radio – Page 4 – CFACT

Plasma incineration a hot idea for garbage

The idea of turning garbage into energy is nothing new. But a super high-tech plasma technology is now gaining steam that uses heat three times as hot as the surface of the sun to literally disintegrate trash into its molecular elements. According to Popular Science magazine, one facility in Connecticut has a 15-foot machine that uses a 650-volt current passing between two electrodes to convert ordinary air into plasma – thus creating a field of extremely intense energy much like lightning. This energy is capable of breaking down virtually any waste – and the only by-products are a [...]

By

|2011-03-02T00:00:00-05:00March 2nd, 2011|Comments Off

Luxury, mid-sized or inflatable?

Everyone knows you can purchase cars which are luxury sized, mid-sized, and compact, but if some novel eco-entrepreneurs have their way there will be a new category to this list - namely, inflatable. That's right, a new inflatable electric car is being designed with promises of getting both great gas milage and roomy comfort all for the low price of under $5,000. The vehicle looks like a round edged sports car, and will be configurable online by each customer as to its color and trim. And as for safety, the car's developers insist it can be driven off a [...]

By

|2011-03-01T00:00:00-05:00March 1st, 2011|Comments Off

Drilling would ease gas prices

With gasoline prices rising again, many are asking what can be done to keep our fuel costs affordable. Dr. David Kreutzer, an energy economics expert at the Heritage Foundation, recently wrote a report on this issue, and offers this solution: “We need to drill. While not a cure-all, allowing new drilling in the gulf of Mexico and elsewhere would help moderate prices. This is simply the law of supply and demand. However, despite the majority recommendation of its own scientific panel, the Obama administration has stopped virtually all new drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The administration should reverse [...]

By

|2011-02-28T00:00:00-05:00February 28th, 2011|Comments Off

Did the government save the Maguire daisy?

A perennial herb with dime-sized white or pink flowers, the Maguire daisy, was added to the endangered species list in 1985 when it was believed there were only 7 of them remaining in Utah. Since that time, government efforts to reestablish them were said to have been so successful that they were able to be delisted in January. But did the Endangered Species Act actually save the Maguire daisy? Perhaps not, at least according to a Fish and Wildlife official interviewed by the Salt Lake Tribune, who recently said that shortly after the daisy was listed, botanists examined the [...]

By

|2011-02-25T00:00:00-05:00February 25th, 2011|Comments Off

Recycling is for the birds?

Everyone knows that trash can be recycled into useful household items. But did you know that birds are also catching on to this?

By

Craig Rucker

|2013-04-17T16:09:56-04:00February 24th, 2011|Comments Off

Alarmists crying wolf about Australia’s floods

The devastating floods that recently struck Australia have been cited by some as yet more proof of the impact of manmade global warming. James Taylor, a senior fellow at the Heartland Institute, disagrees with this assessment and has this to say: “They are crying wolf. Global warming was not the cause of the floods in Queensland, Australia. In fact, NASA scientists say the heavy rains were actually caused by the current La Nina weather cycle. There will always be floods and other extreme weather somewhere on the planet, and propagandists will keep trying to fool people into believing that [...]

By

|2011-02-23T00:00:00-05:00February 23rd, 2011|Comments Off

Gulf spill: Small bacteria proved big help

Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists found methane concentrations 100,000 times above normal levels and feared the worst for the area’s eco-system. Now it appears one of the biggest heroes in this disaster saga came in the form of one of the smallest living organisms known to man. As reported in Popular Science, a species of methane-munching bacteria known as methanotrophs began proliferating after the spill, and within a period of months began to tidy up the area. In fact, so proficient were the organisms that when scientists took measurements in October [...]

By

|2011-02-22T00:00:00-05:00February 22nd, 2011|Comments Off

Spain’s ambitious solar initiative dims

Known for its bull fights and flamenco dancing, Spain has also been receiving notoriety lately for its push to become a leader in renewable energy use. In fact, because of generous government subsidies, Spain now has some 50,000 units of solar panels generating 3,500 megawatts of electricity. Sounds good, right?

By

CFACT

|2012-11-01T13:42:39-04:00February 21st, 2011|Comments Off

Attractive news for nanotech magnets

Rare earth elements like neodymium, dysprosium, and turbium may not be household words, but they are critical ingredients in the strong magnets that are vital to everything from wind turbines to auto engines. But with the future supply of such elements in question due to political and economic factors, it appears nanotechnology could be coming to the rescue. According to Popsci.com, researchers have devised a way to use nanocomposite materials to boost the magnetism in alloys, meaning less rare earth materials need to be used. Since these magnets are also smaller and lighter to boot, this sounds like, dare [...]

By

|2011-02-18T00:00:00-05:00February 18th, 2011|Comments Off

EPA plan for expensive new smog regulations

To reduce pollution known as ground-level ozone, or smog, the Bush administration’s EPA tightened the ozone standard in 2008 down to 75 parts per billion. But according to an article by policy expert Steven Milloy, the Obama EPA now wants to tighten it further down to 60 or 70 parts per billion, even though it would be enormously expensive and provide no real benefits. Milloy notes the EPA recently produced some very questionable studies which greatly exaggerate typical ozone exposure to back up the call for tighter standards. But while the health effects would be negligible, the price tag [...]

By

|2011-02-17T00:00:00-05:00February 17th, 2011|Comments Off

Overpasses for furry pedestrians

If you heard that a crosswalk was being proposed over a major interstate highway, you would assume it was for pedestrians. But out in Colorado, one proposed overpass is for pedestrians of a more furry nature, namely moose, elk, and other wildlife. According to Environment and Energy Daily, one stretch of I-70 near Vail has been particularly deadly to various species, so plans are underway to design a wildlife overpass. North America has many underpasses, but only a handful of overpasses, and one in Canada has been used by animals nearly a quarter of a million times, dropping wildlife-vehicle [...]

By

|2011-02-16T00:00:00-05:00February 16th, 2011|Comments Off

EPA’s end run around democracy

The EPA’s new regulations on carbon dioxide emissions to address alleged man-made global warming issue have stirred controversy for purportedly sidestepping congress. Marlo Lewis, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, explains this concern: “The environmental protection agency is putting in place regulatory architecture to limit the production and use of carbon-based fuels — fuels that supply 85% of American’s energy needs. The EPA is doing so without a congressional mandate, and indeed despite Congress’s recent rejection of the less restrictive cap-and-trade plan. Unless stopped, the EPA’s power grab will make a mockery of our claim to be [...]

By

|2011-02-15T00:00:00-05:00February 15th, 2011|Comments Off

New report casts more doubt on temperature data

With global warming already suffering from serious public mistrust, a new report from the Science and Public Policy Institute is now casting doubt on temperature records from two major US agencies. According to the report, temperature data from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been significantly tampered with to show greater warming in recent years. Data from the 1930s-1950s were readjusted downward; temps in the last decade were artificially increased three tenths of a degree Fahrenheit, and readings for Arctic areas were simply invented where no stations exist. Following on the heels of the Climategate scandal, [...]

By

|2011-02-14T14:38:24-05:00February 14th, 2011|Comments Off

Sea serpent to produce wave energy

You’ve heard of snakes that can eat rodents, but how about ones that gobble up ocean waves? Well according to New Scientist magazine, a new, giant rubber snake, aptly named “Anaconda,” has recently been designed that can harness the power of wave energy and turn it into renewable electricity. The 8-yard long test snake allows water to pass through it and create bulges in its interior. When these bulges slide down the length of the snake’s body, they eventually reach turbines which are kept spinning to generate electricity. This prototype snake is just a baby version of what scientists [...]

By

|2011-02-11T00:00:00-05:00February 11th, 2011|Comments Off

Senator James Inhofe: EPA poses a threat to economic growth

A new report from the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee examines the damage caused by EPA regulations. Senator James Inhofe, a long-time leader of this committee, has this to say: "I think everyone is aware of the huge cost to the American taxpayer on these huge bills that the Democrats are trying to push through, but they're not as aware of the cost of over-regulation. These regulations are the EPA, having to do with industrial boilers, having to do with ozone requirements, the endangerment finding. They would lose hundreds of thousands of jobs, and the cost is [...]

By

|2011-02-10T00:00:00-05:00February 10th, 2011|Comments Off