my mid life crisis is inventing
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Making Environmentalism a Commodity
Zero Chance of Federal Carbon Trading Under Bush, But States Take Steps
By BRAD FOSS, AP
(Feb. 9) - Environmentalists always said there would be a price to pay for all the carbon dioxide being spewed into the atmosphere. Well, now there is.
While prized resources such as oil, gold and wheat have been traded for decades, there is a budding market for one of the industrialized world's abundant but unwanted byproducts: carbon dioxide, a gas produced when fossil fuels are burned and which many scientists believe causes global warming.
If it succeeds, the new market for carbon emissions will reward businesses that minimize their output of this "greenhouse" gas. It will also benefit the environment and thereby prove, advocates say, that making green and being green are compatible goals.
"It's a sign of things to come," said Luis Martinez, an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York.
The only mandatory carbon emissions trading program is in Europe. It was created in conjunction with an international treaty on climate change - the Kyoto Protocol - that goes into effect Feb. 16 and caps the amount of carbon dioxide that power plants and fuel-intensive manufacturers in more than two dozen countries are allowed to emit.
A similar program is scheduled to begin in 2008 in Canada, which also signed Kyoto.
By contrast, the United States, one of the few industrialized countries that did not ratify Kyoto, is many years away from compulsory trading or nationwide caps on carbon dioxide, concepts that are strongly opposed by industry and the Bush administration.
However, nine Eastern states are developing a regional cap-and-trade program that will require large power plants from Maine to Delaware to reduce their carbon emissions and California is attempting to place greenhouse gas limits on automakers. Separately, a small group of companies has voluntarily agreed to cap their carbon emissions in the United States as part of an experimental market that is based in Chicago.
"We believe that at some point in the United States there will be mandatory legislation," said Bruce Braine, vice president of strategic policy analysis at American Electric Power Co., a large power producer and one of the founding members of the Chicago Climate Exchange, or CCX. Other members include chemicals giant DuPont Co., computer manufacturer IBM Corp. and electronics maker Motorola Inc.
Under the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme, some 12,000 industrial plants will be granted a limited number of emissions allowances, or credits, equaling the amount of carbon dioxide they are allowed to emit. Companies that exceed their limits must purchase credits to cover the difference, while those that produce less carbon dioxide than they are legally permitted can sell surplus credits for a profit.
Companies can trade directly with each other or through exchanges located throughout Europe.
By giving the private sector a financial incentive to make their operations more environmentally friendly, proponents believe the market-based approach will accelerate investment in emissions-reduction equipment, create positive reinforcement from investors and spur technological innovation.
"We're confident that once people get used to managing carbon in their businesses it will be successful," said David Hone, climate change adviser at Royal Dutch/Shell Group, which has 46 facilities across Europe that will be regulated under the cap-and-trade system.
Hone said his optimism is based in part on the success of the cap-and-trade system the United States designed more than a decade ago to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions, which cause acid rain. The U.S. sulfur dioxide market, on which the EU's carbon market is based, is widely praised for accelerating emissions reductions at a lower cost than originally anticipated by industry.
But environmentalists and executives said there is much more at stake when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions, both in terms of the ecological benefits and the potential costs to industry.
"Carbon is the mother of all environmental commodities," said Richard Sandor, who helped design the U.S. exchange for sulfur dioxide and is now the chairman of CCX.
The first phase of the EU trading program runs from 2005 through 2007 and the caps will be lowered from one year to the next. While detailed plant-by-plant limits are still being finalized, participants estimate that EU-wide industrial emissions will drop as much as 5 percent by 2008.
The cost to European industry over the next three years is estimated to be a few billion dollars, based on current market prices for carbon dioxide of about 7 euros per ton, according to Ilex Energy Consulting of Oxford, England. Of course, companies with surplus allowances stand to profit an equal amount.
"Frankly, a lot of companies will be hoping that the emissions price is low so they face lower penalties from having to go out and buy allowances," said Andrew Nind, principal consultant at Ilex.
"The main concern of environmentalists is that the governments have been too generous in how many allowances they've given out," Nind said. The lower the price, the less incentive there is to invest in equipment that reduces emissions, he said.
The second phase of the program runs from 2008 through 2012, by which time the European Union must lower its carbon emissions to 8 percent below 1990 levels. Canada must cut its emissions by 6 percent to comply with the Kyoto treaty.
In the United States, carbon-intensive industries successfully lobbied against Kyoto by refuting the threat of global warming itself, and by arguing that the treaty would hurt the global competitiveness of American companies and cause electricity prices to rise.
"There are some notable exceptions, but on the whole it remains an ongoing battle to try to convince corporate America to deal with greenhouse gas emissions," said Ethan Podell of Orbis Energy, which advises companies seeking to devise long-range strategies on carbon emissions.
U.S.-based companies that are already engaged in the issue - either because they have factories in Europe, or are part of CCX - believe early involvement could pay off down the line, in large part due to the logistical expertise they are gaining.
CCX participants agreed beginning in 2003 to cut their carbon emissions by 1 percent per year through 2006, or 4 percent below their baseline, which is determined by their average annual emissions from 1998 through 2001.
There is virtually no chance of federal limits on carbon emissions under the Bush administration, which is openly skeptical of the threat global warming poses. But U.S. executives anticipate a cap-and-trade program for carbon dioxide, at least at the state level, within the next decade.
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which aims to produce a preliminary market design by April, already has the support of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.
02/09/05 14:15 EST
I'm not sure,,,I will post the original PR
First American Scientific Corp. (OTCBB:FASC) signs collaboration agreement with Mitsui in Japan.
Mr. Kantonen, Chairman of First American Scientific Corp., is pleased to announce that FASC has signed an agreement with Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. (MES) who will conduct a feasibility study into the marketability of the KDS Micronex System in Japan and evaluate the opportunity of venturing into a licensing agreement to introduce the technology to the Japanese market. In addition, MES has agreed to undertake all necessary steps to file and protect First American's patents in Japan.
Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. has annual sales in excess of $3.9 billion USD. In addition to its core business, Mitsui manufactures engines, boilers and gas turbines, as well as builds plants for refuse disposal and water treatment and is active in the environmental industry. Mitsui, through its worldwide affiliates, has established joint enterprises in Japan with overseas IT venture businesses. The overseas partners provide products and technologies as well as new business models and their experience in markets overseas. Mitsui brings its market expertise as well as capabilities for performing back-office functions, handling distribution, and other business know-how.
First American Scientific Corp. is the owner of the patented KDS Micronex System, a unique one step process for drying and grinding waste biomass into a fine dry combustible fuel. According to David Dungate, V.P. of Marketing for FASC, "significant costs of waste disposal and recently introduced legislation requiring recycle of food and industrial wastes make Japan a high potential market for the KDS technology. The de-watering of waste biomass and other sludges can create a fine dry green fuel source that will achieve significant energy savings and, in some operations, can eliminate disposal costs."
First American Scientific Corp.'s president, Brian Nichols announces: "We are extremely fortunate to have joined forces with an industry leader of the calibre of Mitsui who bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the First American team. Upon completion of Mitsui's analysis, we expect them to take a much larger role in introducing our technology to the Japanese market"
Sam,,,just confusing because it doesn't seem to cover new ground.......am I missing something... does this mean the filing is completed....and done now?
D
nice price today,,,up steadily to .047 and not dropping
Retesting of the samples from this particular production line is just a QA process and part of setting up/ calibrating the controls/computer......
13 years as a military consultant...
Yes, they have proven they can do it before.....now just proving system is set up and producing same size particle
D
Where are the basher twins over on RB....normally they would be all over it on a morning like this??? no offence intended,,, just seems really unusual..
D
lol,,,we gripe when the Co doesn't tell anyone but a caller, then when they do tell us in a pr,,,,we brand it nothin but fluff.... no wonder Cal and Co get weary..
D
TJ you got mail
Bob...lol, yes, what a hoot.....this is getting more entertaining,,,,not, all the time
D
James...lol. Glad to here you are doing well. Yes, I think it is good for mental health, to stay off the boards..lol
I live in Jacksonville, so took the kids down town today to the NFL Experience,,,,great time and dropped some coin... am looking fwd to seeing the game in my living room tomorrow.
D
tech,,,,it was a definate abberation,,,,if it were a situation with the Zeo processing plant,,,,some one should be able to report on it,,,,,netman has someone near it that can report,,,I believe..
It definately added a little spice to a ssdd flow of late...lol
D
after we all caught our breath...lol
D
os-179,408,955,,,,,rs15,189,289
as of today, I just called
D
Juggs....recon sandern sold?
D
Sam....how big a chunk are you trying for???....you don't have to say,,,,just interested
TR...He can't see the poster.....you have to go to tools, then "my filters" then follow the directs..
D
talk about Freudian..lol....sorry about that Jagman
d
Jabman...I see you are still not looking for an entry point...lol
D
Jagman,,,,I understand your concern, with your comment "I just think if it hasn't happened yet on a major scale, it ain't gonna.", I wonder why you hang around,,,,
I understood you to be looking for an entry point. Obviously, you do not see that happening....fine by me. Now, why would you want to waste your time putting down everyone who is investing?
lol
D
before I get faced by someone who thinks I ment FASC was a ready candidate for such funding.....was only aluding to the general openess of the market to create such funding...lol
D
Was listening to NPR news last week,,,they noted that Venture Capital was up 2 billion, 20 billion up from 18 billion last year. For perspective they mentioned that Venture capital in the year 2000, was 100 billion..
This may explain why start up phase companies just don't get the same wind in their sails/sales...lol as they did when a lot of us started buying this stock...
That the rate of VC grew at over 10% YOY tells me things may be loosening up a little.... At least it is not contracting,,,lol
D
Massive Manure Fire Burns Into Third Month
Officials Probing Ways to Extinguish Blaze
By KEVIN O'HANLON, AP
MILFORD, Neb. (Jan. 28) - Urban dwellers who enjoy dining on filet mignon at five-star restaurants would probably just as soon not know about David Dickinson's dilemma.
Bad for the appetite, you know.
But Dickinson, who makes his living in the cattle business, has an environmental problem on his hands that is vexing state officials: a 2,000-ton pile of burning cow manure.
Dickinson owns and manages Midwest Feeding Co. about 20 miles west of Lincoln, which takes in as many as 12,000 cows at a time from farmers and ranchers and fattens them for market.
Byproducts from the massive operation resulted in a dung pile measuring 100 feet long, 30 feet high and 50 feet wide that began burning about two months ago and continues to smolder despite Herculean attempts to douse it.
While city folks might have trouble imagining a dung pile of such proportions, they are common sites in rural states.
In July, crews fighting a blaze in a three-acre manure lagoon at a dairy farm in Washington smothered the flames with more of the same - a blanket of wet cow manure.
In December, Montana officials ordered the owner of a horse feedlot to extinguish a large manure fire that sent a stench over a nearby town.
The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has informed Dickinson that his smoldering dung pile violates clean-air laws and is working with him to find the best solution to extinguish it, said agency spokesman Rich Webster.
Simply dumping water on the heap is not the answer, Webster said, because of concerns about runoff to any nearby water source.
Dickinson first tried using heavy equipment to spread out the smoldering pile and extinguish the fire.
"But the problem was, it started in another spot," he said. "We've also had the fire department out a couple of times."
And still it burns.
No one is sure how the fire started, but a common theory is that heat from the decomposing manure deep inside the pile eventually ignited the manure.
Wilma Roth, who manages a restaurant along Interstate 80 about a mile north of the feedlot, said her customers have complained about the smoke, which wafts for miles.
"I'd just as soon forget about it," she said.
Dickinson said the smoke is not particularly malodorous - although that comes from a man who works full-time around manure.
"I guess it's just all perspective," he said. "To me, it just smells like smoke. I really don't know how to describe it."
Decades ago, most farmers and ranchers kept their own cows and pigs until they were shipped to market and slaughtered into filet mignon, hamburger, pork chops and bacon.
And with all those animals spread far apart at thousands of farms, it was easier to dispose of the manure.
But huge feedlots - where animals are shipped to fatten on a high-grain diet for their last several months - have become commonplace.
Dickinson has an average of 12,000 animals on hand, each eating about 25 pounds of feed daily, resulting in as much as nine pounds of manure a day per animal - some 54 tons every 24 hours.
Most big feedlots spread the manure over farm fields or compost it to spread later or sell commercially to gardeners.
Farmers in several states are experimenting with using the methane gas from livestock manure to produce electricity. The manure is heated and produces methane gas as it breaks down. The gas is collected and used to power a generator, which sends electricity onto a power grid.
Dickinson acknowledged that while some folks see the humor in his predicament, he takes the fire seriously.
"It's a nuisance, and obviously we are trying to get it resolved," he said. "Everybody's been really patient."
01/28/05 02:00 EST
My home town...lol
D
TJ...we will get our share,,,imo, we will not get them all, again, imo....
It is the waiting that is interesting...lol
D
p.s. in that interm, I am pumping sand under my house.....it was built on a swamp...have filled both front and back yards so they drain into the city system.....now am raising the level under the house???/ The architect that lives next door and works out of his home has watched with rabid interest...lol
There you go again Jag.....for a supposed serious investor just waiting for a place to enter.....you sure are a piece of work...lol...not.
D
p.s. since you are attacking other posters persons, and the board monitors are doing nothing about it,,,guess it is open game
Jag,,,,I have to laugh at you,,,,you have maintained your cover for quite a while. You ain't nuttin but a dressed up ol RB basher over here tryin to act polite...go some where else...
D
tech,,,, what I like is that we have the stuff to even start count downs....lol. What a diff from even a year ago..
D
OT>..James...I have to respond here since my right to post on RB is having, technical or otherewise, dfficulties, lol.
By: Janesfwh
20 Jan 2005, 12:01 PM EST
Msg. 182542 of 182544
(This msg. is a reply to 182534 by firstdegree.)
Jump to msg. #
firstdegree...
While we who remain and bear the marks of past wars
in our own bodies (and memories) ARE REFRESHED by dignities
such as the inaguration now in progress. It just brings to my mind what a great country America is. Only here could expressions of this magnitude be made without very serious
consequents (from whatever side of political persuasion).
FRIEND that is America. Have a good day. James
Only if you choose to not protest too loudly,,,lol
Not one time was I able to go listen to my President even though he came to my town multiple times during the presidential campain...........I wouldn't sell my soul in order to be able to listen to him.......
Oh well, as Ptrey says "God love Republicans also"......sorta misquoted.....lol
D
fwiw, imho,,,,I think a lot of us are waiting to see when it is that we are going to war with Iran,.......
D
Tech,,,and that is the true power that an investor has....imo, deciding how to weigh all of the factors.
I am not real big on medical stocks,,,,fwiw, just too many unknowns for me, regarding regulators, approvals, and such..
fwiw, I see FASC's accountability starting date, as the day Cal took responsibility for operations....am sure I will get slammed on some board for saying so...so be it.
Whether it was a new issue, a general market euphoria for any and all promising stocks, I do not see the diff....when it comes to people who bought high and either sold or are still holding huge losses....still chance for bitterness.
D
Waitedg/tech...and I did not mean anything negative, just interesting that both fasc and biph experienced the wild highs during the crest of the hightech bubble and are now rebuilding their pps in a more realistic fashion....
I have looked at hundreds of companies in a variety of fields that have almost identical graphs over that same time frame...
It is a tough time for public companies to rebuild share holder trust after those heady days......imo, another 5 years and we will say, "Jeesh, those were great buying times 7 years ago". The tough part about long term investing is the "long term" part...lol
D
Ot...Waitedg....and here is the 5 year chart just incase you want to compare it also...lol
Bet there are some bashers that bought at $6 and sold at .50,
fwiw..
No easy picks for investors
D
http://aolsvc.pf.aol.com/us/quotes/charts?dr=60&symbs=&ag=&index=&te=mountain&se...
I4c...good point- Sustainable Development Technology Canada has approved funding for ten projects that will involve an investment of Cdn$20 million and $60 million of leveraged investment from other sources. Alternative Green Energy Systems will demonstrate a system for converting wet biomass waste materials into usable green fuel;
Juggsy,,,first,,,nice to see you back,,,second, this is a very nice article,,,,seems as though the dollar amounts are smaller than I thought would be going on at present in these types of projects///
Or am I just not functioning on all cylinders this early on a Sat morning? lol
D
beischens....lol, sound like me....that is why they are market makers and that is why legal shorting is allowed,,,with a proper settlement period of a couple days....
They are supposed to prove they have found buyable shares and they are to document where they are at, then they can legally make up(create out of thin air), shares to sell in order to close each deal....
it is just that when they do not settle up (taking the money from the sale, go to the MM that had the available shares and literally buy them), and instead, put all that cash in their pocket..... that it gets into the illegal arena...fwiw
D
Jag...glad to see you have not changed...lol always bustin FASC chops...fwiw
D
Jag,,,,"dead money",,,by chance you wouldn't be related to dukey over on RB?,,, no offence intended, but,
I mean, you are so much more gentiel than he,,,, but some simularities are so spooky....lol
D
Jag---soooo, does that mean that .03 is your entry point....I did't ask nor do I care whether you think it is going to .03....lol
D
Jag.... atleast, if it is a dump....it went up during...the dumping...lol glad to see you are watching....
soooo, when/ where will be your entry point
tia
D
Gary,,,you could be right,,,it could also be, no constant, downward pressure any longer also....
With no negative news in over a year, imoo, the pps for FASC should have accomplished a gradual rise....and we know it did just the opposite.
Maybe, just maybe,,,,the corporate decision to put the MM's on notice will help...
Am I griping? I was able to purchase about 900,000 shares at prices I would not have been able to get otherwise..imo
The down side is that when the CO did need to raise capital, they had to cause a much larger % of dilution than if the price was higher.....I believe I am still ahead....fwiw
Now that I am temporarily out of capital....I am ready for the pps to rise..lol, selfish ain't I???
D
Would some one who can post on RB please welcome the new investor.....tia,,,,and let him/her know about us huggers and this board...lol
D