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 PROMO!!!!!!!Return to index of stories... |
Primary politics and blogging. Who are the bloggers and how are they impacting the race for the White House. Plus, meet Republican Colorado Congressman and presidential candidate Tom Tancredo. |
| Preshow #1 blogging Return to index of stories... |
The growing power of blogs in presidential politics. 2:49:49 you can put it up on a blog and sort of get it in circulation that way and once its out there on the internet -- its tough to ignore it 2:50:03 The growing power of blogs in presidential politics. |
| Preshow #2tancredo Return to index of stories... |
He's anti-immigration. Where else does he stand on the issues? Meet presidential candidate Tom Tancredo. |
| Preshow #3 SCHIP Return to index of stories... |
One New Hampshrie mother's fear if federal funding is slashed for the state's health insurance program for children. |
| Hello/Intro Blogging Return to index of stories... |
Hello, Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook, I'm Beth Carroll. We begin with blogs and the race for the White House. As we've shown you the last couple of weeks the Internet has become a powerful tool in the presidential campaigns. Blogs have been breaking, shaping and spinning news stories since 2002. By 2004, political campaigns started using blogs to raise millions in grassroots contributions. What role are they playing in the 2008 race? We went to the "net-roots" to find out. |
| Blogging/Politics Return to index of stories... |
Nats up/ butt: 1:23:54-:57 let me introduce our campaign blogger crystal patterson 1:23:57 TRK1: When it comes to presidential politics - Blogs - short for web logs - are taking NH"s retail politics into living rooms around the globe. The new medium is also changing the way mainstream media and political campaigns operate. 7:25 retail politics… how you folks doing dodd 7:34 TRK2: James Pindell --who writes the primary source blog for the boston globe says web logs are fueling the growth of "bottom-up politics" Cover for interview/ broll: Romney tape: 16:24 over shoulder with James/ 22:00 / scroll rss feeds/hands ** 25:51 Primary source blog typing story ** SOT: James / Internet Politics Tape: 32:08 when we talk about who controls the message and who controls the discussion we talk about.often times for much of American history it was the elite media:in NH, certain Newspapers.:33 James: 32:14 now we have a virtual reality here. TRK3: The new medium - described as somewhere between writing a column and a talk show - has been embraced by Presidential candidates. SOT: Internet Politics Tape/ 10:00 blogs are tremendously important interesting to see how quickly things change 10:05 TRK4: Mindy Finn is an E- strategist for the Mitt Romney campaign. SOT: Mindy Tape: 10:06 going back to the 2004 pres cycle.a lot of people were afraid of blogs not sure what influence they would have I don't think there is any doubt now that we are in 2007 that blogs play a very integral role in campaign and political process in general. TRK5: At Romney's Boston headquarters - blogs are monitored as closely as mainstream media. SOT: Mindy: Internet Politics Tape 10:36 we also know that blogs are often the first point of research for a lot of reporters these days so you'd be foolish to ignore them 10:46 TRK7: Dante Scala, a political scientist at UNH and author of the "Granite Prof" blog says the medium has come of age. SOT: Dante Tape 20:02 At the unh during prez campaigns and debates…blogs have a seat right next to political media so I think they have become part of the establishment this time around… that's whats dif than 2004/ 20:16 TRK8: Jonathan Martin in NH for a recent political event writes a blog for Politico.com out of Washington. He says mainstream media can no longer cover politics in the same old way. …1:07:40 web address…ny times and politics pan and zoom down to prose 1:07:47 ** Blog SHOT on Tape SOT: J Martin: 2:47:57 the word blog refers to the medium, of on line sort of journal frequently updated. But every major newspaper or tv station,networks, have their own blog and basically it's making us all wire service reporters we're all constantly reporting the news as it happens not that night on evening news not the next morning in paper, but on that hour or minute what have you 2:48:23 TRK9: It's changing the nature of reporters's jobs …and how campaigns operate. . Blog/Cosmo Tape: Jonathon working 2:45:45/ 2:46:17 /2:46:27screen TRK10: In this new media environment…it's tougher for campaigns to keep things under wraps. Take, for example off the cuff remarks by John McCain circulated by bloggers on YouTube. NATS/ Internet B Tape 3:21 when do we send an air mail message to tehran 3:31 That old beach boy song.bomb iran.bomb bomb bomb.anyway… 3:380:341 ** SOT: J Martin Blog/Cosmo Tape: 2:50:50 there's also a whole lot more gotcha these guys have to be on at all times : Always a video tracker following them, one slip here at st anselms can be seen the next hour across the world…What happens in vegas doesn't stay in vegas to borrow a phrase 2:51:21 things can be picked up in a heartbeat via email, video and websites, can now be picked up and instantly, rapidly transmitted 2:51:34 SOT: Dante: 16:35 Blogs have really gotten on the front burner so to speak in national public media. You have local blogs, NH prez watch that national media watch on daily basis to get info on say.what different campaigns are doing as swing thru NH in Oct 16:53 Cosmo tape 2:02:17 on a slow day my average hits is about 1,500. and that will double if there is a huge event. So last week when the democrats where up north for the NBC debates I had 3,000 hits on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. TRK12: Like most blogs…NH presidential Watch includes text, images, and links to other sites. Brian describes his blog as a clearinghouse of primary news with schedules and campaign visits. SOT: BLOg/Cosmo Tape Cosmo On cam: my site is purely information all the campaigns trust me and treat me kind of as a regular person of the press crew TRK13: At a recent Romney event in Manchester - Brian conducted a "live" blog. SOT: 01:30:31/ ROMNEY EVENTTAPE: Romney: Is blood 1:30:41 SOT:/ BLOG/COSMO TAPE: cosmo 2:02:48 When Romney had kind of a testy exchange with the person about the Iraq war the balance budget you know that was literally something I put up as that was going on. a couple years ago you would have to wait till they put it out on the wire or you would have to wait until the morning newspaper to read about it. TRK14: with easy access to the internet.and wireless technology - the blogosphere is growing - and, so too are the number of partisan blogs. The campaigns that understand the internet the best get the most traction. TRK15: bluehampshire cofounder dean barker is one of a growing number of citizen journalists. 4:11 BARKER TAPE: The campaigns that are more open and not invested in message control tend to do better on the blogosphere I think 4:17' than ones that don't TRK16: Are blogs like Blue Hampshire and Granite Grok-dot com. having an impact? SOT: JAMES Politics/Internet Tape 33:06 both of these people who started blogs years ago were nobody's.voices never be heard.because interesting ideas , participation, now suddenly they are big deals.so when founder of blue hamphsire endorses dodd.it's a pretty big deal. 33:24 SOT: 15:36 MINDY: Politics/Internet Tape I do think the next wave will take video into that medium where everyone has web cams laptops come with webcams now.and instead of people typing their opinion…they'll be speaking it.it will be immediately broadcast to the community of people that they have blog with 15: SOT: Jon Martin; Romney COSMO Tape: 2:52:19 1 I think there will always be more blogs, it's not just politics its about everything.its represents the greater nichification of news and information:35 Broll Blogs cosmo tape: Marc Ambinder blog /Video with Hillary 2:41:30: 2:41:06 2:53:02-:-:04 so, if folks have interest.fulfill them before the internet.they never could. |
| Tag Blogging Return to index of stories... |
According to the search engine Technorati, every day 175-thousand blogs hit the web. Clearly, the blogosphere is not going away anytime soon. |
| Break 1 Return to index of stories... |
Meet Republican Congressman and Presidential Candidate Tom Tancredo. |
| Intro Tancredo Return to index of stories... |
Tom Tancredo was one of the first candidates to secure a spot on NH's primary ballot. The Colorado Congressman signed the forms on Tuesday, the second day of the filing period. The Republican is known for his strong opposition to illegal immigration. As Outlook's Richard Ager tells us, Tancredo has played a large role in making that issue a part of the Presidential Primary, even though it has not translated into greater poll numbers for him. AP-NY-10-16-07 1202EDT |
| Tag Tom Tancredo Return to index of stories... |
In September, Congressman Tancredo became the second Presidential Primary candidate eligible for federal matching funds. |
| Break 2 Return to index of stories... |
The rising cost of health insurance and the impact on the state's insurance program for kids. |
| Intro SCHIP Return to index of stories... |
For the last ten years the federal SCHIP program has provided every state with funding to subsidize children's healthcare coverage. SCHIP expired this month and how best to move forward with the program has turned into a political battle. Congress approved a bill for expansion but the president vetoed it and on Thursday, House Democrats failed in their attempt to override the veto. What does all of this mean for New Hampshire? Outlook's Phil Vaughn has the story. |
| SCHIP Return to index of stories... |
N1- For years, Ivy Downing held on to a dream. Ivy 2322 - "I thought the whole nine yards - the wife with the husband and the white picket fence." N2- It was a dream that slipped away. Domestic violence, she says, ended her marriage and a life that she once hoped for. Ivy 2405 - "I called a few different shelters to see which one would be suitable for me and my family and then we just picked up and left." N3- It took awhile, but Downing moved out of public housing, off food stamps and into her own apartment in downtown Keene. Ivy 2610- "I've had to be very independent. I've had to make choices - what I going to stay in a project all my life or was I going to work toward what I wanted." N4- But it takes more than a village to raise three children - it takes money. Downing doesn't have much so she receives help with her children's health insurance. Ivy 2702- "It's the most vital thing to me. Healthy Kids Gold covers dr appointments, counseling and prescriptions. If I didn't have that I don't know where I'd be." Stand up - More than 70,000 children receive subsidized health insurance in NH. The majority -- like Downing's children are enrolled in Healthy Kids Gold. Reserved for the lowest income families Gold is covered by Medicaid. SCHIP- the State Children's Health Insurance Program is reserved for families of slightly higher incomes. SCHIP is a federal program available to all the states. In NH, it's referred to as Healthy Kids Silver. Over the last ten years, the feds have put 50 billion dollars into the program. Tricia 5757- "The problem with that is over the course of time with the rapid increase of health care costs those funds are not able to keep up with the rapid growth of the program." N5- Tricia Brooks is President of NH's Healthy Kids. She says SCHIP has been flat funded since its inception in 1997. Meanwhile, health insurance costs have gone through the roof. Tricia 5845 - "Health care insurance just over the past 5 yrs has risen 78% on average in this country." N6- The SCHIP program expired this fall. Congress approved a 5 year extension with an additional 35 billion dollars thrown in. President Bush said the additional funding was not needed and vetoed the bill. Tricia 325- "In NH we cover kids at three times the poverty level that's $62,000 for a family of four. If the Bush administration is successful in putting this change into place then we wouldn't be able to cover kids in a family of four above $54,000. That means about 2,000 kids in NH would no longer qualify for subsidized health care insurance through Healthy Kids Silver." N7- Without the additional funding NH would still receive about 10.8 million dollars a year. Ivy Downing, however, is concerned. She's back in school part-time working on a degree in sociology. Once her salary increases she'll have to transfer her children's coverage from Healthy Kids Gold to Silver. Ivy 3000- "What worries me is what happens when my income goes over by a dollar? And I can't get gold anymore, what happens then? Silver is good, it will provide what I need but what happens if its not there? Am I going to be back in that spot where I'm struggling just to get daily meds? It could all come crumbling down." Jaime 955- "One of the largest groups we're starting to see struggle is the middle class." N8- Jaime Contois is NH's organizer of Working Families Win. The non-partisan group recently held a rally in Keene opposing the president's veto. Jaime 1025 - "I think one of the major consequences of these types of decisions is that we'll see a lot of middle income families who need health insurance and not be able to afford it for their children." N9- Tricia Brooks says Healthy Kids Silver will survive without the additional funding - in the short term. Tricia 150 - "But as you get toward the end of the 5 yrs then with increasing health care costs and more eligible children there would not be sufficient funds to allows us to covering more kids." N10 - The result? Tricia 230- "You might lower eligibility levels so fewer kids would be eligible. You might increase family premiums or cutting benefits so that the cost of the insurance would be less or you might do some combination of those things." N10 - Senator Judd Gregg supports the president's veto. In a letter sent to the Keene Sentinel, he says "Under the current bill, many of the dollars spent on the program would be going to cover children who already have insurance." Tricia 2917- "I don't think most people are sitting at home thinking - wow, I'm going to drop my employer based coverage so I can get into a gov't sponsored program. Families come to these programs when they don't have other alternatives." Jaime 1834- "The reason we need to expand this program is that we have a lot of hard working people who are not able to afford health insurance." Tricia - she calculates on paper how a family of four earning $48,000 are left with little money for health insurance once they pay for bills. Tricia 2120- "The reality is that the cost of living and the cost of health care insurance in NH basically make it impossible for middle income families to afford coverage on their own without somebody subsidize it." N11 - On Thursday, the House vote failed to overturn the president's veto. Lawmakers are amending the bill and will send it back to the house for another vote. For NH Outlook, I'm Phil Vaughn. |
| Tag SCHIP Return to index of stories... |
Currently, there are more than 74-hundred children enrolled in New Hampshire's SCHIP program. |
| Thanks/Goodbye Return to index of stories... |
That wraps up our program. Thanks for watching NH Outlook. I'm Beth Carroll, I'll see you next time. |
| Web Promo Return to index of stories... |
Connect with us online. New Hampshire Outlook is available online on demand at nhptv.org/outlook. We've been streaming our programs since Outlook premiered in September 2000. Whether you want to watch this show again, email it to a friend, search and watch past programs or get more information on thousands of stories and topics, you'll find it all at nhptv.org/outlook. ================================================================================== VERSION ONE: Did you know that New Hampshire Outlook is available online on demand at nhptv.org? We've been streaming our broadcasts since the program premiered in September 2000. Whether you want to watch this show again, email it to a friend, search and watch past programs or get more information on thousands of stories and topics, you'll find it all at nhptv.org/outlook. VERSION TWO: Would you like to watch this show again? Maybe you want to email it to a friend? Are you looking for more information about our New Hampshire stories and interviews? You can do all that and more at nhptv.org/outlook. VERSION THREE: Would you like to watch this show again or email it to a friend? You can do all that and more at nhptv.org/outlook. |
| key: Technology Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 10/21/2007 HOST: Beth Carroll Length: 8:00 The growing power of blogs in presidential politics. He's anti-immigration.Where else does he stand on the issues? Meet presidential candidate Tom Tancredo. One New Hampshrie mother's fear if federal funding is slashed for the state's health insurance program for children. Hello, Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook, I'm Beth Carroll. We begin with blogs and the race for the White House. As we've shown you the last couple of weeks the Internet has become a powerful tool in the presidential campaigns. Blogs have been breaking, shaping and spinning news stories since 2002. By 2004, political campaigns started using blogs to raise millions in grassroots contributions. What role are they playing in the 2008 race? We went to the "net-roots" to find out PRODUCER/REPORTER: Beth Carroll NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Mindy Finn\e-Strategist, Romney Campaign, James Pindell\NH Political Reporter, Boston Globe, Dante Scala \Prof. Political Science, UNH, Jonathan Martin\Politico.com, Brian Lawson\Blogger, NH Presidential Watch, Dean Barker\Blogger, BlueHampshire |
| key: Media Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 10/21/2007 HOST: Beth Carroll Length: 8:00 The growing power of blogs in presidential politics. He's anti-immigration.Where else does he stand on the issues? Meet presidential candidate Tom Tancredo. One New Hampshrie mother's fear if federal funding is slashed for the state's health insurance program for children. Hello, Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook, I'm Beth Carroll. We begin with blogs and the race for the White House. As we've shown you the last couple of weeks the Internet has become a powerful tool in the presidential campaigns. Blogs have been breaking, shaping and spinning news stories since 2002. By 2004, political campaigns started using blogs to raise millions in grassroots contributions. What role are they playing in the 2008 race? We went to the "net-roots" to find out PRODUCER/REPORTER: Beth Carroll NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Mindy Finn\e-Strategist, Romney Campaign, James Pindell\NH Political Reporter, Boston Globe, Dante Scala \Prof. Political Science, UNH, Jonathan Martin\Politico.com, Brian Lawson\Blogger, NH Presidential Watch, Dean Barker\Blogger, BlueHampshire |
| key: National Politcs/Government Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 10/21/2007 HOST: Beth Carroll Length: 8:00 The growing power of blogs in presidential politics. He's anti-immigration.Where else does he stand on the issues? Meet presidential candidate Tom Tancredo. One New Hampshrie mother's fear if federal funding is slashed for the state's health insurance program for children. Hello, Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook, I'm Beth Carroll. We begin with blogs and the race for the White House. As we've shown you the last couple of weeks the Internet has become a powerful tool in the presidential campaigns. Blogs have been breaking, shaping and spinning news stories since 2002. By 2004, political campaigns started using blogs to raise millions in grassroots contributions. What role are they playing in the 2008 race? We went to the "net-roots" to find out PRODUCER/REPORTER: Beth Carroll NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Mindy Finn\e-Strategist, Romney Campaign, James Pindell\NH Political Reporter, Boston Globe, Dante Scala \Prof. Political Science, UNH, Jonathan Martin\Politico.com, Brian Lawson\Blogger, NH Presidential Watch, Dean Barker\Blogger, BlueHampshire |
| key: National Politics/Government Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 10/21/2007 HOST: Beth Carroll Length: 8:30 The growing power of blogs in presidential politics. He's anti-immigration.Where else does he stand on the issues? Meet presidential candidate Tom Tancredo. One New Hampshrie mother's fear if federal funding is slashed for the state's health insurance program for children. Hello, Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook, I'm Beth Carroll. Tom Tancredo was one of the first candidates to secure a spot on NH's primary ballot. The Colorado Congressman signed the forms on Tuesday, the second day of the filing period. The Republican is known for his strong opposition to illegal immigration. As Outlook's Richard Ager tells us, Tancredo has played a large role in making that issue a part of the Presidential Primary, even though it has not translated into greater poll numbers for him. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Richard Ager NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Rep. Tom Tancredo\ Presidential Primary Candidate, Jim Broussard\U.S. Army Veteran, John Loker\Londonderry, Bay Buchanan\Tancredo Campaign Manager |
| key: Youth Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 10/21/2007 HOST: Beth Carroll Length: 8:00 The growing power of blogs in presidential politics. He's anti-immigration.Where else does he stand on the issues? Meet presidential candidate Tom Tancredo. One New Hampshrie mother's fear if federal funding is slashed for the state's health insurance program for children. Hello, Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook, I'm Beth Carroll. For the last ten years the federal SCHIP program has provided every state with funding to subsidize children's healthcare coverage. SCHIP expired this month and how best to move forward with the program has turned into a political battle. Congress approved a bill for expansion but the president vetoed it and on Thursday, House Democrats failed in their attempt to override the veto. What does all of this mean for New Hampshire? Outlook's Phil Vaughn has the story. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Phil Vaughn NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Ivy Downing\Mother, Tricia Brooks\President, NH Healthy Kids, Jaime Contois\Working Families Win |
| key: National Politics/Government Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 10/21/2007 HOST: Beth Carroll Length: 8:00 The growing power of blogs in presidential politics. He's anti-immigration.Where else does he stand on the issues? Meet presidential candidate Tom Tancredo. One New Hampshrie mother's fear if federal funding is slashed for the state's health insurance program for children. Hello, Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook, I'm Beth Carroll. For the last ten years the federal SCHIP program has provided every state with funding to subsidize children's healthcare coverage. SCHIP expired this month and how best to move forward with the program has turned into a political battle. Congress approved a bill for expansion but the president vetoed it and on Thursday, House Democrats failed in their attempt to override the veto. What does all of this mean for New Hampshire? Outlook's Phil Vaughn has the story. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Phil Vaughn NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Ivy Downing\Mother, Tricia Brooks\President, NH Healthy Kids, Jaime Contois\Working Families Win |
| key: Health/Health Care Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 10/21/2007 HOST: Beth Carroll Length: 8:00 The growing power of blogs in presidential politics. He's anti-immigration.Where else does he stand on the issues? Meet presidential candidate Tom Tancredo. One New Hampshrie mother's fear if federal funding is slashed for the state's health insurance program for children. Hello, Welcome to New Hampshire Outlook, I'm Beth Carroll. For the last ten years the federal SCHIP program has provided every state with funding to subsidize children's healthcare coverage. SCHIP expired this month and how best to move forward with the program has turned into a political battle. Congress approved a bill for expansion but the president vetoed it and on Thursday, House Democrats failed in their attempt to override the veto. What does all of this mean for New Hampshire? Outlook's Phil Vaughn has the story. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Phil Vaughn NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Ivy Downing\Mother, Tricia Brooks\President, NH Healthy Kids, Jaime Contois\Working Families Win |
| releases Return to index of stories... |
release form for Ivy, Matthew, Julie & Tiffany Downing |
| food & fuel 1 Return to index of stories... |
Ethanol could fuel price hikes Posted Saturday, March 31st 2007, 4:00 AM An ethanol-fueled boom in prices will prompt American farmers to plant the most corn since the year the Allies invaded Normandy, but surging demand could mean consumers still might pay more for everything from chicken to cough syrup. Corn is a key ingredient in many foods, from corn syrup found in candies to feed used in meat production. With more corn being used for ethanol production, that could raise prices in other areas where corn is used. Farmers are expected to plant 90.5 million acres of corn, according to the Department of Agriculture's annual prospective plantings report released yesterday. That would be a 15% increase over 2006 and the most corn planted since 1944. The move to plant corn is in large part due to a rush to produce corn-based ethanol, which is blended with gasoline. The corn rush was sparked by President Bush's initiative for support of flexible-fuel vehicles and his administration's plan to cut gas consumption by 20% in 10 years. The Associated Press -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| West ethanol Return to index of stories... |
n New West Energy Grok ‘Ethanol Binge’ Hikes Corn Prices By Richard Martin, 3-23-07 Last week US BioEnergy had a ground-breaking ceremony at a new ethanol plant in Dyersville, Iowa, bringing to 78 the number of ethanol plants under construction, with 113 already operating. And that’s not good news for the ranchers and poultry farmers of the Rocky Mountain West. Amid the “ethaphoria” currently gripping agribusiness and certain parts of the nation’s capital, a growing chorus of voices is pointing out an unintended consequence on the reliance on corn and grains as the raw material for ethanol production: prices for feed fo livestock are rising, sending prices at grocery stores up as well. “This ethanol binge is insane,” Paul Hitch, president-elect of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn., told BusinessWeek. Corn prices have doubled over the last year, reports the Earth Policy Institute, while wheat futures are trading at their highest level in 10 years. The diversion of corn to fuel ethanol uses “is creating unintended consequences throughout the global food chain,” a Bloomberg analysis finds – not to mention increased use of pesticides and fossil fuels to grow all that corn. Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress has slapped a 54-cents-per-gallon tarrif on ethanol from Brazil – which is grown from sugarcane. Wonder what’s going to happen to rum prices. In other energy news: -- In a man-bites-dog story, Xcel Energy has applied to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission for an electricity rate decrease of $13.6 million thanks to lower costs of fuel, such as natural gas, and purchased electricity predicted for upcoming months. If approved by the PUC, the new rates would take effect April 1 and continue through June 30. Meanwhile, the Colo. attorney general has announced his support for HB 1208, which would alter the state’s Unfair Practices Act to allow big chain stores to offer big gas discounts. -- As Colo. Governor Bill Ritter’s legislative package to boost renewable energy, and increase oversight of the oil and gas industry in the state, moves closer to signing, Big Energy is faced with a dilemma: oppose the measures, and be seen as obstructionists and anti-environmentalists, or swallow hard and go along? So far the Colorado Petroleum Association is against House Bill 1341, which would reform the board of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, while oil giant BP—the state’s No. 1 natural gas producer—says it will take a wait-and-see approach. -- Earlier we reported that, despite the Bush Administration’s ambitious goals for technology to produce cellulosic ethanol from organic material other than corn, the research budget for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, which is leading the way on cellulosic science, had flatlined. That’s no longer the case: the Energy Department announced Friday that the NREL will get an additional $99 million in funding this year, a 47-percent jump. Comment By dukeco1, 3-23-07 Big Energy is not accustomed to going along. They are, in Colorado at least, accustomed to getting their way. They just need to sidle over and make room for all their chickens moving back in to the roost. Comment By Hal Herring, 3-23-07 Brazilian ethanol tariff shows the world that all our free market talk is just like all that talk about WMD. How much more credibility can we stand to lose? As we pump out the last aquifers to water the chem-corn.bust the last prairie for the GMO variety, importing as much oil as we can to drive those tractors that make the corn ethanol binge.keep those Wahabbis happy, don't you know, keep the money flowing to them as leaders pretend to "get off the product," wreck the land, keep the annuities for the families of the Islamic suicide bombers healthy, line some US pockets, and witness the end of the greatest nation on earth. Dang. Hal Boy, it ain't a pretty picture is it? Comment By Chris, 3-23-07 Not only that, but the plants that make the stuff are awful-smelling blights too. Last week I was working literally in the shadow of an ADM plant in Cedar Rapids, IA, that processes corn syrup from corn, and is in the process of building an ethanol plant. I don't know what was in the exhaust belching into the sky, but it sure smelled raunchy. I wouldn't wish that in anyone's backyard. Comment By pete geddes, 3-23-07 When we subsidize things that trade in the market, we benefit the well off and well organized at the expense of the most vulnerable members of society. This holds true whether in Bozeman, Boston, or Birmingham. Princeton Ph.D. George Will said it well: “The world is divided between those who do and do not understand that activist, interventionist, regulating, subsidizing government is generally a servant of the strong and entrenched against the weak and aspiring.” Comment By Francesco DeParis, 3-23-07 I think we should start supporting cellulosic ethanol in the same manner we support corn-based ethanol. There will come a point when corn prices are too high to consider this an economic alternative to petroleum. I comment about cellulosic ethanol onEnergy Spin: Alternative Energy Blog For Investors Served Daily Cheers, Francesco DeParis Comment By bearbait, 3-25-07 One result of NAFTA was that corn from USA was so cheap and available that it drove tens of thousands of small Mexican farmers off the land and to town to find work. Now that corn has doubled in price, tortillas have also doubled in price. The poorest in Mexico now have a harder time eating, and more incentive to move north. The end result, of course, is how much energy independence do you gain by having your country supporting another million or more illegal aliens in need of medical, financial, housing and education subsidy, all of which come with energy demands? Corn ethanol comes with costs, many of which are hidden. Again, a hero move supported by liberal midwestern politicians financed by MegaAg companies, comes with unintended consequences. The ones in Mexico have happened, and the ones here are on the conveyor belt to realization. Meat prices will have to rise, and we all will pay that price. Even the vegans will pay a higher price as soy beans are replaced by corn in the farm fields. Comment By cc, 3-26-07 That Xcel Energy news item relates to the monthly ECA which adjusts, up or down, for the commodity cost of natural gas feedstock, primarily. Thus, it is not that unusual to see a downward ECA result in an overall decrease in electrictiy rates for the following month. Incidentally, the same mechanism is found on the natural gas bills but it is called a GCA. Thus, this is not a "man bites dog" story, but something that occurs when natural gas prices decline. This article was printed from www.newwest.net at the following URL: http:/www.newwest.net/index.php/city/article/ethanol_binge_sends_corn_prices_skyward/C94/L94/ © 2006 NewWest, All Rights Reserved Use of this site is subject to New West's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. |
| unh biodiesel Return to index of stories... |
Michael Briggs UNH biodiesel group msbriggs@unh.edu http:/www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/goals_index.html http:/italy.thestudentzone.com/article/21801 story on biodiesel buses at unh |