[pf] complexity- power-&-water ; politicians not being re-elected.

by David MacClement

20 December 2000 03:56 UTC

· Here are two full articles from November 30, that will eventually appear
on my environment report for last-half of November.

· The first contains (note the interaction, complexity) :-

   ... the cost of NOx emission credits has soared.
"Prices have gone from $4 a pound to $50 a pound," he said.

Many expect the power crisis to migrate north for the winter to states such
as Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana which are heavily dependent on
electricity to meet heavy heating loads.

States in the Northwest exported power to California this summer to help it
survive a series of emergencies but could struggle to meet their own demand
this winter, _partly_due_to_a_water_shortage_ which could restrict flows
through the region's massive hydropower dams.

California, where winter cold is less severe, is normally able to export
power during the winter to help Northwest states meet their heating loads.
But California may not be able to provide as much assistance this year.
 ...
"This winter will be a lot different (than last winter) because of the air
quality issues and a lack of resources in the Northwest," he added.


· About the second. It's been said that, in science, the previous
generation of revered scientists have to die off before there's a real
chance of change. With politicians it's quicker, but not by much. It
contains:-

... climate change treaty negotiators "can and should get back together
soon to cement the deal they almost had."

Despite the prospects of a Bush presidency - which is viewed with more
skepticism by green groups than a potential Gore administration - the
environmentalists said the climate for securing a deal was more favorable
than ever before.

Philip Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust, noted that the
so-called Flat Earth opponents of the Kyoto process were irrelevant at The
Hague, since many former skeptics of the science behind the global warming
issue have admitted that human-induced warming is a serious problem.

Clapp also said the US Senate - which must ratify any treaty - has changed
with the defeat of three outspoken Kyoto opponents in the elections:
Republicans John Ashcroft of Missouri, Rod Grams of Minnesota and Spencer
Abraham of Michigan. 
            D.

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http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9167&newsDate=30-Nov-2000
  is:
Calif. power plants run out of pollution credits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
USA: November 30, 2000
 

LOS ANGELES - California's power plants, running hard to fend off a chronic
electricity shortage, are themselves running out of pollution credits,
forcing some to shut down, a leading state official said yesterday. 
 

"The NOX (nitrogen oxide) emission credits and air quality permit
requirements have been reached in a lot of areas, especially in southern
California. A lot of units down there that have particular requirements are
at their limits," said Jim Detmers of the California Independent System
Operator.
"Some units are shut down right now because of those NOX problems,"
Detmers, who is the ISO's managing director of operations, said in an
interview.

The California ISO operates most of the state's power grid.

Detmers said the ISO was party to ongoing negotiations with the state's air
quality regulators in a bid to allow the units to operate as electricity
supplies in the western US remain extremely tight.

He also noted the cost of NOX emission credits has soared.

"Prices have gone from $4 a pound to $50 a pound," he said.

NOX emissions contribute to smog, which is associated with illnesses such
as asthma. Los Angeles in southern California is the nation's second
smoggiest city, outstripped only by Houston.

California has been struggling to meet surging demand for power this year
linked to a buoyant economy. There have also been few power plants built
during the last decade and the California ISO has had to issue numerous
power alerts this year as operating reserves dropped to critical levels.

Many expect the power crisis to migrate north for the winter to states such
as Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana which are heavily dependent on
electricity to meet heavy heating loads.

States in the Northwest exported power to California this summer to help it
survive a series of emergencies but could struggle to meet their own demand
this winter, partly due to a water shortage which could restrict flows
through the region's massive hydropower dams.

California, where winter cold is less severe, is normally able to export
power during the winter to help Northwest states meet their heating loads.
But California may not be able to provide as much assistance this year.

"We have not guaranteed any deliveries with them. If we do not have
sufficient reserves, we will be unable to provide assistance," Detmers said.

"This winter will be a lot different (than last winter) because of the air
quality issues and a lack of resources in the Northwest," he added.

The Northwest Power Planning Council (NPPC), a four-state planning agency
covering Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho, earlier this year estimated
there was a one-in-four chance that there would be times this winter when
the region would be unable to generate or import enough power to meet local
demand. 

Story by Nigel Hunt 
 
REUTERS  

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9152&newsDate=30-Nov-2000
  is:
US environmentalists - climate talks must restart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
  
USA: November 30, 2000
 

WASHINGTON - Environmentalists on Tuesday urged climate change treaty
negotiators to quickly resume talks suspended last week in The Hague,
claiming a final deal to cut the world's greenhouse gas emissions was close. 
 

Despite heated wrangling among the major powers over the failed conference,
Dan Lashof, senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council,
said negotiators "can and should get back together soon to cement the deal
they almost had."
Any of the major players in The Hague talks can call for a resumption of
the negotiations, according to the environmentalists, who noted that if
given a little more time, a final treaty could be accomplished.

"We all believe they need to reconvene in weeks, not months," said Jennifer
Morgan, director of the climate change campaign for the World Wildlife Fund.

The next formal date for climate change talks is not until May, she noted,
and not meeting until then would be a waste of the "progress made in The
Hague."

Two weeks of negotiations ended late last week when officials from the
United States and European Union could not settle key sticking points in
around-the-clock talks.

The United States wanted some of the carbon dioxide absorbed by its forests
set against its emission-reduction target, but the European Union rejected
such a deal brokered by British deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

The Hague talks were supposed to set the stage for final implementation and
ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 framework treaty that called
for major industrial nations to curb greenhouse gas emissions - like carbon
dioxide - an average of 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-2012.

The failure came as the presidential election in the United States remained
uncertain. The outgoing Clinton administration negotiating team would
certainly be replaced if a Republican takeover of power in late January
occurs under Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

The representatives from five major environmental groups, including
Greenpeace and the Union of Concerned Scientists, said The Hague talks were
momentous, even if they failed to produce a workable treaty for cutting
emissions blamed for global warming and violent weather disruptions.

Despite the prospects of a Bush presidency - which is viewed with more
skepticism by green groups than a potential Gore administration - the
environmentalists said the climate for securing a deal was more favorable
than ever before.

Philip Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust, noted that the
so-called Flat Earth opponents of the Kyoto process were irrelevant at The
Hague, since many former skeptics of the science behind the global warming
issue have admitted that human-induced warming is a serious problem.

Clapp also said the US Senate - which must ratify any treaty - has changed
with the defeat of three outspoken Kyoto opponents in the elections:
Republicans John Ashcroft of Missouri, Rod Grams of Minnesota and Spencer
Abraham of Michigan. 

Story by Patrick Connole 
 
REUTERS  

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sent on by David.
(David MacClement) davd@ihug.co.nz 
http://www.geocities.com/davdd.geo/index.html#top
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