For the second time in less than a year, a federal judge has granted a motion to dismiss Fort Worth's lawsuit for Oklahoma water.

Dry Rivers are Fighting Words

Tarrant Regional Water District's lawsuit to acquire water from Oklahoma. The idea has been flawed from the beginning. First of all, the legal contract of the Apache Tribe, turned out not to be a legal contract at all, but simply a letter of understanding that they might agree to do something, sometime, in the future. Some observers think it pretty "thin", for a water board to use to supply water to a city that is in a desperate effort to get new water before Ft.Worth's consumption outraces supply.

U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton's ruling will cause the lawsuit back into the U.S. 10th Court of Appeals in Denver."The action is welcomed by TRWD as the matter can now be expedited to the appeals court, which will make the ultimate decisions in the case," said Jim Oliver, general manager of the water district. "Today's ruling sets a clear path for us to continue to vigorously affirm our right to acquire water in Oklahoma." Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson said the ruling was Heaton's "final judgment in this case so Tarrant's only option is an appeal to the 10th Circuit." And Oklahoma Secretary of the Environment J.D. Strong said the judge's ruling "strengthens Oklahoma's right to control the use of its most precious natural resource and enables the state to meet its interstate water obligations."

There are a few facts the Water Board seems to be blindly ignoring.

1. It is Oklahoma's water
2. It is going up in value daily
3. They don't want to sell it

"We only appreciate the value of water, when the well goes dry." Benjamin Franklin

We noticed this article out of Europe. The Utility Companies of the Western World have had, essentially a "free ride" on emmissions and environmental standards for the past 10 years. (In Texas, for example, the Governor, Rick Perry, has filed suit on the EPA saying that Texas does not have to comply with Federal Law and EPA standards. This will certainly be a lost effort, but will tied it up in court for many years).

Lack of action is primarily due to large contributions and political efforts, on the part of the utility industry, especially in the USA, to not enforce, or to weaken environmental standards.

Finally in Europe, they are slowly, re-regulating environmental standards, to create positive health benefits as well as good environmental policy.

While there has been much talk about emmissions standards in the USA, realistically, little tangible results have been seen yet. We can only hope, that when the people finally see the high levels of lung disease downwind of the nations coal and other industrial plants, that we should again enforce our present EPA laws, and create stricter standards for emmissions.

Polls show that 90% of Americans want clean air, the public simply doesn't make the large contributions that big industry does. Perhaps we can follow the example of our friends in Europe.

BP means: "Blame the Person Behind the Tree, not me"

B P = Blame Person

Behind Tree, not me!

(President Chides BP, Halliburton, TransOcean and others on Oil Spill”

Obama puts finger on those

who screwed up

President Obama called the “finger pointing” and “ridiculous blame game” of the oil companies at the Congressional hearing unacceptable and intolerable.

While Global Perspectives has consistently projected that this spill would put 6,000,000 gallons of oil and crude chemicals into the Gulf of Mexico, the daily reports and revisions have steadily risen closer to our reporting. If latest scientific opinions are true, the Gulf Oil Spill may even surpass our estimates. Reviews of the "flow" suggest that it could be higher than the 5000 barrels per day that has been quoted before.

Environmentalists world wide are concerned about the 400,000 (or more) gallons of dispursant chemicals that have caused the oil to emulsify into smaller droplets just below the surface.

OIL SPILL , TOXIC COCKTAIL FROM BP

BP Cocktail, Cheers all you

blokes in America!

Report from VENICE, LOUISIANA

by: Ben Boothe, Global Perspectives http://www.bootheglobalperspectives.com

The 70 mile strip of the Mississippi from New Orleans, may be one of the most concentrated stretches of the chemical industry in the world. It is the funnel to the entire river, and all the run off from chemicals, fertilizer, city waste systems, and thousands of ships, concentrates here. Now the oil spill in the Gulf, has added a new "drink" for the fishery and for the people who depend upon it. For those who like their seafood cooked with oil, the Britsh have sent a gift to the Gulf. 6,000,000+ gallons of oil!

Federal Agencies have closed up and banned commercial fishing from Venice all the way to Florida because of the oil spill. Every fisherman sitting idle has been damaged, by loss of present income, and perhaps by long term damage to the fishery of the Gulf. Some believe hundreds of millions of fish and other species will die, or at least, ingest and

Waste from ships, industry, farms,

all contribute to "Dead Zone"

What a contrast. Gulf of Mexico oil spill that has killed 11 people, will kill thousands of birds, animals and fish and will dirty beaches and ocean for years, while a large clean energy Wind Project is approved off of Nantucket Sound. This marks a turning point in energy in America.

The Gulf oil spill appears to be worse than originally thought and is so big it can be seen from space photos. This problem continues to grow as oil flows and emergency valve turn off efforts fail.

Spill photo from Space

The oil spill from the rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico just gets worse and worse. It is bad enough that this disaster happened on "Earth Day", but now the original estimates of the 1,000 barrels per day that is spilling out of the rig on the ocean floor, have been revised to 5,000 barrels per day. This is a huge amount of oil, considering that in 30 days, 150,000 barrels (6,300,000 gallons) of oil will be floating on the Gulf, heading for beaches of America. The spill, at the present rate of growth, will soon cover an area bigger than some states.

Oil Rig Blow Out

BP denies that the spill is that bad, but then it was disclosed that underwater robots were unable to turn off the valves and that the unit was not equipped with a remote emergency turn off valve, therefore the oil keeps flowing.

Industry critics cite the lack of the remote control emergency turn off valve as a sign U.S. drilling policy has been too lax. "What we see, going back two decades, is an oil industry that has had way too much sway with federal regulations," said Dan McLaughlin, a spokesman for Democratic Florida Sen. Bill Nelson. "We are seeing our worst nightmare coming true."

Efforts to burn part of the surface oil are in progress, but this is not a perfect solution either, because the "hardened" tar will still have to be gathered and cleaned up, and much of it will escape.

Earth Day, Celebrated around the world today!

Earth Day, April 22, 2010

April 22, 1970 marked the first “Earth Day” celebration and millions participated showing that the overwhelming majority of people want clean air, clean water and a clean environment. The idea originated from an oil spill. In 1969, there was a dramatic oil spill in Santa Barbara, Calif., that received extensive media coverage. The stories showed sea lions, birds and animals covered in oil, struggling to survive, and suffocating and dying on the California beach. It stimulated the "Earthday" movement.

Oil Spill Caused Earth Day

This oil spill made an impression on Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin. It was Senator Nelson who came up with the idea for Earth Day. Forty years later, the only people who do not like Earth Day, are those who have and continue to create dirty air, dirty water and a dirty environment.

I was taught environmental ethics by my dad, well before Earth Day, who took me hiking, hunting and camping. “Always leave the forest cleaner than when you found it. Make it seem as though the next person feels like he is the first to visit this place.” He said.

Today, around the world, 500 million people in 175 nations, are celebrating Earth Day. Here are a few examples of what is happening:

100,000 Monks Celebrate Earth Day in Thailand

Wind Turbines at Gitmo

(www.bootheglobalperspectives.com)

One of the most exciting trends is seeing the change of the U.S. military to green technology. While industry and business are being slow to adapt wind and solar energy technologies. The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines are showing the world how it can be done. Wind Turbines can be seen on or near Dyess AFB, Sandia AFB, Kirtland, and Edwards AFB.

From simple solar powered “desalination” water plants that give soldiers fresh water in Iraq, to solar and wind power generators for air conditioning and light in the heat of Afghanistan, our soldiers are learning how to do “renewable” in a practical way.

Field use of Solar and Wind

Part of the reason is a federal mandate, ordering the military to reduce “carbon emissions” by use of renewables. The Air Force, for example, has a certain level they have to calculate as a percentage of energy they use overall. If an Air Force base puts up a wind turbine, and makes clean energy, then they get double credits for every kWh of electricity they produce on site. Heidi L. Lestyan, Renewable Energy Analyst for Antares group, says:

“The kicker is an incentive, an Air Force base gets a super bonus for generating clean energy from Wind, and a list is circulated throughout the Air Force, showing which base is in “energy compliance”, and which is not. Every Base Energy Manager, or resource efficiency manager, takes this very seriously, because no one wants to be seen as being out of compliance.”

The world has experienced the worst economic decline in 40+ years. What is ahead?

Future of our world?

Only now are we seeing some signs of potential recovery. While central banks throughout the world have tried to "stimulate" the economy, they have succeeded in two other areas. They have given banks temporary "wind falls" of profitability, as well as provided artificial stimulation of stock markets, benefiting speculators, investment bankers, and greedy banks. The stimulus, promoted first by George W. Bush, and later by the Obama Administration has served to further enrich the very ones who got us into this mess. It would seem that they had to make deals with the devil to save the economy for the rest of the population.

But we are seeing a few signs that offer encouragement.

1. China has shown a rapid recovery in it's financial system due primarily to a strong handed central government that has both given the system money AND told the banks to lend, OR ELSE. American banks have felt free to ignore the USA's government request for them to lend, going the other direction, thus making the USA economy worse.
2. China's manufacturing sector is showing the fastest growth in years, because of orders from U.S. companies that expect a recovery, perhaps as soon as 6 months. This has created a boom in China, and hopefully will mean recovery in the USA.
3. New jobs are slowing coming back, as companies begin to hire.
4. Passage of the new Health Care Bill should actually help business, as it does away with uncertainty, and deals with what has been a disgraceful decade of increased health care and insurance fees.
5. Obama's continued press for new environmental manufacturing, new technology, and carbon emission standards will force business to see that enviromental emphasis can and will bring new jobs as well.
6. Real estate foreclosures continue, but there are indication that home sales have increased lately, suggesting an improving market.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR ENERGY?

1. Oil will deplete gradually and go up in price.

Consider this. You can build a "High Tunnel Greenhouse" with 1000 feet of area, 12 feet tall, and 30 feet wide and 40 feet long for about $2780.

THIS COULD BE YOUR GARDEN!

You can grow enough food for your family organically, and have food left over to give or sell to others. You can power your water well, with a wind turbine, and never pay an electric bill. People are quietly doing this by the thousands, across the world.

High tunnels are inexpensive “green houses” that can be utilized by agricultural producers to grow food crops in high volume. It is an answer to the rising cost of land, an answer to the rising cost of water, and an answer for a need to move food production nearer to metropolitan areas therefore lowering expensive transportation. But more and more people, who want to preserve the environment, have fresh food, and enjoy organic foods are using high tunnels. Even churches, schools and cities are sponsoring "garden projects".

Advantages also include:

1. Ability to control humidity

Ben Boothe gave the Texas Economic Development Council, (Economic development Executives) from throughout Texas, a timely and incisive program.

Boothe Presents at the TEDC, on 3 basis for Economic

Survival and Development

He presented a powerful test at their regional meeting on South Padre Island. "What are the 4 elements of survival?" Then he asked the audience of economic development executives: "What are the 3 basic ideas for economic development throughout history?"

His presentation was a historical, and timely report of research showing the needs for Texas survival as well as 3 "coming crisis" situations:

1. Water depletion
2. Oil depletion
   

   Boothe says: "oil, food, and water prices are linked"
3. Historic increases in food costs and production costs

Ben then cited how many cities would be impacted by water shortages and quoted information provided by the State of Texas on the future water crisis in Texas. He cited oil production as "declining 3% per year" and the resulting "inevitable rising prices for oil and electricity". He then showed the historical relationship of the price of food to the price of energy. "When oil goes up, food goes up even higher" and the fact that food production would become more and more expensive.

Boothe then showed solutions, provided by his company, www.wind-inc.com, in merging the concepts of desalination and wind and solar power to provide "cities with 100 year water supplies" at a fraction of their present costs.