Legalectric

Only Palin can save McCain, her party and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.

Do it for your country.

Sarah Palin should bow out, Kathleen Parker’s column today in the Chicago Tribune.

Alan put this under my nose today. Kathleen Parker, whose bio says, “One can only stand watching from the sidelines for so long without finally having to say, ‘Um, excuse me, but you people are nuts.'” Ummm, yup, that about sums it up. When even conservative columnists wake up, McCain better be paying attention. I’ve got such mixed feelings about Pawlenty, I sure want him out of Minnesota, but with McCain so old, but hey, they’ll never get in anyway…

… so, Sarah, how ’bout it?

A little bull sent me a distracting missive, more evidence on Obama’s toadying for coal gasification, calling it “clean coal.” Oh barf… supporting capture and sequestration that doesn’t exist, supporting cap and trade that allows continued spewing of CO2 by those who can afford it. grrrrrrrr

Obama talks coal in Elko, NV

and another:
Barack on coal in Virginia

Obama better get a clue about this. McCain is hopeless, they’re both falling all over each other to show who’s the bestest and biggest supporter of coal… scary for those concerned about CO2.

It’s right here:

Iron Range Resources Loans to Excelsior Energy

Citizens Against the Mesaba Project (CAMP) News Release 9-25-08

Be sure to check out what they thought about using public money for golf balls!  I haven’t found yet whether they approved the $10 video rental at the ritzy D.C. hotel!!!!

So Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin are in a pissing contest trying to see who can do the most spectacular flip-flop and double talk about coal.

An ABC headline says:

Biden says no to coal plants in America

It’s on msnbc too:

The clean coal kerfuffle

… and the article has him praising coal gasification:

Ohio remarks were evidence that the Democratic pair opposes clean coal as “another ham-handed lying attack from the McCain campaign.”

“This is yet another false attack from a dishonorable campaign,” said Biden spokesman David Wade. “Sen. McCain knows that Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden support clean coal technology. Sen. Biden’s point is that China is building coal plants with outdated technology every day, and the United States needs to lead by developing clean coal technologies.”

“If Senator McCain is so committed to clean coal,” Wade wondered, “then why hasn’t he joined Senators Obama and Biden in announcing their support for the bipartisan energy proposal before the Senate today that would invest billions in clean coal projects?  He should explain why his support for tax breaks for big oil outweighs his support for clean coal.”

Earth to Biden, your state of Delaware knows enough to reject, REJECT, coal gasification, in favor of the first offshore wind project in the US, paired with gas for dispatchability.  You can read the PSC Order and the PSC staff report explaining why right here:

Delaware – first offshore wind in US?

So I guess it’s time to send another email to the Obama campaign — Jeff Blodgett, are you listening to this coal crap?

As Nancy Prehn would say, BOOM!

Dominion has an underground natural gas storage facility near Leidy Township in Pennsylvania, sorta like the one in Waseca, Minnesota. The “Greenlick Field” is on fire, a well in the field is burning… a pilot flying over recently noticed the glow and reported it, and it’s been burning for days, and it may be burning for “up to two weeks.”

Gas well fire burns in Leidy

“Nobody has been hurt and it’s not near any structure,” Donovan said. “It’s not doing any harm. It’s flaring and burning. We had some difficulty getting the emergency equipment up there, and we have flown in some experts in this type of fire from Texas to help put it out.”

Donovan said this particular blaze is “just like any nossle-straight-up fire” involving natural gas. Emergency personnel cleared brush around a swathe of forest near the fire to ensure it didn’t spread to the nearby forest,” he said.

“We created the fire ring last night and it worked,” Donovan said. “We’re concentrating on getting it out right now.

“We have experts there this morning looking at it right now,” he added. “They are bringing specialized equipment in, but they have to examine the situation before they can decide whether they need it or not. The equipment won’t arrive until tomorrow morning, because they are driving it up from Texas.

and now it’s 2-3 weeks:

Gas fire could burn for weeks

and

Police set restrictions at gas well fire

and a daylight aerial photo:

Natural gas fire still going

Dominion’s Underground Storage Page

Update: It’s been sold! https://www.bhegts.com/our-businesses/EGTS

… and from the blog “Solomon’s words,” these reports of the fire and photos:

Even airplanes restricted from gas well fire

Now granted the pressure in this one, at over 4,000 psi, is much greater than in the Waseca underground storage, it’s an example of why Nancy Prehn is concerned.  I sure wouldn’t want to live on top of a natural gas dome with wells surrounding my house!