correction: therminol is just a heat transfer fluid used in a closed loop system - it is not burned in the process. It's used to heat water to generate steam to run a conventional steam turbine.

http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_csp.html...

Hold on now, there are many people who enjoy and embark on adventures of various kinds. True, there are the irresponsible ones who do not plan or prepare themselves well; but then there are those of us who plan and prepare well, and sometimes accidents or events just happen unexpectedly. How many accidents did we see out on our roads today? Should those people have looked at the forecast and stayed home rather than going out, and be executed also? of course not. here is some interesting insight into the conundrum of should SAR teams charge for rescues or not.

http://ngadventure.typepad.com/blog/2009...

not everybody likes to hike into the wilderness, even on a good sunny day. hopefully those folks stick to going to the mall while we get to enjoy the great outdoors.

methinks the author misunderstands the former - the refuge complex is now new, it's already designated as such - four refuges - what is new is the land use plan itself which until now the complex had no formal mgmt plan.

fjnance32 and I don't always agree on things, but I usually find her/his responses being fact-filled and original. Certainly not as emotionally charged as others.

Onion's challenge of identifying a large-scale renwable project accident: there are no large-scale renewable projects in operation in this country. Renewable projects so far in operation are small. But the big ones are coming, that's for sure, and with them will be disasters: earth-shifting from geothermal plants; hazardous air pollutants from solar plants (e.g., Nevada Solar One in Boulder City); heat transfer fluid (i.e., isopentane or similar fluids) leaks (stored by the millions of gallons at solar thermal plants); ice and tornados bringing down wind turbines......matter of time.

Who writes this stuff?!? Most of the corridors from Dept of ENERGY (BLM was only a cooperating agency) followed existing corridor alignments. the southern half of NV has severe land restrictions because of the test site, the refuge, and a multitude of other protected areas. The process for designating these corridors is beneficial in consolidating routes for new utilities. and by the way, anyone can still propose routes for utilities such as pipelines and power lines anywhere they choose - they don't have to follow these designated corridors. DOE's record of decision doesn't necessarily streamline the permitting process.

You guys got it all wrong - the increase is to pay for the new solar plant that will do away with all their coal and gas plants. the environmentalists laud this effort because it's what they've been whining about so much. we can all breathe easier now knowing there will be no more greenhouse gases, well except for our cars, planes, boats, trains, and natural CO2 causes, and the LV Strip will go dark as will our homes and businesses. LOL

both candidates are out of touch - we need some new meat in 2010. speaking of meat, about time to go dive into some turkey and giblets
Thanks for the conversations - Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

I'm a Democrat, I've been labelled a "liberal" by many.

I support ALL forms of energy generation sources. It only makes good sense to balance it all out and not get all your energy eggs from one or two baskets.

Casinos are not going to turn to major forms of energy conservation - they will continue to build, add lights, slot machines, and all the myriad things they want that require electricity. That stuff requires large sources of constant, reliable power which you can't get from solar panels alone. With the military uses in this state, especially in southern NV, I doubt we will ever see a wind farm here in southern NV. The absolute green folks talk about solar plants, because they think they're so clean. they ignore the hazardous air pollutants, CO2 emissions (albeit probably quite low)and in some cases large quantities of water that are used. solar wind and geothermal are not "clean" or innocuous either. We can't afford to continue the argument for one source over the other (fossil vs renewable) because we simply gotta balance and use them all, responsibly. Cost will always be the major factor, sure, but that argument is tiring. C'mon.....how many of us actually have implemented efficiency and conservation measures in our homes for near 100% efficiency to absolutely level the cost factor of power? Until we do so, we cannot argue about price of electricity. Our individual bottom line utility bills reflect the efficiency of our homes and the uses of power we consume.

The true tests begin. I can't imagine the weight on our new President's shoulders but he'll need help and support from across the spectrum - from all of us. I was beginning to be disheartened by McCain's actions and speeches of late, but after tonight, I have renewed honor and faith for Mr. McCain. One stage is complete, time to move on.

Good thing the new James Bond movie is coming out soon - time for some mindless entertainment!

Li'l Johnny was crabby, whining, and acted like the kid on the playground trying to get someone's attention by lashing out at the nearest person with off-topic, meandering thoughts that came from who knows where. Obama was cool, offered great answers (though they both dodged several direct questions) and as usual sat above the fray that Johnny likes to try to get started. We need a president with that kind of coolness and level-headedness. Good judgement and let's face it, Obama is way cuter than McCain. McCain did make some great faces though, can't wait to see those again.