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Is climate change real? There are a number of sound arguments for and against the concept of climate change resulting from global warming. I, for one, have been a bit of a skeptic, but if you’ve read any of my earlier blog postings, you’ve heard me say, “ Regardless, we know we can...
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The debate concerning the environmental impacts of “fracking,” the process of injecting water under pressure to release natural gas buried underground is making all the headlines lately. There are significant questions concerning environmental impacts of this practice that should be taken...
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An article in the October 17 issue of ENR titled “ Green Infrastructure Faces Tough Time Gaining Traction ” (subscription necessary) highlights some of the problems applying sustainability to infrastructure design and construction. The article outlines some of the hurdles as: Lack of data...
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We’re all anxiously hoping that Japan can get their Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant under control and prevent continued nuclear contamination releases into the air and water. The environmental damage that has already occurred will take many years to repair (not to mention the affects of the earthquake...
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When we talk about funding infrastructure, why is it that roads, bridges, and airports get the attention? Probably because we all see them every day and a failure is catastrophic (always making today’s news). Our public investment in water and wastewater infrastructure is one of our largest national...
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When we think of efficiency and conservation, most of us immediately think of our electric use and how many miles we can go on a gallon of gas, but how many of us think about our water consumption? I am a water resources engineer, so my hand goes up, but most people don’t. And I’m not talking...
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I’ve found the disparity of opinions concerning where the oil form the BP spill has gone quite fascinating and at least a little troubling. BP and even some federal agencies suggest that the oil that didn’t surface has disbursed and will likely cause no further significant environmental risk...
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President Obama has made a push to promote the construction of nuclear power facilities as part of his long-range energy plan. This has met with opposition from environmental groups and others with concerns about safety and the environment. To further confuse the issue, a number of nuclear power plants...
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I read with great interest a recent article by Daniel Lyons in Newsweek, entitled An SOS for Science . While I don’t agree with everything he states, he much more eloquently than I, raises one of my chief concerns: Is the US is ready to lead the renewable energy revolution? Renewable energy initiatives...
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NSPE is one of 21 engineering societies that have joined together to issue a proclamation to the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress, outlining critical national energy goals that need to be met. Included in the proclamation are calls for: A balanced national energy portfolio that combines traditional...
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I had the opportunity recently to attend several symposiums on energy policy and our energy future. Discussions ranged from carbon sequestration for coal-fired power plants to renewable energy viability, the rebirth of nuclear power, energy conservation, and our dependence on cheap foreign sources of...