Archive for September, 2009
« Previous EntriesCarbonated Water
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
I newsletter that I receive (via TS) gave some useful context to the impact of carbon prices on water prices:
Based on analysis of national greenhouse gas production and the provisions of the bill contemplated by the Senate, the price of emitting one ton of CO2-equivalent gas is projected to be $15 in [...]
Good Subsidies?
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
(via JWT), Japanese rice farmers are strongly protected against competition from other, “unsuitable” farmers (more here). What do they do with prices that are about 6x world prices?
They do this (with rice paddies):
While very pretty, I am not sure that such art (the result of planting different colors of rice next to [...]
Does Ethanol Reduce Petroleum Imports?
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
One of the main arguments in favor of ethanol production in the U.S. is that it supports the goals of energy independence by getting us off of foreign oil. After all, we could just tell the entire Mideast to take a hike while we grow our own fuel. In fact, there [...]
CNG in Your Beer
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Thanks to a reader for this story:
Cheap Natural Gas Drives Truck Alternatives
NEW YORK (Dow Jones) - If you order a beer in New York, the odds are growing that it was delivered by a truck running on natural gas.
Beer distributors are among a growing vanguard of private trucking fleets encouraged by [...]
Reusing Reusable Bags
Submitted by PlasticLess.com Blog
I’m usually an enthusiastic cheerleader about reusable shopping bags. Disposable plastic shopping bags are one of the most obvious targets for plastic reduction. I was given pause when I read a thoughtful article complaining about the fact that businesses are giving away tons of canvas bags as promotional items and that consumers [...]
Speed Blogging
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Here’s an update on DXV desalination technologies (see this water chat), with nice pictures. DXV has a small demo in place, and they are closer to funding a pilot “within a year.”
Charles Kolstad says [pdf] “cap and trade is not a tax,” and he points out that a carbon tax needn’t be [...]
Monday Morning Smile
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
“Political Science, so Let’s Drop the Big One” by Randy Newman
And here’s more:
Some rules for modern living.
If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.
He who hesitates is probably [...]
18 Months of Aguanomics
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Time flies when you’re having fun…
…and so do the words. After about 18 months (six month update; one year update), Aguanomics has:
About 2,000 posts: 35 by guests; 16 by Damian and about 1,950 by me.
Attracted about 900 subscribers (most on RSS; about 140 on email)
About 250-300 unique visitors/day; they spend about 1:40 [...]
Weekend Discussion: Political Influence
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
NOTE: This post will stay here until Sunday night. Posts for Saturday and Sunday morning go below this post.
Dear Aguanauts,
Discussion posts allow you to discuss a topic among yourselves — exchanging views, learning and teaching. (I only read the comments.)
If you are interested, take a moment to check out (and add to!) [...]
Not the Same Going Down as Up
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Vernon Smith recommended this 1992 article [PDF] to me:
This analysis indicates that reference price formation does have significant effects on consumer behavior. Furthermore, these effects are asymmetric with consumers two and a half times more responsive to egg price increases that are in excess of the reference price than they are to [...]
Flashback: 20 — 26 Sep 2008
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
These posts are still relevant, so please comment!
Six Months of Aguanomics — an update on how things were going then. (I’ll post the 18 month update on Monday.)
Poll Results — California Precipitation — you guys predicted a “dry” winter — and it was (good prediction; bad outcome). In Cooling Slapdown, we learn [...]
Chino Auctions Water for Real Money
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
CS, JR and TS all asked my opinion on this report that the Chino Basin Watermaster is planning to auction 36,000 af of water. (The water is just an allotment, not an annual right; see the auction website.)
Given projected prices of $800-1,000/af, the auction will raise about $30 million. I am fully [...]
Pyrrhic Victory in McCloud?
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Food and Water Watch joined local activists in celebrating Nestle’s decision to build a bottled water plant near Sacramento instead of in McCloud, CA.
I am not a fan of FWW’s hysterical anti-capitalist rhetoric (see this and this), and I am also familiar with the situation in McCloud, a small community with little [...]
Pyrrhic Victory in McCloud?
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Food and Water Watch joined local activists in celebrating Nestle’s decision to build a bottled water plant near Sacramento instead of in McCloud, CA.
I am not a fan of FWW’s hysterical anti-capitalist rhetoric (see this and this), and I am also familiar with the situation in McCloud, a small community with little [...]
Gas Taxes and Long Range Energy Planning
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
I consider the level of dependence of the U.S. on imported petroleum to be a very large financial risk endangering the country’s future. There are certainly other import-related risks as well, but here I want to talk about the financial risk.
I consider it similar to having a mortgage upon which you [...]
Clear And Present Danger: Plastic Litter and Urban Floods
Submitted by PlasticLess.com Blog
Let’s get this out of the way first. Plastic waste doesn’t CAUSE flooding. Rain causes flooding.
Discarded plastic bags and plastic bottles DO impact the efficiency of flood control systems in several ways. Besides the obvious potential for clogging drains, plastic waste can also take up a lot of the volume in detention [...]
Pyrrhic Victory in McCloud?
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Food and Water Watch joined local activists in celebrating Nestle’s decision to build a bottled water plant near Sacramento instead of in McCloud, CA.
I am not a fan of FWW’s hysterical anti-capitalist rhetoric (see this and this), and I am also familiar with the situation in McCloud, a small community with little [...]
Speed Blogging
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
This story gives an update on the Bay Area’s carbon tax (prior post). First, it’s working logistically. Second, it’s probably going to be adopted Statewide. Third, it’s probably going to rise from $0.045/ton CO2e to a real price…
Robert Glennon continues to say that water shortages will end when water prices rise. He’s [...]
Resnick’s Machinations
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Mike Taugher continues to pursue the political-economic connections between Kern farmers businessmen and Senator Dianne Feinstein.
[Be sure to read Emily's take on this situation too.]
In this story, he highlights an attempt by Stuart Resnick (investor in Fiji Water, Paramount Farms, Kern Co Water Bank, and so on…) to throw a procedural wrench [...]
Good Water Blogs
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
I read a lot of stuff, filtering it down to find the right content for this blog, and I thought it would be nice to share some good blogs with you. (I’d also love to hear about good blogs that I’ve missed, especially if they cover water issues in the Western US.)
Aquafornia [...]
Markets or Regulations?
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Brian Holtz sent me this question:
Hi, I’m wondering what you think of AB 1881 (requiring California towns to adopt a water conservation ordinance by Jan 1 2010), and what you think is the best market-oriented response to it.
The default ordinance imposes elaborate irrigation guidelines and landscape planning requirements on any development significant [...]
Poll Results — Peeing in the Shower
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Hey! There’s a new poll (get outa town!) on the right —>
Do you pee in the shower?
Yes
73%
No
27%
83 votes total
Looks like a fair majority feels comfortable with letting some pee mix with their soapy water.
I wonder why the “no” voters do NOT pee? Is it hygiene? stage fright? greywater? standing up? [...]
Speed Blogging
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Lake Mead is half full, Lake Powell is half full. Why not slow evaporation by putting all the water in one of them?
Multinationals are planning for water shortages that may expose them to serious risk, but their efforts are sometimes dismissed as greenwashing. IBM, meanwhile, is bringing IT to water, hoping to [...]
About That $72 Billion Subsidy
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
I am going to be pretty busy for the next few days, and probably won’t be able to put anything new up until at least mid-week. Until then, over the past few days there have been a lot of headlines about a recently released study from the Environmental Law Institute. The [...]
The API on Cap and Trade
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Yesterday the American Petroleum Institute conducted a blogger’s conference call to talk about various energy issues that they are focused on. I used to regularly attend these calls, but things have been quite busy and it has been a while since I participated. But I thought it would be worthwhile to [...]
