Alternative Fuels and Energy Resources Articles and Links

Amended March 3, 2015.

BIODIESEL

National Biodiesel Board

US and EU must change biofuel targets to avert food crisis, says Nestlé chief (Vidal, J., Guardian, Sept.  4, 2012)

Re-use, Recycle, Re-fuel (Scott, D., Earth Island Journal, Winter 2013)

BIOFUELS

Algae could replace 17% of US oil imports, study finds (Science Daily, Apr. 14, 2011)

Biofuel crops transform German farming (Evans, S., BBC, Aug. 31, 2012)

Good News: Lotsa Oil from Algae! Bad News: Lotsa Water Could Be Required! (Aquadoc, Apr. 18, 2011)

The era of cheap food may be over (Elliott, L., The Guardian, Sept. 2, 2012)

The Problem With Biofuels (CBS News, July 12, 2008)


ETHANOL

A Bit More Ethanol in the Gas Tank (Wald, M., New York Times, Oct. 13, 2010)

Analysis: U.S. bankers say, love or hate it, ethanol here to stay (Stebbins, C., Reuters, Sept. 5, 2012)

Biofuels: Challenges to the Transportation, Sale, and Use of Intermediate Ethanol Blends (Government Accountability Office, June 2011)

Biofuels May Push 120 Million into Hunger, Qatar’s Shah Says: “The era of low food prices is over” (Romm, J., Think Progress, October 1, 2011)

Congressional Activity (Infrastructure Watch, Aug. 23, 2010)


Drought? What Drought? EPA Refuses To Waive Ethanol Mandate (Lonely Conservative, Nov. 16, 2012)

Drought Withers U.S. Corn Crop, Heats Debate on Ethanol (Schulte, B., National Geographic, Sept. 6, 2012)

EPA's ethanol decision sparks controversy (Mohan, G., Los Angeles Times, Oct. 13, 2010)

Ethanol content of gasoline can be 15%, up from 10% now (Healey, J., USA Today, Oct. 14, 2010)

EPA refuses to waive ethanol mandate (German, B., The Hill, E2 Wire, Nov. 16, 2012)

Ethanol still a lightening rod (Leslie Reed and Joseph Morton, Omaha World-Herald, Aug. 18, 2008)

Ethanol Update (U.S. Fire Administration, Inforgram 26-08, July 10, 2008)

Ethanol Use Strains Food Aid Budget (Associated Press, April 13, 2009)

Ethanol’s Impacts on Our Water Resources (Cho, R., State of the Planet, March 21, 2011)

Food-Based Fuels Are Helping Drive Up Food Prices (Think Progress, July 22, 2011)

Fuel From Food? The Feast Is Over (CBS, Nov. 24, 2008)

Government report looks at ethanol's use of water (Dayton Daily News, Dec. 9, 2009)

Governors Look Beyond Corn-Based Ethanol (CBS News, July 14, 2008)

Hazardous Materials Final Rules: Miscellaneous Amendments (73 Federal Register 4699-4720)

The Impact Of Ethanol On Water Supplies (Biofuel Daily, Apr. 14, 2009)

In spite of drought, EPA turns down requests to waive corn ethanol mandate (Spierling, C., Washington Examiner, Beltway Confidential, Nov. 16, 2012)

The Man Who Dared to Question Ethanol (New York Times, July 13, 2008)

Markus, F. “Whiter lightning: Cellulosic ethanol arrives to save the tattered reputation of corn-mash hooch.” Motor Trend. Dec. 2008: 41.

Obama’s EPA Continues Handouts for Rich Ethanol Farmers on the Backs of Consumers (Horowitz, D., Red State, Nov. 16, 2012)

Perry draws environmentalist support on ethanol stand (Dallas Morning News, July 21, 2008)

The Problem With Biofuels (CBS News, July 12, 2008)

Rice report weighs biofuels and water resources (Gunter, F., Houston Business Journal, June 12, 2009)

Rice University researchers ask if biofuels will lead to a 'drink or drive' (ScienceBlog)

Scientists Make Underwater Biofuel Breakthrough (RTCC, January 20, 2012)

Study: Algae Biofuels Enviro-Impact Worse Than Corn Ethanol (AlterNet, Jan. 25, 2010)

Study: Biofuel Threatens Water Supplies (Live Science, Yahoo, Apr. 10, 2009)

Study: Corn-based Biofuel Costs 50 Gallons of Water per Mile (EP Online, May 5, 2009)

Unlocking Seaweed’s Nex-Gen Crude: Sugar (Garthwaite, J., Green blog at New York Times, January 23, 2012)

U.S. allows more ethanol in gasoline for newer cars (Gardner, T., & Doggett, T., Reuters, Oct. 14., 2010)

U.S. corn ethanol "was not a good policy"-Gore (Wynn, G., Reuters Africa, Nov. 22, 2010)

US drought could trigger repeat of global food crisis, experts warn (Goldenberg, S., Guardian, July 23, 2012)

US Must Stop Promoting Biofuels to Tackle World Hunger, Says Thinktank (Goldenberg, S., The Guardian, October 11, 2011)

Water worries cloud future for US biofuel (Reuters, Apr. 19, 2009)


METHANOL

Buchanan, N. “First K.I.S.S: Keeping It (Our Refueling Infrastructure) Simple.” Motor Trend Aug. 2008: 37.

SOLAR

Renewable energy won’t die from cheap oil: Bloomberg (Johnston, A., CleanTechnica, Feb. 13, 2015)

Seven reasons cheap oil can’t stop renewables now (Randall T., Bloomberg, Jan. 30, 2015)

Solar is getting cheaper, but how far can it go? (Plumer, B., Washington Post Wonkblog, Nov. 7, 2011)

Solar power: States take a shine to alternative energy (Hughes, T., Delaware Online, July 26, 2013)

Wind, Solar, & Storage Could Power Full Electric Grid Cost Effectively 99.9% Of The Time By 2030: Report (Johnston, A., Clean Technica, Dec. 11, 2012)

WIND

New York Aims To Be The Real Windy City (CBS News, Aug. 20, 2008)

Race to build deep-water wind farms is a long one (Clarke Canfield, Associated Press, Dec. 9, 2008)

The rise and fall of the U.S. wind industry, in one chart (Plumer, B., Washington Post Wonkblog, Nov. 26, 2012)

Uneasiness as renewable energy grows (Smith, R., Albany Times-Union, July 20, 2013)

Wind, Solar, & Storage Could Power Full Electric Grid Cost Effectively 99.9% Of The Time By 2030: Report (Johnston, A., Clean Technica, Dec. 11, 2012)

Science Tracer Bullet: Wind Power (Library of Congress)

Wyoming wind energy project officials aggressively set to-do list (Pelzer, J., Wyoming Star-Tribune, Nov. 10, 2010)


MISCELLANEOUS

Interconnected Infrastructure (Infrastructure Watch, Sept. 13, 2012)

The World’s Interconnected Infrastructure

Our infrastructure for water, energy, transportation, food production, health and everything else in for connected systems that interact with each other.  Links to a collection of recent articles on this subject appear below.

WATER & ENERGY

The Energy Water Nexus (Murphy, T., Do the Math, Oct. 2, 2012)

Sewage for heat, trend within a trend (Koroluk, K., Daily Commercial News, Oct. 4, 2012)

Water and Energy: A Texas Nexus (Janson, H., Triple Pundit, Oct. 15, 2012)

Drought Withers U.S. Corn Crop, Heats Debate on Ethanol (Schulte, B., National Geographic, Sept. 6, 2012)

Energy and Water Challenges (Ghani, R., Pakistan Observer, Sept. 25, 2012)

Energy Generation’s Water Demands a Huge ‘Hidden Cost’ (Environmental Leader, Sept. 21, 2012)

Energy Policies have Water and Other Hidden Costs (Water Spouts Blog, Sept. 21, 2012)

Energy-Water Nexus: Coordinated Federal Approach Needed to Better Manage Energy and Water Tradeoffs (Government Acccountability Office, Sept. 13, 2012)

Tidal power gets a stormy birth off coast of Scotland (Schukman, D., BBC, May 17, 2012)

WATER & FOOD

Drought Creates War Over Water (CBS News, Oct. 4, 2012)

Drought Sparks Water War in Texas (Werner, A., CBS News, Oct. 4, 2012)

How Food Production Impacts Water Quality (Selman, M., WRI Insights, Aug. 23, 2012)

Pork and bacon shortage 'unavoidable' as record drought raises feed costs (Rushe, D., Guardian, Sept. 25, 2012)

The Progressive Increase of Food Waste in America and Its Environmental Impact (Hall, K. D., et al., PLoS One, Nov. 25, 2009)

OTHER

Interconnected Infrastructure (Infrastructure Watch, Sept. 13, 2012)

Around the Nation

Mississippi River Still Threatened by Drought

Though the Corps of Engineers has been clearing rocks from the Mississippi River near Thebes, IL, continuing drought conditions threaten to bring the river level too low to allow the passage of barges.

Related posts and articles

Barge Traffic Threatened on Missouri & Mississippi Rivers (Infrastructure Watch, Dec. 18, 2012)

Drought Still Threatens Mississippi River (Wail, T., Discover News, Jan. 9, 2012)

Mississippi River (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 7, 2012)

New Rules for Bacteria in Drinking Water

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized revisions to rules that limit bacteria in drinking water.  The major difference in the rule is its new focus on technological standards, establishing a requirement to seek and eliminate pathways for bacterial contamination in the treatment processes  when violations of the maximum contaminant level (MCL) are detected.  It also establishes a maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) of zero for E. coli and modifies public notification requirements.

Related posts and articles

Fact Sheet: Announcement of Revisions to the Total Coliform Rule (EPA)

New Rules Tackle Bacteria in Drinking Water (Bienkowski, B., Scientific American, Jan. 10, 2013)

PBS Looks at Sewer Problems

The News Hour broadcast a pretty good story about the sewer and water infrastructure problems and solution in Detroit, MI, and San Antonio, TX (and what it costs).  You can see the segment here→.

Texas Legislature Concerned About Water

As the Texas Legislature reconvened, leaders indicated that water resources would be an important issue.  There is a proposal to use $2 billion from the state’s rainy day fund to pay for water resources development projects.  Even some environmental groups that often balk at such proposal are getting on board, possibly lured by the proposal that 20 percent of the fund be used conservation and reuse projects.

Related posts and articles

$2 billion proposed to ensure water supply (Tresaugue, M., Houston Chronicle, Jan. 10, 2013)

As Texas Bakes in a Long Drought, Water Becomes a Focus for Legislators (Fernandez, M., New York Times, Jan. 12, 2013)

Quick Hits

Drought.  A Midwestern researcher notes that drought-reduced yields will lead to higher prices for corn and soybeans

                The New York Times reports on the effects of the drought on Mississippi River barge traffic.

Energy.  The Department of Energy named Bill Drummond Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration.

                ACEEE ranked states on energy efficiency.  Missouri ranks number 43.

Highway Funding.  Ken Orski summarizes alternative revenue sources to fund our highways at Infrastructure USA.

Don’t Mess With Texas Water

Texas has water problems.  Like many other places in the country, agriculture in the state was damaged by severe droughts.  Within six months, 18 public water systems could be out of water.  By 2060, the state could be short of its water needs by 8.3 million acre-feet (more than 2.7 trillion gallons).

To address this issue, the Texas Legislature is considering using $2 billion from the state rainy day fund to pay for several water resources project that are part of its 50-year plan.  Twenty percent of the funds would be set aside for water conservation and reuse projects.

Texas’ concern about water resources has extended into an interstate conflict.  The state has asked the Supreme Court to hear its claim that New Mexico is not meeting its obligations under the Rio Grande Compact.

The Rio Grande Compact is an agreement that allocates water from its eponymous river to Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.  Texas claims that wells drilled in New Mexico since the signing of the compact are depleting flow in the river.  New Mexico officials claim that it is not violating the compact because it is delivering the required amount of water; so long as that happens, it believes state water laws should prevail.

Related posts and articles

Amid Drought, Water Wars Pick Up on Borders (White, A., Texas Tribune, Jan. 16, 2013)

Around the Nation: Texas Legislature Concerned about Water (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 15, 2013)

As Texas Bakes in a Long Drought, Water Becomes a Focus for Legislators (Fernandez, M., New York Times, Jan. 12, 2013)

Drought Fuels Water War Between Texas and New Mexico (Postel, S., Resilience.org [National Geographic Newswatch], Jan. 21, 2013)

Texas, New Mexico tangle over water (Haederle, M., Los Angeles Times, Jan 25, 2013)

Work to Keep Mississippi River Open Continues

The Corp of Engineers has been removing rocks from the Mississippi River to keep it open to barges.  The river level has dropped because of a hard drought in the central part of the country.  January is generally the month with the lowest rainfall in the region, and officials are hoping for the assistance of rains next month.

The Corp has released water from Carlyle Reservoir to help bring up water levels.  Reservoirs on the Missouri River, the major tributary of the Mississippi, are legally off limits without special action by the president or Congress.  This would likely be an unpopular move with many Missouri River states, which seem to be gearing up for more battles over competing uses.

Related posts and articles

Army Corps' Options Dwindle Along With Mississippi River (McCleland, J., NPR, Jan. 13, 2013)

Drought Points Up Critical Role of Waterways (Schwartz, J., New York Times Green blog, Jan. 18, 2013)

Keeping the Boats Moving Along a Mississippi Dwindled by Drought (Schwartz, J., New York Times, Jan. 17, 2013)

Mississippi River May Soon Be Unnavigable, Despite Army Geoengineers' Best Efforts (Dillow, C., Popular Science, Jan. 14, 2013)

Missouri Needs to Solve Water Wars in 2013 (Browning, W., Yahoo!, Jan. 22, 2013)

Rain and melting snow boosts Mississippi water level (Wuerz, S., Belleville News-Democrat, Jan. 10, 2013)

Water battles loom in wake of shortage on Midwest rivers (McMichael, S., McLeansboro Times-Leader, Jan. 10, 2013)

Infrastructure & Environment Roudup

Drinking Water Supplies Threatened by Dry Weather

The Associated Press put together a nice, short summary the problem of shrinking water supplies.  You can read it at the NBC News site and see video of a related story.

Earthquake Preparedness: The Great Shakeout

February 7 will be the Great Central U.S. Shakeout.  If you’re a fellow Missourian, find more information at the Missouri Division of Geology.  If you live elsewhere in the central United States, check out the Shakeout Web site (participating states are Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Tennessee).

Highway Trust Fund Out of Money by 2015

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released projections of funds available in the Highway Trust Fund.  They expect it to have insufficient funds to meet obligations by fiscal year 2015.

The Highway Trust Fund is the primary source of money for the federal-aid highway system.  Revenues to the fund come primarily from the federal gas tax.

You can see the CBO projections here→.

Related posts and articles

Highway Trust Fund Running Out of Money (Infrastructure Watch, Feb. 9, 2012)

Hydropower Bill Reported Out of Committee

The Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013 (H.R. 267) was reported out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.  The bill would expand hydropower development.

Mississippi River Affected by Drought

We’ve been following stories about the effects of the prolonged drought on the Mississippi River.  Our posts have mostly related to barge traffic and the effort to keep the river open downstream of St. Louis.

NPR has posted an article about the effects at the mouth of the river.  One of the issues is salt water intrusion, which as the potential to change the water quality in that part of the river and has already reached the intake of one drinking water system in Louisiana.  Of course, barge traffic is an issue for New Orleans, too, because the port there is where goods move from river barges to ocean-going vessels.

Recently, barge traffic has been back up by an oil spill on the river, too.  Cleanup of the spill near Vicksburg, Mississippi, continues.

Related posts and articles

Mississippi River barge backup shrinks, oil cleanup continues (Plume, K., Reuters, Feb. 1, 2013)

Rock clearing on drought-hit Mississippi River nears completion (Plume, K., Reuters, Jan. 29, 2013)

Work to Keep Mississippi River Open Continues (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 29, 2013)

New Staff Leader Announced for Senate Environment & Public Works Committee

Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA), chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, announced that Jeremy Symons will join the committee staff as Deputy Staff Director. He will focus on environmental issues, including clean water, air quality, wildlife, and climate change.  Symons currently serves as the Senior Vice President for Conservation and Education at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Previously, he was Executive Director of NWF's Climate Change Campaign, held positions in the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air and Radiation, and served in Sen. Ron Wyden's (OR) office.

You can read the original news release here→.

Secretary Chu Leaving Energy

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced he will be resigning his post.  Other officials who announced their resignation include Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.

Related posts and articles

Outgoing Energy Secretary Warns Of Dangers Of Climate Change (Shogren, E., NPR, Feb. 1, 2013)

Government & Infrastructure News

Governors Address Infrastructure

Several governors spoke about their states’ infrastructure needs in state of the state addresses.  Building America’s Future has a nice summary.

He Just Keeps Rollin’ Along

An auxiliary lock on the Mississippi River near Granite City, Illinois, was temporarily closed.  The lock was close after it was damaged by a barge.  By the time the lock was reopened, there were 106 barges and 19 vessels waiting to get through.

Coast Guard officials say the barge accident was unrelated to low water levels in the river.  Low water levels resulting from drought have threatened barge traffic on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.

Related posts and articles

Mississippi River Shipping Resumes at Ill. Lock (KOMU [AP], Jan. 23, 2013)

Mississippi River Still Threatened by Drought (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 15, 2013)

Quick Hits: Drought (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 22, 2013)

Revisit: Mississippi River (Infrastructure Watch, Jan 13, 2013)

Senator Viewed Low Mississippi River (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 9, 2013)

LaHood Staying On

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced he plans to stay as President Barack Obama begins his second term.  LaHood and Obama both represented Illinois in Congress, and their terms overlapped.

Related posts and articles

LaHood Says He’s Staying On as Transportation Secretary (Plungis, J., Bloomberg, Jan. 22, 2013)

Don’t Fear the Nexus

Our infrastructure for water, energy, transportation, and food is all interconnected.  Changes to one has consequences in the others.  Below are links to several articles that explore these interconnections.

Energy & Water

2013: Year of the Water-Energy Nexus? (Tweed, K., Greentechmedia.com, Dec. 18, 2012)

A startup that squeezes electricity out of city water (Wang, U., Washington Post, Nov. 28, 2012)

Waste Wattage: Cities Aim to Flush Heat Energy Out of Sewers (Kaufman, R., National Geographic, Dec. 11, 2012)

North America leads shift in global energy balance, IEA says in latest World Energy Outlook (International Energy Agency, Nov. 12, 2012)

US drought could trigger repeat of global food crisis, experts warn (Goldenberg, S., Guardian, July 23, 2012)

What’s on the Mind of Utilities? Water (Kanellos, M., Greentechmedia.com, June 13, 2011)

Food & Water

Drought expands, concerns mount about wheat and rivers (Gillam, C., Reuters, Dec. 6, 2012)

Water Pollution and the Farm Economy (Gillis, G., New York Times Green blog, Dec. 11, 2012)

365 Trillion Gallons of Water Thrown Away With Our Food Every Year (Ichenseher, T., National Geographic, Sept.  9, 2010)

Other

It's All Connected (Infrastructure Watch, Nov. 29, 2012)

Revisit: Fiscal Cliff, More Trouble for Colo. R., EPA Leadership

Fiscal Cliff Deal & Wind Energy

I posted highlights from the fiscal cliff deal earlier this month.  The law extended several tax credits and program supporting energy, including wind energy.  Here are links to some additional information on wind energy in the fiscal cliff deal.

Infrastructure in the Fiscal Cliff Deal (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 3, 2013)

U.S. Wind Tax Credit Extended in “Fiscal Cliff” Compromise (Yale Environment 360, Jan. 2, 2013)

Wind Production Tax Credit Extended in Fiscal Cliff Deal (Seigel, R. P., Triple Pundit, Jan 3, 2012)

Senator Viewed Low Mississippi River

Reuter reported that Sen. Dick Durbin (IL) toured the Mississippi River near Thebes, IL, to view efforts to remove rocks and keep the drought-strained river open to barges.

IW has been following the impacts of the drought on the Mississippi River:

Barge Traffic Threatened on Missouri & Mississippi Rivers

Mississippi River

Southwest United States May Be Dryer in Future

Researchers from Columbia University predict a 10 percent decrease in rainfall in areas of the southwest United States.  This would lead to a corresponding reduction of flow in the already critical Colorado River, which may news recently because of the recent release of a federal plan for the river.  Find out a little more in this Los Angeles Times article by Bettina Boxall (here→).

Speculation on Next EPA Administrator

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson announced her plans to resign.  Speculation has begun on who may replace her.  I don’t know if odds-makers are taking bets.  Here are some links that may help you handicap the race.

Chris Gregoire: Lisa Jackson's Replacement at EPA? (Zellar, T., Huffington Post, Jan. 8, 2013)

E.P.A. Chief Set to Leave; Term Fell Shy of Early Hope (Broder, J. M., New York Times, Dec. 27, 2012)

EPA head Lisa P. Jackson to resign post (Eilperin, J., Washington Post, Dec. 27, 2012)

Gov. Chris Gregoire’s office says no word on EPA post (Schrader, J., News Tribune, Jan. 4, 2012)

Gregoire Emerges as Top Contender to Boss EPA (Connelly, J., Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Jan. 4, 2012)

New Congress Gets to Work (Sort of), Other Federal Government News (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 7, 2012)

Water Miscellanea

Agencies, Utilities Seed Clouds

State agencies and utilities in the U.S. are trying cloud seeding to increase the amount of water available where and when they want it.

Related posts and articles:
Drought Turns Governments to Cloud Seeding
Governments turn to cloud seeding to fight drought, but money and science pose obstacles

Marquette Water Law Program

The Marquette University Law School launched a curriculum in water law. The program focuses on water rights and includes courses in related areas of law.

Nexus News

Our infrastructure for water, energy, transportation, and food is all interconnected.  Changes to one have consequences in the others.  Below are links to several articles that explore these interconnections.

Agriculture, Food & Energy

As Drought Intensifies, 2 States Dig In Over Water War (Gerlock, G., NPR, Feb. 6, 2013)

Four Grand Challenges To Energy, Food, And Water (Bapna, M., WRI Insight, Jan. 31, 2013)

Missouri plant joins list of ethanol facilities idled by high corn prices (Swanson, A. F., Harvest Public Media, Jan. 31, 2013)

Agriculture, Food & Water

Four Grand Challenges To Energy, Food, And Water (Bapna, M., WRI Insight, Jan. 31, 2013)

Water agencies call for alternative to the $14B Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta tunnels (Wozniack, G., Bakersfield Now [Associated Press], Jan. 28, 2013)

Energy & Water

Drought puts drain on water supplies for power plants (Pickrell, E., Fuel Fix, Feb. 6, 2013)

Four Grand Challenges To Energy, Food, And Water (Bapna, M., WRI Insight, Jan. 31, 2013)

How are energy and water interconnected? (Purt, J., Guardian, Jan. 25, 2013)

The Perils of Ignoring the Water-Energy Nexus (Postel, S., National Geographic Water Currents, Jan. 31, 2013)

Water, energy and the economy (Zetland, D., Growing Blue, Jan. 8, 2013)

Transportation & Water

Crying out for dollars (Economist, Feb. 2, 2013)

Other

Infrastructure Nexus (Infrastructure Watch, Feb. 1, 2013)

Water Scarcity

Infrastructure Watch generally doesn’t sound the alarm on issues.  There are plenty of other blogs for that.  I would like to draw your attention to the issue of water scarcity, which I think will become increasingly widespread over the next several years.  Scarcity isn’t simply a matter of the total available fresh water, but also having it when and where people need it.  Competition for water has the potential to become an issue of enormous political important both in the United States and internationally.

I’ve collected links to several articles related to water scarcity.  For the concerned or curious, it’s a good place to start learning more about the subject.

Drought Creates War Over Water (CBS News, Oct. 4, 2012)

Drought Sparks Water War in Texas (Werner, A., CBS News, Oct. 4, 2012)

Kenya's Water Wars Kill Scores (Onyango, P. All Africa, Sept. 11, 2012)

Melting Himalayas may magnify water scarcity (Oskin, B., CBS News, Sept. 12, 2012)

UNECE Water Convention a Foundation for Water Cooperation (Global Water Partnership Blog, Sept. 7, 2012)

What is Your Definition of Global Water Shortage (Water for the Ages, Sept. 26, 2012)

Water shortages hit US power supply (Reardon, S., New Scientist, Aug. 20, 2012)

Water Shortages May Escalate Conflict Between Countries (Barrera, L., Conservation International, Aug. 28, 2012)

US Energy Production Facing Limits of Water Scarcity (Palacio, Z., Voice of America, Jan. 8, 2012)

Water Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa (Epicenter Solutions, June 17, 2011)

Water Scarcity (FAO Water, July 2, 2009)

Award winning paper questions link between water scarcity and poverty (International Water Management Institute, n.d.)

Book Review: The Big Thirst by Charles Fishman

More than 1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water.  Australia has suffered a decade-long, continent-wide drought.  Even seemingly water rich places, like Atlanta, Georgia, can’t get enough water.  Many are talking of a global water crisis.  Except, as Charles Fishman aptly states it in The Big Thirst, “There is no global water crisis, there are a thousand water crises, each distinct.”

I think the story of Atlanta and Lake Lanier, as told recounted by Fishman, is especially instructive.  Lake Lanier on the Chatahoochee River is the source of 75 percent of the water used by Atlanta, 5 million gallons a day.  A drought in 2007-2008 brought the level of the lake dangerously low, prompting downstream states to sue over the amount of water Atlanta was taking.  The federal court declared that Atlanta had been illegally receiving water from the lake and had to find another source.  Atlanta has a lot of resources, barely tapped conservation efforts, reuse, and alternative supplies, but with a lack of political will, leadership, and vision, it leaders threw up their hands in impotent defiance of the court and whined they must have Lake Lanier water.  When the lake was built, Atlanta passed on paying for a piece of it thinking it would never be needed, and now they think they can’t live without it.

Part of the point Fishman makes it that water crises are more often than not political crises.  There is a lack of political will and sense of necessity, even though the problems can be plain and the solutions within reach.  The Big Thirst includes examples from around the world (the United States, India, and especially Australia) where people are facing water problems.  Happily, many of them have taken a more realistic and reasonable approach than Atlanta.

Fishman is going for something deeper, though.  Our political and economic stumbling in the area of water management stems for our cultural relationship with water.  It is obviously necessary for life.  We also consider it beautiful, it is part of our landscape, and in some places it has important religious significance.  Even so, we have difficulty understanding the value of water, comparing one use to another, assigning responsibility for its distribution and quality, acknowledging the infrastructure needed to have water when and where it is needed.  It the West, where for the last century we have enjoyed incredible access to abundant water, we hardly ever think about water unless we have some professional connection to it.

We can’t continue to be mindless of water.  The systems of water abundance we built in the last century aren’t sustainable without major ongoing investment.  In light of climate change, they may be altogether unsustainable.  Even without climate change, much of our water policy dates to a time of unusual water abundance.

Fishman encourages water mindfulness.  We need to reconnect to water.  In part, this reconnecting means understanding what it means to have water in our homes and in our streams.  It is also connecting to how critical water is to food, energy, commerce, health, and almost every aspect of life.  Our decisions about water need to be rooted in reality.

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in

Blue Revolution by Cynthia Barnett

Elixir by Brian Fagan

Water by Marq de Villiers

Water by Steven Solomon

When the Rivers Run Dry by Fred Pearce

I’ve also written about Atlanta and Lake Lanier at Infrastructure Watch:

Courts Could Affect Uses of Lake Lanier

Georgia Appeals Lake Lanier Decision

Georgia Loses Lake Lanier Battle

Judge Winnows Down Central Question in Lake Lanier Case

Fishman, Charles.  The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water.  New York: Free Press, 2011.

This review of The Big Thirst by Charles Fishman appears courtesy of Keenan’s Book Reviews, were you can find more books about water.

Barge Traffic Threatened on Missouri & Mississippi Rivers

Levels on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers continue to drop.  One of the consequences of low river levels is the dangers it poses to navigation, especially to barge traffic.  Low levels have exposed rocks and sand bars on both rivers.

Barges on these rivers transport a lot of goods, especially commodities.  This is a significant part of the economy of states along these rivers, especially those on the lower Mississippi River.  For instance, in Missouri the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center estimated that nearly $3 billion in Missouri commodities, mostly agricultural products, are shipped on water.  Water freight generates an estimated $388 million annually in gross state product (GSP) in Missouri.

To some degree, flow in these rivers is controlled by dams operated by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.  Officials and businesses along the Mississippi River have asked the Corp to release more water.  The Corp agreed, and on December 15 began releasing water Carlyle Lake (a little more than 50 miles east of St. Louis) on the Kaskaskia River, which flows into the Mississippi River a few a few miles downstream of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.

The Corp has tried to tame these rivers for more than a century, managing them for navigation, flood control, and other purposes.  It may not get any easier.  Many are predicting that climate change will result in more droughts and flooding along with more frequent extreme high and low levels of water in the rivers.

A couple of days ago, IW was quick to draw knives on a proposal to pump water from the Missouri River to the Colorado River through a pipeline that would run from Leavenworth, Kansas, to Denver, Colorado.  Recently Interior Secretary Ken Salazar admitted that this was not a practicable plan and that western states need to seek solutions elsewhere.

Related articles and posts

Climate Change Pits Sioux Against Barges for Scarce Water (Bjerga, A., Bloomberg, Dec. 17, 2012)

Drought expands, concerns mount about wheat and rivers (Gillam, C., Reuters, Dec. 6, 2012)

Four stories to keep an eye on in 2013 (Miller, M., Southeast Missourian, Dec. 18, 2012)

In Two Weeks, the Mississippi River Could Shut Down (Goldenberg, S., The Atlantic, Dec. 14, 2012)

Officials meet to tackle drought-ravaged Mississippi River, shipping concerns (Currier, J., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dec. 17, 2012)

Pump water from Leavenworth to Denver? Highly unlikely, U.S. concludes (Helling, D., Kansas City Star, Dec. 13, 2012)

Will the Missouri River be the Next Colorado River? (Infrastructure Watch, Dec. 14, 2012)