was also never in doubt.

When it comes to the auto dealer group, those latter two firms are the only ones that I would seriously consider for my own portfolio. Then again, my tolerance for debt is very low. Your mileage may vary.

The value of used cars had gone up significantly lately, as nobody is buying new. If I DID buy a new Chrysler, who would honor the warranty? Anybody?

Auto Dealerships Doing Well

Home > Investing > Value
Sponsored By
Why These Stocks Are Motoring Higher
By Toby Shute
June 9, 2009 | Comments (0)

Motley Fool Stock Advisor
Since 2002, David and Tom Gardner have returned 31.92% while the S&P 500 returned -9.04%. Try Stock Advisor free for 30 days.

Solar power. Biotech. Energy storage. These areas have generated some big stock winners so far in 2009. Equally hot, however, are the publicly traded auto dealerships.

I can't blame you if you're surprised. From Saab to Chrysler to General Motors, the automaker field is littered with dead bodies. You know business is bad when Ford (NYSE: F) outshines its domestic competitors by not going bankrupt, and Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM) reports its first annual loss in, well, ever. This is a brutal environment for car sales, plain and simple.

So how is it possible that no less than four dealers -- Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE: ABG), Group 1 Automotive (NYSE: GPI), Lithia Motors, and Sonic Automotive (NYSE: SAH) -- have more than doubled in share price in 2009?

The independent auto dealers are definitely hurting, but it’s the manufacturers' own franchises that are shuttering dealerships most dramatically. In many cases, that leaves the independents as the last man standing in a given market. The CEO of Oregon-based Lithia Motors illustrated this process last month by pointing to a Eugene-area Jeep dealership that will close, leaving the franchise to Lithia, which already sells Chrysler and Dodge brands.

Of course, the financing of auto sales will remain challenging as long as the credit markets continue in their catatonic state, but some relief has come via the Federal Reserve's TALF program. CarMax (NYSE: KMX) tapped these low-cost funds in a near-$1 billion loan package that was sold to investors last month. Keep an eye on the securitization space to make sure the appetite for auto loans doesn't stall out.

As to those soaring share prices, I should note that these stocks have doubled in pretty much the least graceful way possible. Sonic Automotive, the most debt-addled of the group, experienced a greater than 95% peak-to-trough plunge prior to its recent recovery. Less leveraged players like CarMax and AutoNation (NYSE: AN) haven't seen quite as spectacular year-to-date gains, but their solvency was also never in doubt.

When it comes to the auto dealer group, those latter two firms are the only ones that I would seriously consider for my own portfolio. Then again, my tolerance for debt is very low. Your mileage may vary.

The value of used cars has gone up significantly too, as nobody is buying new. If i were to buy a new Chrysler car, who would honor the warranty?

Monday, June 8, 2009

Federal Stimulus Plan

Federal agencies will release billions of stimulus dollars to states in the coming months.

Health and Human Services will provide funding for 1,129 health centers to provide expanded service for 300,000 patients; Interior will begin improvements on 107 national parks; Veterans Affairs will start work on 90 medical centers in 38 states; the Justice Department will fund 5,000 law enforcement jobs; the Agriculture Department will begin 200 new rural waste and water system projects; and the Environmental Protection Agency will begin or accelerate the cleanup of 20 Superfund sites.

Its not flowing as quickly as I wanted but I would prefer to wait a little longer and make sure the money gets where its needed than just throw money at a problem. The Superfund has been broke for years now, and will have a virtual rebirth. All stuff we need, and American.

page 2- more stimulus money to be spent in hot states m

Stimulus funds spent to keep Sun Belt cool

Colorado town overrun by elk
June 5: The majestic creatures roam by the thousands near the Continental Divide, and every year, many take up residence in the small town of Estes Park, wandering the streets and mingling with townsfolk and tourists. NBC's Jack Chesnutt report

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As Florida’s weatherization money climbs to $176 million over the next couple of years, from $5 million this year, the scene that played out recently at Jessica Langston’s double-wide mobile home in Crawfordville is likely to become more common.

A large truck, parked by a palm tree in the front yard, was pumping fiberglass insulation into small holes bored in the corrugated metal roof. Glaziers were sticking tinted film to the windows to dull the sun’s heat. And cool air was streaming through the floor vents, much stronger now that the metal ducts beneath the floor had been sealed tight and the air-conditioner unit outside had been serviced.

“Before, it would just be hot, unbearably hot,” said Ms. Langston, 27, who had covered the windows with tin foil and taped a leaky window shut when she moved in last summer, pregnant with her third daughter. Her monthly electricity bills can top $400.

Officials here say that the program has cut electricity use and costs. A review of the utility bills of nine Floridians whose homes were recently weatherized showed varied savings. A couple of bills were halved, with monthly savings of up to $178; most customers saved $13 to $44 a month, and one customer saw her electric bill rise as she consumed more electricity after her house had been weatherized.

Norm Gampel, who manages the program for the Florida Department of Community Affairs, said new training tailored to Sun Belt states had helped. Florida workers now use infrared cameras to pinpoint leaks, along with blower doors, large fans that suck the air out of a house to measure how airtight it is.

Putting people to work
There is no doubt that the program will have its intended effect of putting people to work: nine people worked on Ms. Langston’s house. Robin Dias, the weatherization coordinator here for Wakulla County, said that he was preparing to expand to six crews, from two, to handle the additional work and that he was having no trouble finding workers since the housing market went bust.

“When everything was going so good, I couldn’t hardly get nobody,” Mr. Dias said. “But since the drop — oh man, I’ve got a list of contractors.”

Mr. Gampel said he was convinced that with the increased financing, the program would prove its worth in hot states.

“This is our chance to shine,” he said. “Or, we’re in the spotlight, however you want to look at it.”

This article, "Stimulus Funds Spent to Keep Sun Belt Cool," first appeared in The New York Times.

$5 billion U.S. effort to help hot states save on air-conditioning questioned

The New York Times


$5 billion U.S. effort to help hot states save on air-conditioning questioned
Video: Environment

Colorado town overrun by elk
June 5: The majestic creatures roam by the thousands near the Continental Divide, and every year, many take up residence in the small town of Estes Park, wandering the streets and mingling with townsfolk and tourists. NBC's Jack Chesnutt reports.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Miranda Kerr goes nude for koalas
Eagles return to Canadian park
Turning America Green
Florida's newest artificial reef created

Calif. farm areas drying up
California’s farming areas aren’t dust bowls, at least not yet, but a three-year drought and water restrictions have slashed crops and jobs, undermining rural communities.

By Michael Cooper

updated 7:41 a.m. ET, Mon., June 8, 2009
CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. - The federal government is spending $5 billion in stimulus money to weatherize homes across the country. That is almost as much as it has spent on weatherization since the program was created in the 1970s to cut heating bills and conserve oil for low-income people.

But this year, there is a twist.

An unusually large share of the money will be spent not on keeping cold air out but on keeping cold air in. As a result of a political compromise with Sun Belt lawmakers last decade, the enormous expansion of the weatherization program will invoke a rarely used formula that will devote 31 percent of the money, nearly double the old share of 16 percent, to help states in hot climates, like Florida, save on air-conditioning.

Many environmentalists say cutting electricity use for cooling is just as worthwhile as reducing the use of oil or gas for heating. But there are substantial questions about whether it is the most efficient way to save energy.

The nation spends twice as much on heating as on cooling, according to the federal Energy Information Administration, and it consumes more energy heating homes than cooling them. When it comes to emissions of heat-trapping gases, the department found, home heating is responsible for emitting twice as much carbon dioxide as home cooling. And a 2005 survey of home energy use by the agency found that the average household in New England spent $1,188 a year on heating, while the average household in Florida spent $597 on air-conditioning.

Effectiveness questioned
Repeated questions have been raised about the effectiveness of weatherization in hot-climate states. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, which evaluates the program for the Energy Department, released a study last year questioning the program’s results in Texas, which will get $327 million in weatherization money from the stimulus law. The laboratory found that insulating homes did not save a significant amount of money on cooling, a finding it said was consistent with previous studies.

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Stimulus Funds Spent to Keep Sun Belt Cool

Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonprofit group that favors weatherization, said the spending formula reflected the tension in balancing national goals with regional interests. “If you were doing it on a national basis,” Mr. Nadel said, “you’d do the most cost-effective jobs first, which would mean doing a lot in places like the Dakotas and Minnesota.”

Gil Sperling, the program manager at the Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Energy Department, said more studies of weatherization in hot climates were needed to take into account recent technological advances.

“While the Department of Energy is gathering the latest data about the savings in cold-weather and warm-weather states,” Mr. Sperling said, “this program has a proven track record of saving money, saving energy and creating jobs across the country.”

The stimulus money is being divided according to a formula devised in 1995 after members of Congress from the hot states complained that they received too little money through the weatherization program. The formula has been used just twice, since it is invoked only in the rare years that the program financing exceeds a threshold, now set at $233 million.

J. Bennett Johnston, a former Democratic senator from Louisiana who pushed for the new formula at the time, said more people were dying from extreme heat than extreme cold. “This was not so much an energy saving proposal; it was more of an equity proposal, one that gave attention to public health,” Mr. Johnston said, adding that it would save energy.

Cold states' share reduced

Now, the formula favoring hot states is being used just as the government makes its biggest investment in weatherization.

So while all states will get more money for weatherization than ever before, and cold states will still get a majority of the money, the share going to cold states will be smaller than usual. In the past, cold states received two-thirds of the weatherization money; now they will take just over half.

This is one of several examples where the stimulus law relies on existing Congressional formulas to divide billions of dollars. Doing so made it hard to direct the spending but avoided messy fights in Congress over how to divide the money.

My thoughts on this are, if you are too hot in Fla you can jump in the ocean, pool, or water hose. If you are freezing to death, you have few options, so take care of the colder area first and better. Its a great program and long overdue, as long as the scammers and crooks dont steal all the money before it gets to the people who need it. Oversight is the key.

Good vs Bad Debt

The myth of ‘good’ debt
Posted Jun 05 2009, 08:24 AM by Karen Datko Rating: Filed under: debt, The Dough Roller, mortgage, credit cards, debt reduction
This post comes from partner blog The Dough Roller.

You've probably heard of "good" debt and "bad" debt. Good debt is when we borrow to buy something that generally goes up in value, like a home. Bad debt is when we borrow for anything else, like a car, a boat, a meal, a dress, a cruise, a wedding and so on.

Many teach that good debt is fine, while bad debt is not. The theory goes that good debt makes us wealthy as the value of our purchased assets goes up, while bad debt makes us poor as we struggle to pay debts for which we have little to show. In fact, it's a philosophy I've followed my entire adult life.

And it's flawed.

Not all debt is created equal, to be sure. A debt backed by an appreciating asset is far better than debt used to fund a lifestyle we can't afford. Why? If for no other reason, we can always sell an asset to pay off good debt. With bad debt, all we have is the debt.

But the problem with good-debt versus bad-debt thinking is that it makes good debt seem more appealing than it really is. And there are two reasons for this.

First, debt, whether good or bad, takes away some level of our freedom. In my case, I'm 42 with enough good debt for two families. If I were debt-free, I could quit my day job and run this site full time. I'd really enjoy that, along with a few other business ventures I'd undertake. As it stands, my good debt is requiring me to keep my 9-to-5 job. Thus, good debt is preventing me from living the life I'd like to live.

Second, selling the assets that underlie good debt is not always practical. For most of us, good debt is our mortgage, and that's true for us. We have a mortgage and a home-equity line of credit used to renovate our home several years ago. We could sell our home, even in the current market, and pay off all of our good debt. We would have enough money left over to pay cash for a home in many areas of the country, but not where we currently live outside of Washington, D.C.

It's certainly a choice we could make. We would uproot our two high school children, sever all of our friendships, and leave many of our family members behind. We've chosen not to do that, and that's the right choice for us. But that just brings me back to all of our good debt.

Borrowing to buy a house is a perfectly rational decision. In our case, perhaps we purchased more home than we needed, although we do enjoy where we live. But the fact remains that good debt, at least for individuals, is a myth.

Instead of good debt and bad debt, maybe we should just think of it as debt and bad debt.

Related reading at The Dough Roller:

How to avoid a mutual fund's minimum investment

30 things I learned in my first 30 days of blogging

10 Web sites to look up the value of your home

Um....How it is a myth was not explained.
Bobby (Posted 06.05.09 10:15 AM ) Report Abuse

Maybe two equally valid classifications of debt could be: rational and irrational.

I agree that it makes sense to go into debt to buy a home (because 99% of us can't just pay in full) because you will eventually own that house and land and it beats shelling out rent that you'll never see again.

It makes sense to go into debt for a car, most of us need one to get to a job to buy the rest of our crap. But lets be reasonable about what we can afford. Maybe instead of an Escalade with rims you could put a down payment on a home.

It does not make sense however to spend money on a night out (or many other good, services and entertaining things) that may cost you fifty bucks on this one beautiful night that you'll end up paying two hundred for years and years down the road.

Rational and Irrational; Smart and Stupid.

Frank (Posted 06.05.09 10:29 AM ) Report Abuse

yep, the title is misleading.

good debt is borrowing to buy house wasn't the case this time, isn't it?

nate (Posted 06.05.09 10:44 AM ) Report Abuse

For those who follow the Good debt v bad debt philosophy- the writer's example of a home mortgage and equity line is actually bad debt. The home is not an asset if you can't sell it for whatever reason. Don't live in your assets, make them work for you.

Will (Posted 06.05.09 11:01 AM ) Report Abuse
No no no...U all are retarded...We own nothing, we are indebted to everything, so it is not whether to have good/bad debt debt/bad debt... You should have no debt. If you cannot buy your house with the cash you earned or earn than you have not earned it...There you go, earn/not earned is more like it. America has been raised to get things first and pay later and that is what has ruined our country. I propose that you start teaching your kids to stir away from debt all together and start thinking of ways to make positive changes for material equivalents. Ideas are the pools of dreams and if you have not noticed yet, making money is like breathing now a days, so anyone that says they cannot afford it is because they did not earn it :)
Corey Lambert (Posted 06.05.09 11:13 AM ) Report Abuse

Actually, I think the definitions of good and bad debt are wrong in this article. Bad debt is any debt we take on that we cannot afford. This does restrict one's choices or options because it negatively affect household cash flow and, thus, can negatively affect one's quality of life. Good debt should be defined as "using someone else's money instead of our own". When you buy something cash, you tie up your money into that item. What if you could borrow to buy that item, and instead, keep your money invested, even in a relatively low yielding money market account, and make more money investing this money than you pay interest on your borrowed money? You have "made" money while taking on debt. This is a good debt. Don't think it's possible? I offer this option every day to people who are looking to pay cash for a car.

car loan guy (Posted 06.05.09 11:21 AM ) Report Abuse

I have to say I was one of those who followed the rule of "good debt/bad debt" HOWEVER I feel differently now because in my opinion the rules changed.I think everyone has to look at their situation to figure out what they can do for instance house mortgage -if you loose your job and can't make the payment or sell the house and break even.Education use to be in my good debt category no longer it's debt you have to pay back and no guarentee of a job non the less if you get one that it pays decent.My point is the rules changed and we have to keep up.I am 55 ys old house paid for now for 5yrs, college educated no loans,drive cars for 12plus yrs,have 401K and 403b and intend to keep working.Oh yeah I am a nurse and for 30yrs always could get a job, actually have worked 3 jobs now down to 2 but I hear new grads do not have that luxury.My own personal money rule has been to keep as much of our dollars at home which meant the hubby and I worked opposite shifts-no child care costs,we shared vehicles drove them long and took care of all our stuff, did all our own work aka lawn,a simple but perfect life for us.It is all how you look at it.

Pam (Posted 06.05.09 12:38 PM ) Report Abuse

Jessica, never, ever convert unsecured debt and secured debt. If you can't pay your credit card debt you won't lose your house, but if you can't pay your mortage you will. So now instead of buckling down and paying off your cc debt in a year or two, you've just stretched your payments out over what 15, 30 years? Yeah, that's a good financial plan.

bad dog (Posted 06.05.09 3:20 PM ) Report Abuse

This post confuses me.

Point 1: The writer has enough home equity to pay cash for a house in most parts of the country. Sounds like good - make that great - debt to me!

Point 2: The Dough Roller chooses to stay in the DC area for reasons completely unrelated to finances (family and friends).

Conclusion: The mortgage is preventing the Dough Roller from "living the life I'd like to live".

Say what?????

I thought living in DC close to family and friends was the life the Dough Roller wanted to live. If this person is strapped on the mortgage, why not sell the house and rent in the same area? Could it possibly be that all that accumulated home equity is actually a GOOD thing? No sympathy for the Dough Roller here - he/she made the right financial moves and is just going to have to live with the consequences!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Refining Innovations

Refining Innovations
Oil Refinery
A brief tour of an oil refinery. More >>


Related Audio
ETR 23 Refinery Expansion
March 4, 2008 - Join API's Jane Van Ryan as she interviews Sterling Burnett, a senior fellow for the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA), about the challenges in expanding refinery capacity in the United States. More >>

API: Refining
With the significant increases in energy demand in recent years, U.S. refineries have been running at nearly full capacity. Many refineries are using technological advances to get more out of each barrel of oil processed.

•Refinery automation is integrating process and energy system controls to boost operating efficiency and product yields
•New refinery emissions monitoring technology uses infrared lasers with advanced imaging systems to minimize releases
•Solvent-extraction systems reduce waste using one-third the energy it takes to refine lubricating oil from crude oil
•New process, equipment and catalyst technology advances are being used to meet new regulations requiring very low sulfur levels in gasoline and diesel fuel
•Efficiency improvements at refineries are converting crude oil residue into low-sulfur diesel and jet engine fuel and squeezing extra gallons from every barrel
•Low-sulfur gasoline produced by refineries generates up to 97 percent less emissions in one of today's new cars than in a 1970s vehicle
•Ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel being produced today is making great strides in reducing particulate matter (soot) from diesel exhaust
•Co-generation is helping refineries capture waste heat and use it to produce electricity, which can minimize the need to purchase power and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. See how the co-generation process works

Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficiency
Related Video
Closed Loop Drilling
"Closed loop drilling" is a pilot program at the San Juan Business Unit. Natural gas that would normally be flared or vented is now recycled and resold - saving resources and protecting the environment from greenhouse gases. More >>

ETR 19 Rebuilding Together: Energy Efficient Homes
Feb. 5, 2008 - Join API's Jane Van Ryan and Rebecca Dobbins, as well as Cynthia Woodruff of Rebuilding Together, as they discuss API's Energy Efficient Homes Initiative with Rebuilding Together. More >>

Roadtrip: API Energy Arcade
The greatest “new” energy source available to use is the reduced demand brought about by greater energy efficiency and conservation. Significant progress has been made in the past and more is expected in the future.

We use about half as much energy today for every dollar of Gross Domestic Product as we did back in 1980. Looking forward, our nation must take energy efficiency more seriously. Our industry is doing its part. Through such technologies as combined heat and power, also known as cogeneration—the re-use of excess heat from refinery processes to produce additional energy—refiners are becoming more efficient, reducing both energy use and emissions.

The oil and natural gas industry has pledged to improve energy efficiency by 10 percent at refineries between 2002 and 2012, and we are making progress in meeting that goal. In fact, in 2006 alone, U.S. refiners saved the energy equivalent of taking 528,000 cars off the road.

To learn more about how U.S. energy providers support energy efficiency, click here (.pdf).

energy tomorrow

http://www.energytomorrow.org/Energy_Efficiency.aspx
This is the article this information was taken from.

Future Fuels

Future Fuels

ETR 66 Future Fuels and Plug-
in Cars
Dec. 30, 2008: Jane Vane Ryan talks with Tony Markel, senior engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Colorado, about research being done on the next generation of cars and trucks.

EIA: 2008 Energy Outlook
Clean Diesel Alliance
API: Other Fuel Sources
The oil and natural gas industry believes that we will need all energy resources – wind, solar, biofuels and others – to meet the world’s growing demand for energy supplies. The world needs a portfolio of resources, as well as advanced research into future sources and technologies.

Energy companies are conducting or funding a significant amount of research into alternative energy sources. They also have partnered with the federal government and the U.S. auto industry to examine and advance the research needed to develop technologies necessary to develop a full range of fuel efficient and affordable cars and light trucks.

There are several conventional and unconventional fuel sources that have the potential to provide future benefits:

Conventional sources – billions of dollars in research have helped and scientists develop cleaner, more efficient, and better performing fuels from crude oil:

•Reformulated gasoline has led to significant reductions in ozone precursors and toxic emissions
•The introduction of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel is enabling the use of cleaner-technology diesel engines and vehicles resulting in significantly improved air quality
•Some refineries are converting heavier, sour crude oil into low-sulfur gasoline, diesel and jet engine fuel and squeezing extra gallons from every barrel
•Upgrading inferior oil sources (i.e. tar and oil sands) into refinery feedstocks shows promise
•Turning waste and residue hydrocarbons into high-value products through gasification is yet another approach being considered
Frontier sources – research is also leading the way toward the development of new sources of energy:

•Biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, are being produced from corn, oil seeds, animal fats, and waste oils
•Processes to convert woody biomass and other cellulosic feedstocks into transportation fuels are being actively investigated
•Hydrogen, created by using natural gas, is being considered as a transportation fuel
•Fuel cells that convert hydrogen and oxygen into water, and in the process produce electricity could be used for heating and cooling, as well as for transportation, in the future
•Methane hydrates – methane gas frozen in ice crystals – could produce clean-burning energy for 1,000 years
•Coal gasification produces liquids that show promise as transportation fuels
•Processes that turn natural gas into a liquid fuel also can help to meet transportation demands. Even landfill gas is being converted into liquid fuel

Government money should not be diverted from R & D to look for more oil. Let the oil companies do that with the record profits they are making. Government grants and investments should go toward longer-term solutions, not subsidies for the oil companies.

Powering the Future

Powering the Future

Future Energy
Demand for energy is rising around the world, according to the Department of Energy and the International Energy Agency. Learn more. More >>

ETR 14 Energy Outlook: Forecasting for the Future
Dec. 18, 2007 - This episode of EnergyTomorrow Radio features API's Jane Van Ryan and Rayola Dougher, joined by Guy Caruso of the Energy Information Administration. They discuss the global energy outlook in both the long and short term. More >>

Alternative sources of energy will grow dramatically over the next 20 years, but they alone cannot meet all of our needs. We need to embrace all forms of energy – including the oil and natural gas this country depends on for business and personal mobility.

Solar, wind, geothermal, and fuel cell technologies are among the numerous energy solutions that have garnered considerable interest in recent years. The oil and natural gas industry believes that each one has an important role to play in America's energy supply.

Solar, wind and geothermal technologies are producing electricity for homes and businesses. And it's believed that hydrogen to power fuel cell vehicles, could become a viable energy source in the future.

Those fuels are undoubtedly a viable part of tomorrow’s energy mix, but they do not represent the entire answer. In the year 2030, renewable ‘fuels of the future’ will only comprise nine percent of consumer demand. More than 60 percent of demand will continue to be fulfilled by oil and natural gas.

Someday technology might introduce a new source of energy to the marketplace that is even more efficient, cleaner and cheaper than oil and natural gas. In the meantime, we all need to work together to use existing energy resources wisely, that means continuing to invest in ways to make the exploration, production and use of oil and natural gas more efficient.

This is an ad by an oil company. I do believe that oil IS in our future but dont believe it should be the focus. We cant drill our way out of this situation. OPEC and hostile and unstable governments who punish us with high oil prices on a whim make it impossible.