Well, it’s been an interesting week for energy news. This diary is going to be something of an omnibus edition, looking at a range of energy related news, connections between energy policy and environmental policy, and a bit of the politics. Get comfortable, and prepare to contemplate stories ranging from the efforts of individuals all the way up to matters of international scope. Remember Kauffman's Rule #1: Everything is connected to everything else. Transportation policy is Energy policy is Environtmental policy.
This first part will look at some aviation and rail news. I'll also take a quck pass at the Senate coming up with an energy bill at the bottom.
(Update: Per request, changed title from Energize America to Energy News)
PLANES:
The Paris Air Show has been going on at Le Bourget field this week. THE premier showcase for the aerospace industry, the big story has been the battle between Airbus and it’s A380 SuperJumbo versus Boeing and the Dreamliner. While literally billions of dollars/euros are at stake, for some would-be air travelers the issues are a lot more personal.
Albany, NY is about to lose direct non-stop air service between the state capital and Buffalo, NY. Commutair will be ending non-stop flights July 7 to switch to a hub-spoke route, partly as a response to upgrading from 19 seat aircraft to larger planes, rising fuel costs, and more lucrative pricing with the changes. Other routes will be affected as well.
Commutair received federal aid under the Essential Air Services program to offer flights to Saranac Lake, Plattsburgh and to Rutland, Vt. But the airline will end those flights as well when another operator is found, and sell its remaining 19-seat planes.
Commutair's plans haven't pleased elected officials.
"I'm extremely disturbed by reports of the decision by Commutair to cancel their service between Albany and Buffalo," said U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. "I am very aware that earlier this year Commutair attempted to cancel service at Plattsburgh Airport, so I sincerely hope this is not a pattern on their part.
"I will do all that I can to ensure that we maintain reliable air service across upstate New York," she added.
The above is an example of energy policy colliding with politics - striking a balance between airline deregulation, service to the public, and rising costs of energy. The impact on the upstate economy of New York, which has been ailing for years is not going to be helped by this. Is Commutair's move more energy efficient? Who knows - all we can say is that they believe it will be more profitable.
Meanwhile, according to The Globalist.com Global Fast Facts that ran in the Albany Times Union 6-20-2007, “The Kyoto Protocol does not restrict carbon dioxide emitted by airplanes - even though planes emit 600 million tons of carbon dioxide yearly. (Worldwatch Institute.) Which leads right into the next topic.
TRAINS:
Europeans and citizens of other advanced countries would be puzzled at the distress over the loss of air service above. Buffalo and Albany are not quite 300 miles apart - and both cities are served directly by Amtrak. It has been a perennial goal of rail-minded New Yorkers to upgrade passenger rail on the historic “Water Level Route” to something which might begin to approach what the old New York Central used to field on a regular basis. TGV level service would do a lot to revitalize the upstate region economy - and provide an alternative to both air and highway traffic.
Loss of air service to the Adirondacks might not be such a big deal with a more enlightened rail policy either. The Adirondack Scenic Railroad connects with Amtrak at Utica, NY. and reaches Old Forge; another section of the old NY Central line operates between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. The ultimate goal is to restore rail service all the way from Utica to Lake Placid.
On the eastern side of the Adirondacks, the Upper Hudson River Railroad operates scenic rail out of the historic North Creek station, roughly a half hour by road from Lake George. The line connects all the way to Saratoga Springs, NY, which is also served by Amtrak. There is no regular service between Saratoga Springs and North Creek yet, but supporters of the line and the local communities would love to revive the Ski Trains the Delaware & Hudson used to run to North Creek - which just happens to be the location of Gore Mountain Ski Resort. (No relation to Al.)
Now neither the Adirondack Scenic Railroad or the Upper Hudson River Railroad can be described as a full service passenger operation, but the potential is there IF some way to invest in them is obtained. As for the Plattsburgh air service Senator Clinton is worried about, well Amtrak goes there too on its way to Montreal.
It might serve Senator Clinton (D-NY) well to follow the example of Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL); he was recently given a golden spike award for his decades long support of intercity rail and rail safety by the National Association of Railroad Passengers. Passenger rail needs all the help it can get. For example,
A new threat to Amtrak and intercity passenger rail has emerged. Rep. John Boozman (R-Arkansas) has proposed an amendment to HR 2701 (the Transportation Energy Security and Climate Change Mitigation Act of 2007) that would essentially eliminate Amtrak’s preferential access rights to freight lines unless the U.S. Secretary of Transportation first certifies that implementation of said access rights would not cause increased highway congestion, fossil fuel usage, air pollution or greenhouse gas emissions.
Boozman seemingly is fixated on the notion that Amtrak trains increase pollution by interfering with freight movements, an opinion carried over from his participation on an Amtrak “Study Group” last year.
While Republican determination to kill Amtrak once and for all is not uniform (see the sponsors of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007 (S.294), it is relentless. One of the effects of Hurricane Katrina was the disruption of all types of rail service along the Gulf Coast. Freight trains were rolling again by March 2006 - but as of May 2007, Amtrak service between New Orleans and Florida is still suspended, despite calls for its restoration all through the region. (NARP News May 2007).
According to the newsletter, “Prior to Katrina, the [New Orleans - Orlando] segment of the Sunset Limited generated 41% of the route’s revenue and 39% of its ridership but accounted for only 28% of its train miles.” (NARP President George Chilson, March 2, 2006, letter to Amtrak Chairman David Laney) The reluctance of Amtrak to bring service back would not seem to be based on economics...
It’s also not based on sound energy policy. The latest Transportation Energy Data Book produced by Oak Ridge National Laboratories has some interesting numbers. (Available here) NARP has a summary; here’s a selection from it.
It shows that, in 2005, domestic airlines on average consumed 20.5% more energy per passenger-mile than Amtrak, while cars consumed 27.2% more than Amtrak. Looked at the other way round, Amtrak consumes 17.0% and 21.4% less energy per passenger-mile than airlines and cars, respectively. [One passenger-mile is one passenger traveling one mile.]
Those percentages are derived from these Oak Ridge figures (British Thermal Units or BTUs per passenger-mile, 2005 data), organized here most to least efficient:
Amtrak: 2,709
Commuter rail: 2,743
Rail transit: 2,784
Certificated air carriers: 3,264 (excludes international services)
Cars: 3,445
They say that one proof of the inherent efficiency of railroading is its ability to survive railroad management. The firing of David Gunn has left Amtrak in the hands of leadership seemingly more compliant to Bush efforts to derail it. For a look at what Gunn brought to the table, here's a pdf of Congressional testimony he gave early on in his tenure about Amtrak myths. It should be required reading for anyone who wishes to debate passenger rail. Certainly, the reluctance of current president Alexander Kummant to restore Gulf Coast service and his generally low profile would seem to suggest the soft bigotry of low expectations can be applied to Amtrak under his leadership. Contrasting the wikipedia entries on the two, Gunn had much more railroad and passenger rail experience; Kummant has almost nothing by comparison. Where Rail was a career for Gunn, it just seems to have been a stop along the way for Kummant.
With regard to Amtrak, the real issue isn't money; it's ideology. Just the cost of a few days of Iraq would fully fund Amtrak - and do a lot more to reduce our dependence on the Middle East for oil. Just the cost of an anti-missile system that has never been sucessfully tested would more than fund Amtrak - and do more to keep us safe as a nation than restarting the Cold War with Russia.
I'm going to end part 1 here; part 2 will be along ASAP. I hope I've given you food for thought - and reasons to contact your Congressional delegation. While Congress has been wrestling with energy policy all this week, I can't recall hearing much about railroad policy in that discussion. Pity. Meanwhile, check out the links to the Adirondack railroads above, and consider working rail travel into your travel/vacation plans this summer.
Update: since initially drafting this diary, the Senate has come up with an energy bill. The NY Times has the story and I'm sure there will be plenty of words about it here and elsewhere in the blogosphere. From the Times:
The vote, 65 to 27, was a major defeat for car manufacturers, which had fought for a much smaller increase in fuel economy standards and is expected to keep fighting as the House takes up the issue.
But Senate Democrats also fell short of their own goals. In a victory for the oil industry, Republican lawmakers successfully blocked a crucial component of the Democratic plan that would have raised taxes on oil companies by about $32 billion and used the money on tax breaks for wind power, solar power, ethanol and other renewable fuels.
Republicans also blocked a provision of the legislation that would have required electric utilities to greatly increase the share of power they get from renewable sources of energy.
As a result, Senate Democrats had to settle for a bill that calls for a vast expansion of renewable fuels over the next decade — to 36 billion gallons a year of alternatives to gasoline — but does little to actually promote those fuels through tax breaks or other subsidies.
Reid and Pelosi are trying to get some solid accomplishments through Congress, and it is hard to think of anything more important to the long-term health of the nation than a sound energy policy (well, that and putting Impeachment back on the table, but that's another diary.) The problem is, the Republicans' chief prirority is getting control of Congress back, not the good of the country. They will block every effort by the Democrats to get anything done - and Bush will be right behind them with his veto pen.
At some point Reid and Pelosi are going to have to decide between trying to work with a Republican party that doesn't give a damn about the country as long as they can hold on to power, and legislative maneuvering that makes it clear that the Republican party is the real threat to America's best interests. The Republicans have spent the last 30 years blaming the Democrats for everything that's wrong with America; it's time to return the favor - because the facts are on the side of the Democrats.
Update: the Energize America crew has a relevant post today: Status Report of the Ontario Coal Phase Out.
Update: The June 22, 2007 Albany Times Union has a follow up story on air service issues in upstate; Senator Chuck Schumer has stepped in.
ERIC ANDERSON, Deputy business editor
First published: Friday, June 22, 2007
COLONIE -- US Airways is considering a request from U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer to offer flights between Albany and Buffalo, the airline said Thursday. Schumer made the request during a meeting Wednesday with US Airways CEO Doug Parker.