Alternative Fuels

Gov. Ernie Fletcher has warned Kentucky's General Assembly that he plans to call a special session July 5 to discuss the benefits of alternative fuels. On June 20, lawmakers received letters and e-mails informing them that four businesses had sent Fletcher letters written between May 31 and June 12 promoting the immediate need for energy legislation, Sen. Tom Buford said. According to a June 20 press release, the letters discussed pending decisions by these companies on where to locate new alternative fuel facilities.

Dear Editor, The President's State of the Union address reminded me once again of the importance of energy to our nation's future. The issues he touched on - alternative fuels, combating climate change - must be addressed now, or the opportunity may be lost forever. Our economy struggles to overcome high fuel prices and remain competitive with other countries that seek to surpass us as the global financial leader. If we do not find a way to satisfy more of our energy demand with a diverse array of fuels we produce ourselves, the future looks bleak.

Right ideas, wrong tone To the editor: In response to Randy Patrick's column, "Americans are so fuelish," I share mutual opinions regarding responsible conservation and the ultimate need for alternative fuels for the sake of everyone. However, the tone you chose to use in your column - chastizing and ridiculing people - was not very professional. The fossil fuel habits of our generation have been fostered by previous generations. Remember the huge boat-sized luxury cars and muscle cars from our parents' and grandparents generations?

In speeches following last week's election, both President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry were gracious and conciliatory, promising to work to unite a divided nation. If they are really sincere about doing so, perhaps a good start would be tackle some issues that everyone agrees are problems. First, everyone knows that Social Security, as currently set up, is in big trouble. As the Baby Boomers begin to retire in a few years, there will be fewer and fewer workers supporting more and more retirees.

Dear Editor, Achieving greater energy diversity and security has been talked about for years. Once again, it was a major theme in President Bush's State of the Union Address. But it is becoming absolutely critical that we move beyond talk - the stakes have grown too high. Everyone agrees that our reliance on unstable sources of oil seriously impacts our national security, economic well being and a host of other issues. Yet it continues to increase. America's future depends on our efforts to take control of our own energy needs.

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer visited Lincoln County last week as part of a statewide effort to promote the opportunity for those renewing their farm license plates to make a ten dollar donation to the Agricultural Program Trust Fund (see article below) that will provide direct benefit to the children and farmers of Lincoln County but had time to talk about his plans for agriculture development in Kentucky. Comer, 39, a lifelong resident of Tompkinsville in Monroe County, was the only Republican to win a statewide seat in last year's general election, soundly defeating Robert Farmer.

Three environmental groups sought to bolster their opposition this week to East Kentucky Power Cooperative's plans to build a new coal-fired power plant in southern Clark County. The Sierra Club, Kentucky Environmental Foundation (KEF) and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC) recruited an energy expert, Glenn Cannon, to visit Kentucky on Wednesday and Thursday to give presentations on efficiency practices at electric utilities. Cannon is a retired manager of Waverly Light and Power in Iowa and former chairman of the American Public Power Association.

WASHINGTON - They come with metronomic regularity, these media stories about "soaring" gasoline prices and the causes thereof, news stories which always identify the same two culprits, supply and demand. The stories always give various reasons why supplies are tight - more often, why prices include a risk premium based on fears that supplies might become tight - or why demand is higher than it "should" be, given supposedly high prices. Today, as the price of a gallon of regular ($2.70 nationally on Monday)

With the escalating cost of fuel, producers must look for ways to reduce their usage. One good place to start is eliminating unnecessary trips across the field. No-till production, already popular in Kentucky, may become even more popular as farmers look to economize. Besides eliminating usage, proper equipment maintenance and operation is critical in getting the best fuel efficiency from farm equipment. Here are some tips that can help farmers get the most from their fuel.

After researching ways to conserve energy, Kenny Russell of Danville decided to buy a van that runs on natural gas. Russell, 58, bought a 2001 Chevrolet Express cargo van in August to use for his job as an expeditor for All-State Express, a carrier based in Kernersville, N.C., that delivers shipments throughout the United States. The carrier stays in constant contact with its drivers by satellite tracking, a nationwide paging system and national cellular communications so it can reach them immediately if customers' shipments are in question.

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer visited Lincoln County last week as part of a statewide effort to promote the opportunity for those renewing their farm license plates to make a ten dollar donation to the Agricultural Program Trust Fund (see article below) that will provide direct benefit to the children and farmers of Lincoln County but had time to talk about his plans for agriculture development in Kentucky. Comer, 39, a lifelong resident of Tompkinsville in Monroe County, was the only Republican to win a statewide seat in last year's general election, soundly defeating Robert Farmer.

After researching ways to conserve energy, Kenny Russell of Danville decided to buy a van that runs on natural gas. Russell, 58, bought a 2001 Chevrolet Express cargo van in August to use for his job as an expeditor for All-State Express, a carrier based in Kernersville, N.C., that delivers shipments throughout the United States. The carrier stays in constant contact with its drivers by satellite tracking, a nationwide paging system and national cellular communications so it can reach them immediately if customers' shipments are in question.

Three environmental groups sought to bolster their opposition this week to East Kentucky Power Cooperative's plans to build a new coal-fired power plant in southern Clark County. The Sierra Club, Kentucky Environmental Foundation (KEF) and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC) recruited an energy expert, Glenn Cannon, to visit Kentucky on Wednesday and Thursday to give presentations on efficiency practices at electric utilities. Cannon is a retired manager of Waverly Light and Power in Iowa and former chairman of the American Public Power Association.

Right ideas, wrong tone To the editor: In response to Randy Patrick's column, "Americans are so fuelish," I share mutual opinions regarding responsible conservation and the ultimate need for alternative fuels for the sake of everyone. However, the tone you chose to use in your column - chastizing and ridiculing people - was not very professional. The fossil fuel habits of our generation have been fostered by previous generations. Remember the huge boat-sized luxury cars and muscle cars from our parents' and grandparents generations?

Dear Editor, J.B. Waskom's most recent letter claims that we have been seeking alternative fuel sources here in the U.S. for 10 years. He wrote, "High fuel costs are wrecking our economy. This is because we listened to the proponents of alternative fuel 10 years ago and put all of our eggs in one basket. " Had we seriously put our eggs into that basket 10 years ago, we would not be in the crisis that we are in today. Our country needs to focus its efforts on finding, developing and utilizing any and all forms of alternative fuel sources.

Dear Editor, Alternative fuel is not the short term answer to our energy problem and gasoline prices. Ten years ago, when gasoline was $1 per gallon and we thought that was an astronomical price, the same argument for alternative fuel was made as rationale against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in the Gulf of Mexico or anywhere in the U.S. Here we are 10 years later, and now we're looking at the very real possibility of...

Gov. Ernie Fletcher has warned Kentucky's General Assembly that he plans to call a special session July 5 to discuss the benefits of alternative fuels. On June 20, lawmakers received letters and e-mails informing them that four businesses had sent Fletcher letters written between May 31 and June 12 promoting the immediate need for energy legislation, Sen. Tom Buford said. According to a June 20 press release, the letters discussed pending decisions by these companies on where to locate new alternative fuel facilities.

WASHINGTON - They come with metronomic regularity, these media stories about "soaring" gasoline prices and the causes thereof, news stories which always identify the same two culprits, supply and demand. The stories always give various reasons why supplies are tight - more often, why prices include a risk premium based on fears that supplies might become tight - or why demand is higher than it "should" be, given supposedly high prices. Today, as the price of a gallon of regular ($2.70 nationally on Monday)

Dear Editor, Achieving greater energy diversity and security has been talked about for years. Once again, it was a major theme in President Bush's State of the Union Address. But it is becoming absolutely critical that we move beyond talk - the stakes have grown too high. Everyone agrees that our reliance on unstable sources of oil seriously impacts our national security, economic well being and a host of other issues. Yet it continues to increase. America's future depends on our efforts to take control of our own energy needs.