Greg's Note: As the world comes to grips with the fact that we are running out of oil, there is another difficult balancing act that must be dealt with concerning our energy situation. Just as oil is becoming more scarce and expensive, our supply of coal remains not only abundant but cheap as well. Greg Guenthner explains that we are in no danger of running out of this inexpensive form of energy, but something must be done to make burning coal cleaner. How far off are we from cheap and clean coal, and what is the technology that could bring this to reality soon? Send your comments to greg@whiskeyandgunpowder.com. Whiskey & Gunpowder
Yes, coal prices have continued to rise across the globe. But of course, this pales in comparison to the continued run-up in petroleum, which has virtually paralyzed the wallets of many oil-reliant Americans. The idea of a coal shortage is virtually unthinkable. We have roughly 275 billion tons of recoverable coal, enough for us to burn for the next two and a half centuries if we needed it. So while the next generation might not have the oil to run their cars and trucks, the lights at the house will stay on thanks to coal power. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~Special~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Saving Lives and Making Money There is a new breakthrough technology that has the potential to change the way we treat cancer forever. Known as the "Cancer Off Switch" this breakthrough could soon be saving millions of lives. But that's not all the good news. It could also pay you $120,000. Click here to find out more… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If this were the end of the story, coal would be sitting pretty. But the black rock is under attack from governments, scientists and ordinary citizens throughout the world. And with no end in sight, our main source of electricity is in serious jeopardy. The prolific use of coal as a power generating fuel is causing massive damage to the planet in the form of carbon dioxide emissions. This is not a political statement — it's been proven over and over again by scientists and accepted by governments and the United Nations. Today, oil we burn in our vehicles and use for power generation is the number one source of CO2 emissions. However, half of the excess CO2 civilization has contributed to the air is from coal. And as you are aware, oil use will most likely decrease from this point forward due to supply and pricing constraints. It is clear that coal is the dirty, cheap energy culprit the world needs to fix. President Bush and both major-party candidates in the White House race have advocated the development and use of new coal technology that would reduce CO2 emissions. And politicians on both sides of the aisle have supported efforts to develop clean coal technology. Unfortunately, a viable solution is decades away. Take carbon capture technology, for instance. Carbon capture techniques are designed to take the CO2 emissions from power plants and inject them into the rocks or other geological formations. This process would keep the harmful CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere. While it looks good on paper, industry analysts believe this technology is at least 10 to 15 years away from commercial use. Others are questioning whether CCS will ever become viable. A New York Times article from earlier this year asks precisely that, describing the government yanking support from an Illinois site that was supposed to pioneer the technology. The article continues, citing utility projects in Florida, West Virginia, Ohio, Minnesota and Washington State that have been canceled or postponed. The piece continued with even more evidence that questions the program's viability: Coal is abundant and cheap, assuring that it will continue to be used. But the failure to start building, testing, tweaking and perfecting carbon capture and storage means that developing the technology may come too late to make coal compatible with limiting global warming. "It's a total mess," said Daniel M. Kammen, director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~Special~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Slow-Motion "Black Monday" Ahead Here's a picture for you: If the market today falls as fast and as far as it did in 1987, you'll see more than 3,000 points erased from the Dow alone. In a single day. Could it happen? Banks hold the same blue chip shares you'll find parked in your retirement fund. When the "level three" losses get declared, those same banks might have to start dumping those shares to raise cash. And that could send these blue chips...along with most of the rest of the stock market...into full-scale collapse. I urge you to take the seven steps outlined for you in your free Strategic Financial Survival Library. Click here to reserve yours… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A total mess? This doesn't sound promising at all… Two important conclusions must be drawn from this evidence. First, we see no reduction in the volume of coal used to generate power in the foreseeable future. It is also clear that a truly viable CO2 reducing solution needs to present itself ASAP. Green laws sprouting up across the European Union and the United States will require a change. Electricity demand in western states continues to rise. Power distributors are desperate to keep up with demand. Add to the mix strict environmental laws and you're looking at a world of hurt for the Western United States. Best, P.S.: While the technology is in its infancy, there is a company out there that is leading the charge toward cleaning up our coal supplies. We may be far off from seeing the full-scale effects of clean burning coal, but that doesn't mean savvy investors can't begin to take action. Readers of my small-cap service Penny Stock Fortunes have heard the name of this company and their investment is looking bright. To find out for yourself, click here… |
Whiskey & Gunpowder Special Reports New "Backlash" Set to Rocket Oil Past $150...and Send Gas Soaring to Over $6 per Gallon The 10 Shocking Reasons for China's Pollution Problem Geothermal Energy: Investment in the Future Here's One Coal Stock That's Set to Skyrocket Investing in Exchange Traded Funds The Real Story Behind the True Gold Bull Market If someone forwarded you this copy, please look here to start your own subscription. Wanna let us know what you thought of today's issue? Now you can... click on this link. Whiskey & Gunpowder is a free e-mail service brought to you by a team of rebellious brigands. If you have not already done so, please click here to confirm your subscription. This will help us ensure you get every Whiskey & Gunpowder without interruption. Are you having trouble receiving your Whiskey & Gunpowder? You can ensure its arrival in your mailbox here. Please note: we sent this e-mail to lemmetry@gmail.com because you subscribed to this service. To end your Whiskey & Gunpowder e-mail subscription, click here. Nothing in this e-mail should be considered personalized investment advice. Although our employees may answer your general customer service questions, they are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular investment situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized investment advice.We expressly forbid our writers from having a financial interest in any security recommended to our readers. All of our employees and agents must wait 24 hours after on-line publication or 72 hours after the mailing of a printed-only publication prior to following an initial recommendation. Any investments recommended in this letter should be made only after consulting with your investment advisor and only after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company. © 2008 Agora Financial, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Protected by copyright laws of the United States and international treaties. This newsletter may only be used pursuant to the subscription agreement and any reproduction, copying, or redistribution (electronic or otherwise, including on the World Wide Web), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of Agora Financial, LLC. 808 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore MD 21202. |
