Planning is important
In response to the doomsday letter (“Patterson and Young just ended their political careers”) on July 4: We can look at Benicia’s future in your negative, ‘fraidy cat, archaic way, or we might see that planning for the world without fossil fuels is a forward-looking crucial stage in Benicia’s future.
Wind, solar and alternative means of energy is upon us. Mayor Patterson and Councilmember Steve Young are the two members of the council who are helping us to consider the future and plan for it without Valero. Remember what happened to Vallejo when Mare Island emptied? We need to start thinking NOW about how to survive a similar event, because it is going to happen. Fossil fuels just are not sustainable for Benicia, California and the earth. Don’t you want to see your grandkids in a safe, well thought out transition towards clean energy?
Criticizing and complaining, trying to frighten people, sticking to old ideas is not going to solve anything. Planning for our future is. That’s why Elizabeth Patterson and Steve Young– and Kari Birdseye when she runs for the council– will help us meet the challenges of the future, an excellent personal agenda item. Our oil company’s closing may not happen in our lifetime, but initial planning is key to having a vibrant town throughout major changes like the slowdown and eventual closing of Valero.
Susan Street,
Benicia
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Thanks for the heads up on Birdseye. I did not mention her name but you have just exposed her. Not what this city needs. My suggestion is to read the “Dear Governor Brown” letter. “End the issuance of permits for New fossil fuel projects, including permits for new oil and gas wells, infrastructure for fossil fuels, and petrochemical projects in California”. That is not planning that is an at once demand. Remember when the Benicia Arsenal closed. A refinery saved this city. That letter was not signed by one Contra Costa County mayor. Where there are four refinery’s. It was a goofy letter written and signed by local Socialist. Get with the program. You are going down a dead end street. No pun intended.
I bet that Vallejo wished they had enticed a refinery to be built on Mare Island following its closure. In far fewer years the future of Benicia was assured by the refinery’s construction. Not only did city and school district revenues go up but the water supply paid for by the refinery meant that there could be future growth – residential as well as industrial. My concern would be that a future owner might not be nearly as conscientious or generous as has been Valero..
Now Reg you know that Mayor Patterson, Vice Mayor Young, Monica Brown , Rev. Straw and Susan and her group are going to be very upset with you. Then add in the Patterson Dozen, Kari Birdseye and the PDB. Your comment was right on. Thank you.
My comment was non-partisan and made in the interests of the city as a whole. I trust every one you mentioned can respect and value that.
I fully understand your comment. Those mentioned will not.
Susan I do like your response to what I write. I know you will always respond to me. Thank you very much. You always give me another idea about what to write about next. Maybe this time it is a city council candidate coupled with the Mayor and Vice Mayor who back that candidate.
Susan are you still a member of the League of Women/men voters in Benicia? If so you should step down because of your bias towards Mayor Patterson, Vice Mayor Young AND NOW YOUR OUT AND OUT SUPOPORT OF kARI BIRDSEYE FOR A COUNCIL SEAT. LWV STATE IT “IS NON-PARTISAN, COMMINITY BASED”. IT APPEARS YOU HAVE VIOLATED THE RULES IF YOU ARE STILL A MEMBER. PLEASE TELL US WHY IT IS OK TO BE BIASED VOCALLY ABOUT CANDIDAtES when the group clearly says they are non-partisan. If still a member I do expect to see your resignation immediately. Thank You.
Certified stooges for continued big oil dependence and bomb trains failed to get elected last time, but they are back again with unchanged big oil worship compounded by anti-cannabis views, now a permitted economic activity, not to mention a demonstrated preference of the majority. What would they hope to achieve if elected? Rescind the cannabis ordinance and cancel the excise tax? Nobody can say how long big oil will stay in our town, but I guarantee cannabis is here to stay, and is immensely more profitable. Candidates expressing support for growing a cannabis economy will be rewarded with plenty of money from the industry for your campaign.
Gasoline; four dollars a gallon after taxes.
Cannabis oil isolates; three hundred thousand dollars a gallon before taxes.
Ms. Street shows her naïveté and ignorance regarding basic economic laws. She claims her politicians that support green energy are the future and We must plan for the demise of Valero. Epehat she doesn’t realize is the the future of green energy IS VALERO.
The basic economic fact is that BIG OIL recognizes the future of carbon based energy is very limited. They know they must, and are, planning for the next stage of economic energy generation. The minute that green energy becomes economically viable, Big Oil will develop and bring these resources to market.
What the writer and Das Mayor, et al, don’t understand is that shutting down the refinery now will not expedite development of green energy. It will only lead to economic destruction of Benicia and cause human pain. Das Mayor thinks that if we close Valero, Benicia will immediately grow in economic relevance through cheap and affordable green energy. It is Valero that is stopping this utopia.
This mind set is ignorant and moronic. So yes, Ms. Street, I will call Das Mayor, et al, names and I will attack her dangerous ignorance. She is harmful to the welfare of Benicia because she is one of the most naive and ignorant people I have ever witnesses.
Oh, c’mon. These sorts of letters and posts following them reaffirm my “speaker to vegetables” moniker. You folks have the brains of a carrot. Solar takes acres of cells to make a reasonable return…and guess what, they are made from plastic (which you can’t get without the oil industry) AND (in case no one told you), they have a lifespan of about 15 years before they need to be replaced). Wind power is similarly limited except instead of acres, you need square miles. Big Oil is going to be here for as long or longer than your grandkids…so may as well embrace Valero as the only viable source of income for the city. . I dunno why, but I am STILL amazed at how stupid people are.
Correction: The primary component needed for common solar panels to produce electricity is crystalline silicon, that includes materials such as polysilicon and monocrystalline silicon (none of which are related to hydrocarbons). Silicon is the eighth most common element in the universe by mass. Plastics may make up structural elements of a solar panels, however, their use is not an integral requirement.
Go ahead and try to make them without plastic…would cost a fortune and would not last as long since you would get gavlanic as well as other corrosion to make them dysfunction. Learn some science before babbling
Speaker, Specifically, which part of my comment do you disagree with the most? And, then we can get to your points.
I don’t know where to start. How much electronics do you know, do you know anything about dielectrics? How much experience do you have in production of electronic items as well as structural items? I guess I just disagree that knowing that silicon is a primary component of a solar cell doesn’t get you to knowing how to refine the silicon, produce it in quantity, create the circuits of it (with associated plastics), insulate the parts that cannot be allowed to have current flowing between them…basically, I’m an adult trying to explain tides to a 5 year old.
I don’t see how conversations with your grandchild has anything to do with this, Mr. Speaker, but it sounds adorable. So, you think that some minimal amount of coatings or adhesive make up a significant amount of plastics used in the production of solar panels? So much so that it would make a major dent in the petroleum demand? That was your point, wasn’t it? You seem like you may know enough about science to possibly be a bit dangerous.. Tell me, at what stage of a panels construction are the these plastic introduced? Feel free to send a link, if you wish.
Thomas, I alone cannot abate your ignorance of how things are made or what makes them work. First, you have to be motivated and that won’t happen because it takes work and desire, neither of which you seem to be willing to expend. Here is a link to ONE of the myriad of things you need to understand before you can comprehend how plastic is involved in the manufacture of solar panels. http://semiengineering.com/saving-energy-in-the-fab/
It’s not just you who are ignorant, Thomas. Most people are oblivious about how the light works when they throw a switch or turn a key to start their car. I lament their lack of curiosity but can understand that attitude since “why work?” is a bedrock of folks who want to let others pull the bus of economic prosperity.
Speaker, I understand now. First you like to create a premise where you attempt to establish that you are intellectualy superior to the person with which you are having a discussion (in fact this seems to supersede all your efforts). Then, as in this case, you fully ignore the question that was raised and instead you choose to move the goal posts. Case in point, I believe you brought up the use of plastics in solar cell production, but all of a sudden you switch the topic to energy use in fabs, as you have done by posting the link. I do admire the tenacity you exhibit in an effort to save face. Perhaps you should change your moniker to “Intellectually Disingenuous”.
Thomas you are getting beat up. Better to move on.
You make my point. Facile knowledge is cheap. 55 years of science study is hard (I started learning science at 13). Every step in solar cell production uses plastic as well as in the cells themselves….You are like the kid in Algebra who is asked to solve the equation, 3X=15 and just writes X=5 without showing his work which means he may not know that you can divide both sides of an equation by the same number, nor that 3/3 is 1 and 1 times anything is that thing. Ignorance is curable with diligence and hard work, stupidity is not. Hopefully you are only ignorant.
You certainly are entertaining. I’d expect a person that has as much experience, as you claim, to at least be able to make an informed comment. Not really the case with you, is it?. Sorry, offering flailing straw men and resting on your laurels does absolutely nothing for whatever it is you are trying to argue, at this point You moniker is ironic, in that you might just be one of the vegetables for which you show such arrogant disdain.
As an aside, I’m about to head to the range with an associate that has a PhD in material science from MIT. I’m sure he’ll get a good chuckle when I relate this exchange. I know I have.
Good day, Sir!
Since your are not interested enough to do your own research, a simple google yielded this article
https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=12014
Which (let me make sure your laziness doesn’t allow you to miss the point, says in part, “Each cell is protected by either silicon rubber or butyryl plastic. Glass then covers the cell, unless it will be used in space on a satellite, in which case, plastic is chosen instead.”
Bob, you would not know the difference. You shouldn’t’t even start..
Intellectually Disingenuous, So at this point, you are not even reading the links that you post? You are starting to bore me.
Agree 100% Speaker. Today, at best, solar energy conversion rate is 28% efficient. That’s why it takes acres to generate a relatively small return on energy. Batteries are short term life cycles and relatively high in mass; which is inefficient for mobile applications. Wind energy is inefficient because energy generated needs to be corrected for frequency and power factor. None of these “green solutions” are as power efficient and cost efficient as petroleum based energy.
The day will come, 100+ years from now, when green energy sources will be both efficient in terms of use and costs, then the market will take over and petroleum based energy will decline. And guess who will bring these new energy sources to the market? Companies such as Valero, Chevron, etc. Profit and efficiency will determine the course and we cannot force the situation by “shutting down Valero”. All that will do is cause human suffering.
Does Mr. Petersen want to watch people suffer? Be cold in the winter? Have food prices double so the elderly can’t eat sufficiently?
Matter, “Does Mr. Petersen want to watch people suffer? Be cold in the winter? Have food prices double so the elderly can’t eat sufficiently?” Where on earth did you ever get an idea like that? For Christ’s sake, it’s like the retirees in Benicia have completely lost their freakin marbles.
Thomas Petersen you are way over the top. Scare tactics are not the right thing to talk about. You are losing so you attack. Bad news. Just another sore loser.
Bob, You continue to prove that you wouldn’t know the difference. But, by all means, keep at it.
Just where did you get all this info. From the Progressive Socialist of Benicia. You are losing big time.
Bob, You are making absolutely no sense at all. What on earth do you mean by “all this info”? I think you might be confused big time.
Read your own posts. You wrote them. Name calling. It goes on and on. I know you and have watched how you react to anti Thomas posts. Very child like. Move on to another place.
The question was What on earth do you mean by “all this info”? And, of course you failed to answer.
I suggest that you read all the posts. That way you might not be so confused. I’m honestly just trying to help you out here.
Are you anti-Thomas? That might explain why you are compelled to make reactionary, irrelevant, and none too well thought out comments on here.
Maybe it is you that should you move on. Go ahead, prove to me that you are not child-like.
Mr. Petersen, it is simple; either you are ignorant as to the economic ramifications of energy costs and how they are impacted by petroleum production, or, you don’t care if energy costs go up because of a wholesale switch to green energy.
In the first situation you must admit that petroleum based energy is the cheapest form of energy today. Green energy simply cannot compete commercially.
With that given, and since it is apparent you support the closure and restriction of supply of petroleum energy, thus raising costs, you must admit that you have no problem issuing pain upon the portion of the populace on fixed incomes. Fixed income people are primarily the retired and the poor.
I wish to help the retired and the poor by seeing that low cost energy sources are delivered to help them. You sir?
Matter, You are simply operating on a faulty premise, as I never took a position on energy production or the continued reliance on the petroleum industry. If you disagree, please point out above where it is apparent that I “support the closure and restriction of supply of petroleum energy,”.
Susan, you say planning for the future. Now please tell me all about the future “Planning for the Future without Valero”. I have seen no evidence of that. Please explain. You will not.