The nuclear convert: Patrick Moore

I asked Greenpeace to respond to my interview with its former co-founder Patrick Moore (published today in the St Petersburg Times), who has emerged as a leading advocate of nuclear energy. Greenpeace accused Moore of selling his soul to the nuclear industry as a paid spokesperson for the nuclear energy industry.

"He has gone to work for every polluting industry he once opposed," said Jim Riccio, Greenpeace's Nuclear Policy Analyst. "The only thing he hasn't flip-flopped on is the clubbing of baby seals."

Riccio also questioned the independent poll cited by Moore, claiming it was conducted by a former vice-president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, which represents the industry.

Here is Greenpeace's statement:

What happened to the tax credits on hybrid cars?

I wish I could afford a hybrid car, but at $20-$26,000 that's unlikely. To make matters worse, the Los Angeles Times reports that tax incentives on many of the most popular hybrid cars are expiring - just when we needed them. The $3,150 tax credit on the best-selling Toyota Prius ended last fall.  The Honda Civic hybrid tax credit was cut in half from $1,050 to $525 on July 1st. It will disappear at the end of this year.

Under the 2005 law that set up the hybrid tax credit system, it begins to be phased out after 60,000 models have been sold. There are still a few credits available, including for the Ford Escape hybrid, Mercury Marina, Chevy Malibu and Nissan Altima. But better hurry if you are interested. The government has a very useful website, www.fueleconomy.gov where you can check the credits for each vehicle.

- David Adams

Sex for gas? Yes, prices are finally that high

The cops had staked out the Days Inn on June 27, hoping to catch women trading sex for money.

Instead they nabbed a Kentucky woman who was trading sex for...a $100 gas card from Speedway.

"Angela R. Eversole, 34, of Fort Wright, Ky., is accused of prostitution and doing business without an occupational license," says the Cincinnati Enquirer. "Kenneth A. Nowak, 50, of Avon, Ind., told police they met at the hotel Friday night for a sexual liaison, according to the arrest report. The report says he paid her with a $100 gas card and other gifts."

“When people are selling their bodies for gas, that’s pretty sad,” said Ken Easterling, chief prosecutor in the Kenton County Attorney’s Office. (Of course what's worse is that the gas card is worth maybe 25 gallons. That's what, one and a half fill-ups? Two at the most.)

We'll leave the smutty jokes to the folks at Fark, but for the couple's mug shots and copies of the actual arrest report, go to The Smoking Gun. That said, one last thought: If she had applied for an occupational license, what would she have listed as her job? Oil trader?

[AP photo]

--Craig Pittman

Sparks fly over St. Pete curbside recycling (or lack thereof)

Check out this post from our sister blog Bay Buzz on how recycling is becoming an issue in the St. Petersburg mayoral race.

Nation's Snowmen March Against Global Warming! (says the satirical Onion)

The best part of this satire from The Onion is the photo, but we also liked this:

"Bearing signs with such slogans as 'You Can't Build A Snowman With Rain' and 'Winter = Life,' the crystalline-ice protestors, many of whom had chartered refrigerated tractor-trailers and ice-cream trucks to travel to the mass protest, complained that popular stereotypes about snowmen obscure and trivialize the crisis.

" 'Humans sneer at us, "If you want to stay intact, go to the North Pole and live with Santa," ' said Susie Flakeman, a Thunder Bay, Ontario snowwoman waiting in line with hundreds of others to use a Porta-Freezer. 'But less than one-half of 1 percent of us ever receive that honor. Most of us end up victims of the scourge that almost killed Frosty: man-made climate change.' "

[AP photo]

--Craig Pittman

Solar freeze over -- let the sun shine

Just a month after slapping a freeze on allowing new solar development on public land,the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has decided to thaw things out and let those solar projects proceed, the New York Times reports.

Since 2004 the BLM has encouraged the development of new solar power projects on public land. But then on May 29, the BLM said that it was instituting a moratorium because it needed to study the environmental effects of large-scale solar development on public land in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

However, says the NYT, "amid concerns from the solar power industry, members of Congress and the general public that the freeze would stymie solar development during a particularly critical time for energy policy, the bureau abruptly reconsidered."

"Since 2005, the bureau has received more than 130 applications from private companies to build plants in those states, where large amounts of sun-scorched land make for prime solar real estate," the NYT says. "Those proposals cover more than a million acres and have the potential to power 20 million homes."

[AP photo]

--Craig Pittman

Progress Energy nukes get favorable review from state staffers

Nudging Progress Energy’s nuclear ambitions forward, the Florida Public Service Commission staff on Thursday issued its opinion in favor of Progress Energy’s planned $17-billion nuclear project in Levy County.

The St. Petersburg utility wants to build two new 1,100-megawatt nuclear reactors on U.S. 19 about ten miles north of its Crystal River power station. The staff opinion agreed with Progress Energy that the utility needs more electric capacity to meet the demands of the growing region, and that nuclear is the most cost-effective way of meeting that need.

The commission does not always follow the staff recommendations, but the approval is a powerful endorsement of the utility’s plans. The commission has already voted in favor of a similar project near Miami planned by Florida Power & Light. The five-member commission is slated to vote on Levy project on July 15.

-Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

How much will Progress Energy's nukes cost? Sorry, that's redacted

Wondering what Progress Energy's nuclear project will cost you? Sorry. That's not public information.

Progress Energy has blacked out its cost estimates for its Levy County nuclear project in recent filings with the Florida Public Service Commission. The utility had offered a public estimate in March of $17-billion, saying customers could see an increase of about $7.50 per 1,000 kilowatt hours starting as early as January. Now, the utility has asked the commission to black out its latest estimates on how the project could impact monthly bills. So why redact the cost estimates now?

"We have said all along that they are subject to change," said utility spokesman C.J. Drake. (This is true. This story notes their frequent use of the word "non-binding" in their cost estimates.)

Does that mean the cost has gone up or down?

Oil sets new record. Want to carpool?

It's like a nightmarish reprise of Groundhog Day. Oil prices set a new record today. It's not long, then, before gas prices follow suit. So if you're reconsidering carpooling, check out the Web site for Bay Area Commuter Services.

If you're a new convert to carpooling, or thinking of trying it for the first time, then let us know about your experience. You can email me at aloder@sptimes.com, or call me at (813) 225-3117.

-Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

Progress Energy customers to pay interest of $1.5M

Progress Energy customers will pay $1.5-million in interest on fuel charges deferred until next year, C.J. Drake, a utility spokesman, explained to me today.

A few readers (and a few editors) asked me that question about the story in today's paper. Drake got back to me with the answer today.

Progress Energy's fuel costs were significantly higher than predicted this year. That means the fuel rate portion of your bill -- $42.78 for the first 1,000 kilowatt hours -- wasn't enough to cover the coal, oil and natural gas Progress Energy buys to run its power plants.