Posts by Mark Floegel

  • Unanswered Questions

    May13

    It’s now been over three weeks since BP’s oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded, burned and sank in the Gulf of Mexico. These have been hectic weeks for all concerned, no doubt, but the paucity of information available to the public is at best, discouraging. How much oil is flowing / has flowed into the Gulf…
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  • You Can Hide, But You Can’t Run

    May12

    Now that BP’s jury-rigged contraption to contain its massive Gulf of Mexico oil spew has failed, the company’s only resort is to continue pumping massive amounts of dispersant into the water near the wellhead, in an attempt to – what exactly? The dispersant goes by the trade name “Corexit.”  It’s supposed to be a pun…
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  • The Gulf of Oil

    May06

    Venice, LA – I’m down at the oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico or what for now is the Gulf of Mexico.  Rick Steiner, a marine conservationist and oil spill expert flew over the gulf Wednesday morning and said, “It’s not the Gulf of Mexico any more. It’s the gulf of oil.” Rick’s been…
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  • Obama’s Foolish Move

    Apr29

    Less than a month ago, Barack Obama told us he wants to open 167 million acres of America’s continental shelf to oil drilling. At the time, he promised the nation that we have the technology to do this in a safe, clean and environmentally sound manner. Now, before the “April Fool” window has closed, we…
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  • A Record Every Day

    Jan10

    “All the snow has turned to water, Christmas day has come and gone.” The old John Prine/Steve Goodman song’s been rattling in my head all week because the two feet of snow that were on the ground at New Year’s is gone, running through my basement like a righteous mighty stream. “Think globally, act locally.”…
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  • Twelve Dollars a Year

    Nov01

    In the late winter of 2006, the citizens of Burlington, Vermont prepared to elect one of five candidates to a three-year term for an open mayor’s seat.  At one forum, a citizen stood up and asked, “Within the next mayoral term, it’s likely the price of oil will hit $90 a barrel and gas will…
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  • Victims of Oil

    Jul26

    The shop around the corner raised the price of sandwiches by a quarter this week. Although the housing meltdown is raising concerns that it may take the whole American economy down with it, prices are going up and the reason is the cost of oil. Oil, and therefore gas, prices remain at near-record levels. A…
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  • Trouble in the Colonies

    Jul05

    The Fourth of July was cool and rainy in Vermont, as it seems to be with surprising regularity. I suppose that’s why my town sets off its fireworks on the evening of July 3rd, which was perfect for pyrotechnics this year. Fireworks finished, I had all day Wednesday to contemplate this year’s version of American…
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  • News From the (Warm) Front

    May30

    Dr. James Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and the nation’s leading expert on global warming, says we have less than 10 years to significantly decrease the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases we pump into the atmosphere. He made that statement last summer, the first anniversary is coming up,…
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  • Pardon My Skepticism

    Mar15

    On March 5, the New York Times published a front-page story called “Oil Innovations Pump New Life Into Old Wells.”  Getting new oil from “played out” wells was the thrust of the piece; as the price of oil rises, it becomes worthwhile investing new money into old wells.  The article also indirectly took on the…
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