GLOBAL CLIMATE DEBATE

[SUITERS]  Hello, and welcome to "Clean Skies Sunday," a weekly half-hour look at energy issues facing Washington and America.  I'm Tyler Suiters.  This week, the Gulf of Mexico opens to shrimp fishermen for the first time since that massive leak started, and at the same time, a new report is out on the oil that remains under the Gulf waters.  We're talking with one of the authors of that report to find out where he thinks all of that oil still is.  Also, you might want to set aside your breakfast.  We are touring a plant that derives energy from human waste.  Plus, later, these are not the streets of San Francisco.  The nation's capital is preparing for a return to the trolley.  We'll show you the progress.  In the news this week, President Obama says a homegrown clean-energy industry can help the economy rebound and reverse years of manufacturing jobs lost overseas.  He toured the ZBB Energy Corporation in Milwaukee this past week.  It makes advanced batteries and power systems that use renewable energy sources.  The company is also expanding with the help from a Federal Stimulus Loan. 

[OBAMA]  We expect our commitment to clean energy to lead to more than 800,000 jobs by 2012.  And that's not just creating work in the short term -- that's gonna help lay the foundation for lasting economic growth.  I just want everybody to understand -- Just a few years ago, American businesses could only make 2% of the world's advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles -- 2%.  In just a few years, we'll have up to 40% of the world's capacity.  Here at ZBB, you're building batteries to store electricity from solar cells and wind turbines.  And you've been able to export batteries around the globe, and that's helping lead this new industry.  For years, we've heard about manufacturing jobs disappearing overseas.  Well, companies like this are showing us how manufacturing can come back right here in the United States of America, right back here to Wisconsin.  [Applause] 

[SUITERS]  All new deep-water oil rigs will require environmental reviews.  The announcement follows a report from the White House Council on Environmental Quality, which found BP got environmental exemptions based on decades-old data.  Shrimpers return to Louisiana waters on Monday, the first time since the oil from the Deep Water Horizon leak reached the shores of the Gulf.  Initial reports indicate that shrimp nets were full and were also free of oil.  But two new research groups from the Universities of Georgia and South Florida say the spill is a bigger mess than the government claims, with much of the crude oil lurking deep beneath the Gulf's surface.  And the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute also studied the oil spill, looking for where that oil may have gone.  And the answer, according to that group's new report, lies more than 3,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf.  Scientists outlined their report during a news conference on Thursday, and afterward, I spoke with one of the authors of this study, Chris Reddy. 

[CHRIS REDDY, WHOI]  We identified a plume of oil that existed about 3,500 feet below the surface.  And we tracked it.  We almost hunter-gathered it for about -- you know, about 20 miles.  And we showed that it was a continuous, moving river of material that contained petroleum hydrocarbons, or compounds from oil.  And that was the first time that anybody had done that.  Some had thought that these plumes were more like -- you know, like your grandmother's perfume bottle that kind of went "psst!" and hit, you know, like, these little clouds?  But actually, it was a moving, coherent, continuous plume that went for 22 miles.  We did find some oil compounds in there.  We're working on analyzing for more of them.  The key thing, though, when people thought of plumes and you speak to the lay public is they think it's this big, squirting bottle of Hershey's Syrup flying down the middle of the ocean.  And in reality, the water is clear, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's not toxic. 

[SUITERS]  Well, that's an interesting point, Chris, because not only are we talking about 3,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf -- You can't see this with your naked eye, in terms of bringing up a sample and just looking at the Gulf water itself. 

[REDDY]  No, and I sampled it. 

[SUITERS]  Mm-hmm.  What does that tell you about the breakdown and the chemical reactions that are happening? 

[REDDY]  Not really, because, you know, you -- The technology to measure oil and the levels of oil that cause potential harm are so low that just the fact that your nose doesn't smell it, that doesn't necessarily mean it's not harmful. 

[SUITERS]  22 miles long -- How come no one found this before you did? 

[REDDY]  My other colleagues -- and I'm not knocking them -- they use a device to collect samples, and they basically poked at the water.  They lowered it, and they brought the samples back up, or they kind of used a sensor, and they said, "Oh, okay, we see something," you know? 

[SUITERS]  At regular intervals they're doing this? 

[REDDY]  Yeah, they kind of see something -- "All right, well, if we connect the dots, you know, maybe this is a plume."  And that was their definition of a plume.  That's how they define it.  I'm not saying that's wrong or right.  What we did was we went down to that depth.  We massaged it.  We went all over it.  We know.  We hit it.  And so that's a much different, maybe even more robust definition than maybe connecting the dots.  But, you know, it's what you want.  And in this case, we wanted to get a really good idea as to the size and the shape of this plume because one of the big questions from a basic science experiment is, doesn't oil float?  Where does this go now?  If you asked me, the day after the spill -- I've been studying oil spills for 15 years -- would I have ever thought that it was gonna be a plume like this?  I would have said no. 

[SUITERS]  I want to get back to the way that you collected these samples and arranged this data.  You used a submersible, which seemed to be crucial throughout this process, being down at that level. 

[REDDY]  Yes.  This vehicle is called Sentry, and it's pretty cool.  You can lower it over the side.  It's got no cable.  And you can tell it what to do at the beginning.  And you throw it over the side and then say -- We said, "Go to 1,100 meters, or about 3,300, 3,500 feet, and go look."  And what happened for us, which was really interesting for us with Sentry was we programmed Sentry -- we lowered it down -- vvvrt! -- right?  And then we said, "Start looking."  And we could see real time.  It would be sending up data.  And it would say, "Oh, I see oil.  I see oil.  I see oil.  I see oil.  I see oil.  Nope, don't see it anymore."

[SUITERS]  And at that point, you can turn it around? 

[REDDY]  Yeah.  We could turn it around. 

[SUITERS]  One of the things that you found was the relative success that microbes are or are not having degrading this oil, digesting it, processing it.  What does that tell you about the natural process that's under way in the Gulf right now? 

[REDDY]  Microbes are teenagers.  You say, "Look, I want you to clean the garage.  I want you to do it on Friday."  He doesn't do it on Friday.  He does it on Sunday because that's more convenient for him at that time.  And what does he do?  He only does half the job.  He only does the things that are the really easy part.  He doesn't do the hard compounds, and he doesn't do it at the right time.  That's what microbes are.  They work on their own time, they work on their own, and they choose what's easiest to do.  So microbes will eat oil, and they are, probably, in the Gulf, and you will see it.  But, you know, oil has got like a buffet of different molecules, and so they're gonna hit the big stuff -- shrimp and the prime rib.  But at some point, you know, they hit the celery with the peanut butter, and it's game over. 

[SUITERS]  Chris, final question for you.  If you didn't have expectations going in, then, given your experiences, what are your expectations for the Gulf's recovery from this? 

[REDDY]  Recovery, in many people's minds, is thought as something like an on/off switch.  Like you break your leg, and then six weeks later, you do a little physical therapy -- everything is fine.  Recovery in an ecosystem that's been hit so hard, like the Gulf of Mexico, is like a bad car accident.  And just like somebody's in the hospital in critical care, there are scratches that are gonna heal quickly.  Their broken leg may heal quickly.  You might be in a coma for a long time.  The key thing is that there's a wide spectrum of time that it takes for recovery.  And then we have to determine what level of recovery is okay. 

[SUITERS]  Dr. Chris Reddy taking time on a very busy week to join us.  Thanks again for your time. 

[REDDY]  Yep.  Sure. 

[SUITERS]  Now an update to a story we brought you earlier this summer.  BG&E customers may soon be getting smart meters.  Maryland's largest utility was just given the go-ahead for a plan to install smart meters with all of its 1.2 million customers.  The company revamped the program when the State Public Service Commission rejected that plan.  Now the utility will shoulder the up-front costs to install the meters and will not seek reimbursement through rate increases until at least the year 2014.  And if those rate hikes are approved, BG&E estimates that customers could pay $1.10 more per month on average over a 10-year period.  Still to come here on "Clean Skies Sunday" -- Do you know how to save energy?  So many people think they do, but one new study shows the real energy-saving answers just might surprise you.  Plus, one company isn't letting human waste go to waste.  We're showing you the plant turning sewage to E-Fuel.  And D.C.  is trying to turn back time to the days of streetcars.  Can this old idea be a new way to curb energy use, cut down on the city's carbon footprint, and also move commuters at the very same time?  We'll explain. 

[BREAK] 

[EVAN WOLF, COAST GUARD CLEAN UP, LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD]  When I signed on with the National Guard, I did it to help protect America from our enemies, like in the Persian Gulf -- not to clean up an oil company's mess here in the Gulf of Mexico.  We'll do whatever mission we're given, and do it well, but America needs a new mission.  Because whether it's deep-drilling oil out here or spending a billion dollars a day on oil from our enemies overseas, our dependence on oil is threatening our national security.  The thing is, a clean American energy plan would cut our dependence on oil in half.  It's more power for America, made here in America, putting our people to work using all the resources we have.  Some folks in Washington say now is not the time for clean American power.  I got to ask, if not now...  when? 

[WENDY]  My joints ache so bad, I wake up in pain every day.  I want to know why. 

[ARTRANESE]  I want to know why my hair is falling out.  How did this happen? 

[LADAN]  How did this happen?  A little pain in my knee.  That's how it started. 

[CHRISTINA]  That's how it started, this rash on my face.  Now it's like my body is attacking me.  I want answers. 

[WOMAN]  When you don't have the right answers, it may be time to ask your doctor the right question. 

[CHRISTINA]  Could I have lupus?  [Mid-tempo music plays] 

[WOMAN]  If your home was built before 1978, call or log on. 

[END BREAK] 

[SUITERS]  Welcome back.  If you think you're leaving a green footprint just by turning off the lights when you leave the room, you better think again.  There is a new report out from the National Academy of Sciences that says many Americans are clueless about the ways to save energy.  The report surveyed people across 34 states and found a very small portion of us actually understands the meaning of becoming energy-efficient -- that is, doing things like installing more efficient light bulbs and appliances in our homes.  But a large chunk of us, about 20%, thinks turning off our lights is the best way to save energy.  I sat down with the report's author, Shahzeen Attari, to discuss what she learned about us and what we all should learn about saving energy. 

[SHAHZEEN ATTARI, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY'S EARTH INSTITUTE]  When you think about lighting, for example -- When I ask you, "What is the most effective thing you can do?" we're not quite sure what it is, because energy is really invisible.  The amount of energy that goes into this room that we're sitting in is invisible to us.  So if I were to ask you how much energy you use on a day-to-day basis, you may not know.  So it's not surprising to me that people don't know.  I did not know myself at the beginning of this experiment.  But making these things more visible is really important.  So people may not be clueless as to what is most effective for them, in terms of what is, you know, inexpensive, easy to do, things like that.  But they may be sort of off the mark in terms of what is most effective in terms of energy consumption. 

[SUITERS]  I tell my daughter this -- I think my parents told me the same thing -- Turn off the lights when you leave a room.  It's a nice notion.  20% of the people you spoke with say that's the best approach to saving energy, which is not true.  It's a step, but a very, very small step. 

[ATTARI]  Right.  Turn off the lights when you leave the room -- You should still tell your daughter that. 

[SUITERS]  [Laughs] 

[ATTARI]  But the thing is, if there was one thing that you could tell your daughter about energy, would that be it?  And a lot of people may mention that.  So, you know, do everything that you can.  You know, bike to work, use public transportation as much as you can.  But if there were a few things that you could do, try to focus on the bigger behaviors rather than the smaller ones. 

[SUITERS]  Does that mean purchasing, investing in energy efficiency, whether it's something like a better light bulb, all the way up to renovating your home -- It takes money to make big change? 

[ATTARI]  It does take money to make big change, and what would be a recommendation is to try to make the amount of money spent, the initial capital spent on some of these energy investments, cheaper for people so that more people adopt these behaviors.  And there are many ways of doing that in order to sort of make a more efficient system. 

[SUITERS]  You have a deep background in psychology, and there's something you mentioned called a single-action bias, which is we'll do one or two things that will help, and then we stop or we lose interest.  Is that human behavior, or is it just in this one sector? 

[ATTARI]  I think that may be human behavior.  It still needs to be sort of studied across different domains.  But for example, you know, if you're faced with a problem, you might do one or two things in order to address the problem, but because you're limited with the amount of energy and effort that you can expend, you might feel that you're off the hook and move on to the next -- you know, move on to the next problem, so to speak. 

[SUITERS]  One of the sources, the roots of this problem that you cite is, essentially, a failure to communicate.  Environmental groups, the government, other entities involved in this simply aren't telling us well enough what we need to do to change. 

[ATTARI]  To a certain extent.  A lot of this data is very difficult to find.  Making this data more available to people is sort of the first step towards behavior change.  You know, making the default option the most effective and most efficient option is also something that we need to start thinking about. 

[SUITERS]  Under the best-case scenario, if we do all the right things and take all the right actions, we can cut our energy uses by 10% to 12%.  That's the rough estimate.  Is that enough to get the general public to do this?  Is that a big enough number for us to change our behavior, do you think? 

[ATTARI]  So, there was this paper entitled "The Stabilization Wedges."  There are a whole variety of these different wedges that go into addressing the problem of climate change, and there's the behavioral wedge.  So conservation, energy efficiency is the cheapest possible option for decreasing our energy use.  And so it does add up at the end of the day, so if we were to do that -- change behavior, use energy-efficient devices, appliances, cars, as well as all of these other things -- we would be able to mitigate and adapt to climate change. 

[SUITERS]  For years now, companies have tried to find ways to burn biowaste for fuel.  So far, though, there have been no large-scale commercial facilities to take sewage sludge and turn it into energy -- until now, that is.  "Clean Skies'" Lee Patrick Sullivan first told us about this slurry carbon facility earlier this year, a plant that turns your waste into E-Fuel. 

[MAN]  Go! [Horn honks]  [Crowd cheering] 

[SULLIVAN]  The world's first SlurryCarb facility is open for business.  The end product is called E-Fuel by the company that runs the plant, EnerTech.  And the company says it's so important to the energy needs of the world, this grand opening could cut carbon emissions and provide a renewable source of energy.  So we went on a tour with EnerTech's president to find out what exactly is E-Fuel. 

[JOHN PRUNK, PRESIDENT, EnerTech]  What we do here is we bring in biosolids from five of the districts here in Los Angeles, the greater Los Angeles area.  Comes in by truck.  So they truck biosolids in, and what they'll do -- [Tape rewinds] 

[SULLIVAN]  Wait.  Did he just say what I thought he said?  Let's hear that again.  [Tape playing backwards] 

[PRUNK]  So they truck biosolids in, and what they'll do is they'll actually back up to two of these receiving bins. 

[SULLIVAN]  Yep, he said it -- biosolids.  This place turns biosolids into a burnable fuel, and in case you're still not getting the picture...  Yep, those biosolids.  270,000 tons a year of those biosolids will be dumped at this facility, much to the delight of the five local communities that used to take their waste to Arizona at a considerable cost. 

[MAYOR RONALD O.  LOVERIDGE, RIVERSIDE, CA] And then what is produced here can be used as a fuel.  I mean, I'm not sure how you can get a better deal than this. 

[SULLIVAN]  A better deal is right.  And unlike petroleum, there's no danger of EnerTech ever running out of product. 

[PRUNK]  You know, everybody eats, and biosolids don't go away. 

[SULLIVAN]  Burning biosolids is not a new idea, but how EnerTech does it is.  Their patented SlurryCarb process allows the moisture to be taken out of the sewer sludge, and under high pressure, it's sent to this massive dryer. 

[PRUNK]  We're able to get 900 tons of product through that dryer, where, on a traditional system, you'd only be able to get 400 tons. 

[SULLIVAN]  EnerTech says getting twice as much solids from the sewer sludge makes the plant very efficient with its own energy use.  The plant itself is run by natural gas.  The company says it actually uses less natural gas than other plants of its size, because here at the world's first SlurryCarb facility, nothing goes to waste. 

[PRUNK]  All that water we talked about that was in the biosolids comes over here to these big anaerobic digesters.  They sit in here for about five days, the water does.  We have all these high-tech bugs in here, and they make biogas.  That biogas is then used to drive the dryer that you see behind you and the heater that drives the SlurryCarb process. 

[SULLIVAN]  That stuff that was in the dryer is then sized.  The company wants the final product to be about the size of a BB so it can be burned more efficiently, and this is done with a whole lot of shakin'. 

[PRUNK]  It's like putting something in your dryer, and you just have a screen inside it, and it sorts through the big products or the little products.  And if it's too small, we send it back through the dryer. 

[SULLIVAN]  From there, the E-Fuel pellets are now ready to be shipped out. 

[PRUNK]  Above us is 600 tons of E-Fuel. 

[SULLIVAN]  [Laughing]  I'm gonna step over here. 

[PRUNKL]  Step back, right?  So, what happens here is the trucks come in and they load it through this silo, pull in.  They'll pull out 25 tons at a time of E-Fuel and they'll take it to wherever they've decided to go, whether it's a cement kiln or a power plant or the like. 

[SULLIVAN]  And when they are burned, they do release carbon.  After all, the pellets are carbon, but it's a carbon that's already in the atmosphere, unlike fossil fuels.  so if the sludge didn't release their carbon in a power plant, it would do so in a landfill.  The folks at EnerTech have colorful words for what they turn into fuel here -- "biosolids," "slurry," "sewage."  But no one uses the actual word. 

[SULLIVAN]  That must be a P.R. nightmare when you're talking about, "Well, we're going to bring all this 'stuff'" -- and I mean, we hear words like "slurry," "sewage"... 

[PRUNK]  Right. 

[SULLIVAN]  ...everything but the word, what it is.  Is that a challenge for you guys? 

[PRUNK]  I think one of the things we try to do, when we looked for a site -- although we don't make many odors -- you can smell that as you're right here today -- the public perception would be, "Oh, that might really not smell very nice."  But the fact of the matter is we prefer not to build next to communities that have a lot of homes.  We'd like to be in an industrial area, and where we have located here in Rialto is a perfect setting for a facility like this. 

[SULLIVAN]  The folks at EnerTech say that within five years, they'll be making enough E-Fuel to not only export it to power plants, but they'll also be able to power their own facility.  In Rialto, California, Lee Patrick Sullivan, Clean Skies News. 

[SUITERS]  And when we return, rebuilding D.C.'s transportation future with an idea from the past.  This construction may seem like a traffic nightmare, but once it's all done, it will pave the way for streetcars, something officials say will save the city money and cut down on D.C.'s carbon footprint. 

[BREAK]  [Funk music plays]

[WOMAN]  Movement -- along with weight loss, it's one of the many ways to fight osteoarthritis pain.  For more information on managing pain, go to fightarthritispain.org.  [Mid-tempo music plays] 

[MAN]  The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has important information for the millions of people with asthma.  You may not know there are two main causes of asthma symptoms -- airway constriction you feel and inflammation you may not feel.  Learn how to better manage your asthma by treating both main causes of asthma symptoms.  Treating both causes can help prevent symptoms before they even start.  And preventing symptoms could mean a smoother ride.  For more information, go to asthma.com. 

[END BREAK] 

[SUITERS]  Welcome back to "Clean Skies Sunday."  Four electric vehicles, eight drivers, and 80 days to get all the way around the world.  Their fuel -- the sun and the wind.  The teams from Switzerland, Germany, and Australia left Geneva on Monday, and there's also a South Korean team driving a battery-operated vehicle.  It's joining the group a little later on.  The goal here is to complete a more than 18,000-mile trip without emitting carbon into the earth's atmosphere.  The vehicles will stop at various charging outlets all across the globe, outlets powered by renewable energy.  And when those outlets can't use renewable resources, the teams will then buy offsets in renewable energy in their countries.  Now, the Swiss competitor looks a little like a bullet, but the driver says he can go about 220 miles, all on a single charge.  The Germans are essentially riding a souped-up electric scooter, but one that uses a very big battery.  The Australian team says its vehicle is so efficient, just $350 will pay for the electricity needed to go across the entire world.  The race will be judged for technology and for popularity, not for speed here.  The course cuts across Europe and Asia, and then the cars will be shipped to North America to complete the race in Cancún, Mexico.  That is the site of the next major global meeting on climate change -- not coincidentally.  When it comes to getting consumers out of gas guzzlers, there has been a lot of attention focused on electric cars -- things like the Chevy Volt or the Nissan Leaf.  But there is another electric vehicle the White House has been pushing, a vehicle that isn't generating quite as much of a buzz as those E.V.s.  "Clean Skies'" Dan Goldstein this morning is taking a look at the return of the humble streetcar. 

[GOLDSTEIN]  What was once old is now new again.  The streetcar, which hasn't run in the nation's capital since 1962, is coming back. 

[MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY, (D), WASHINGTON, D.C.]  We have begun to lay down the lines, which will once again hold streetcars in Washington, D.C. 

[GOLDSTEIN]  Two miles of new line are coming to Washington, starting in 2012 at a cost of $68 million, part of what may become an eight-line network.  If the new streetcars have a European look, it's because they are.  They're built by Inekon Trams of the Czech Republic, and they're designed to be more narrow and more maneuverable in traffic, so they can share the road with cars. 

[SCOTT KUBLY, DISTRICT DEPT.  OF TRANSPORTATION]  You know, it completely transforms the way a city functions. 

[GOLDSTEIN]  City planners like Scott Kubly of the District Department of Transportation say they need streetcars because most public-transit systems in the city are at or near capacity.  Electric streetcars, like these in New Orleans, have lower emissions than buses.  And because streetcar lines don't move, Kubly sees them as a way to spur development and halt sprawl -- that means less cars. 

[KUBLY]  It's not just allowing people to take the streetcar, but it's allowing a dense enough development and fostering dense enough development that people aren't just taking the streetcar.  Maybe they're walking somewhere.  Maybe they're, you know, getting a bike-sharing membership with our SmartBikes program so that they're taking a bike trip.  But it just creates an environment where people can get out of their cars and sort of live without them. 

[GOLDSTEIN]  While the District is funding this project out of its own pocket, the Obama administration wants other cities to follow the District's lead, and they're putting up money to make that happen. 

[REP.  EARL BLUMENAUER, (D), OREGON]  We are reclaiming our past by rebuilding our future. 

[GOLDSTEIN]  Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, has long backed streetcars.  And this year, he got the White House to back nearly $130 million for streetcar projects nationwide.  Now cities like Charlotte, Cincinnati, Fort Worth, St. Louis, and Tucson are all building streetcar lines, thanks to Uncle Sam. 

[BLUMENAUER]  You can do this quickly, cheaply, and effectively.  Your city, a century ago, was built around the streetcar. 

[GOLDSTEIN]  Bill Millar, who heads the American Public Transportation Association trade group, says the White House support for streetcars is unique among administrations, who've often backed more fuel-efficient cars, but left intracity public transit in the slow lane. 

[WILLIAM MILLAR, PRESIDENT, APTA]  We are seeing an administration that not only is adopting policies that are friendly to public transit, but wherever they can, are funding projects that will improve mobility for Americans but at the same time, help cities and communities revitalize and grow. 

[GOLDSTEIN]  And a move to streetcars could create jobs as well.  While these cars designed for the District of Columbia had to be imported, Inekon Trams will license the production of the cars to United Streetcar of Portland, Oregon, the first cars to be built in the U.S. in 60 years, meaning the next streetcar you see may look European but could be built in the USA.  In Washington, Dan Goldstein, Clean Skies News. 

[SUITERS]  Along with those streetcar grants announced last year, the Department of Transportation also announced nearly $150 million in grants just last month.  This will be funding for other so-called "urban circulators."  This includes money for new buses and for transit facilities.  And that does it for this edition of "Clean Skies Sunday."  I'm Tyler Suiters.  We'll see you right back here next Sunday morning.  And until then, you can join us anytime at CleanSkies.com, and also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.  We hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. 

[END SHOW]