A probe committee of the Home Ministry has recommended sacking one of
its under-secretaries found involved in the manipulation of tender
specifications of the National ID Card Project.
An internal probe
conducted by the ministry found that Anil Dutta, the under-secretary at
the National ID Management Centre, was directly involved in
manipulating some specifications of the bid document.
“He made a
serious mistake by manipulating some specifications of the bid
documents. Hence, we have decided to sack him from the civil service and
in this regard, we will soon write to the Public Service Commission,
seeking its nod for his removal,” a senior Home Ministry official told
the Post.
The Home Ministry has suspended him for six months until a final decision is taken.
“We
had sought a clarification from Dutta. We have recommended the minister
and the Home Secretary to take strong action against him, which means
sacking him from the job, as his clarification failed to satisfy the
probe panel,” a senior official at the Home Ministry said.
Home
Secretary Nabin Ghimire confirmed that the probe panel had recommended
sacking Dutta. “However, I have not taken a final call on whether he
should be sacked or not,” he said.
A ministry-level decision is
first required to execute this recommendation, for which, Home Minister
Madhav Ghimire has already given a go-ahead.
Under the aegis of
the Home Ministry, the National Identity Card Centre had invited an
international bid to introduce the NID, which will cost $117 million in
the first phase. A total of $8 million for the first phase will be
funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The pilot project aims to
distribute 110,000 IDs in that phase.
The multi-million dollar
project invited controversy after a group of bidders lodged a formal
complaint at the Prime Minister’s Office, the Commission for
Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) and the ADB over the tender
document.
The internal probe found that the specifications were
prepared in a way that suited the experience and qualification of one
German company, Gemalto.
MoHA sources said the specifications
approved by the home ministry-level meeting and the one that appeared in
the global tender notice did not match.
After competing bidders
cried foul over tender specifications being ‘manipulated,’ the Home
Ministry has made some amendments in the documents.
Though the
probe panel has recommended Dutta’s removal, the ministry is still
undecided on whether to go ahead with the global tender that was
prepared by a team of experts, including one hired by the ADB.
“The
entire bid should be reviewed because some specifications were inserted
on behalf of one particular bidder. Dutta’s involvement in the matter
means that there are some serious flaws in the bid documents,” the
Ministry official said.
The competing bidders have expressed
reservations over the inclusion of features in the bid document such as
submitting proof of ‘intergraf certification’ which is only used in
Europe. They have also demanded removing the provision that says the
bidder should have over 10 years of experience in handling and supplying
of laser-engraved polycarbonate cards.
“We do not want the
Machine Readable Passport saga repeated, where several specifications
were changed under the influence of a certain bidder. This process
should go on smoothly without it being dragged to any controversy, while
donors’ and public money should not be embezzled,” the official said. More information about the program is available on the web site at www.careel-tech.com.
2013年6月27日 星期四
Student Business Spotlight
Al, a Centerville native, spent 20 years in the Navy before
sustaining a combat-related injury that forced him into early
retirement. Shortly after, Christy became disabled in a car accident
and could no longer work either
"I had a really bad fall and went through 53 surgeries," Kroell said. "When I retired, my wife also got badly injured in a near-fatal car accident and became disabled as well."
The Kroells had no choice but to move out of their home on base near San Diego. They packed up and moved to Squaw Valley – close enough to Al's hometown, but far enough from city living that they could focus on rest and recuperation.
As the credit card bills stacked up, Christy and Al found solace in something that brought them joy: making custom laser engraved plaques for military service members. Al said he started making plaques over 30 years ago when he was in the military as a way to honor service men and women departing military bases. He used an engraving machine to produce custom plaques from wood, metal and glass.
It didn't occur to the Kroells that they could make a living doing it, until they caught wind of Reedley College's entrepreneurship program two years ago. They each took a few business classes, and Al joined the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Club. He was inspired.
Once they decided to go full-force into the engraving business, Al took classes all over the educational spectrum. He learned to operate heavy machinery in manufacturing class, design computer graphics in art class, and master public speaking in communication class. He said the biggest skill he learned was how to give an effective "elevator pitch," or pitching his business to a potential investor in under a minute.
"They don't teach you that in the military," Al Kroell said. "Everything that we've done here at the college has helped us to get this business off the ground. It's all been trial and error and a lot of hard work, but I know we wouldn't be where we are today without it."
Where they are today is a pretty good spot. Nine months ago, the Kroells officially started ChristyAl Engraving. They wrote a compelling business plan that nabbed them a $100,000 loan from a small business investing company, and purchased a highly accurate computerized laser engraving machine.
They now make signs from marble, glass, wood, metal, ceramics and just about anything imaginable, as small as a dime to as large as 4 by 8 feet. Their first love is still military plaques, but the Kroells have also branched out into commercial business signs, memorial plaques, and wood cut-outs.
Their joy in creating custom work is apparent. Even the back of Al's iPad is etched with their company's logo. He said he once etched his fingernails, just to see if the machine was capable of doing it. (It was.)
As they've built up a solid portfolio and clientele, Christy and Al recently got some more good news. They received a grant from the Sam's Club Giving Program to attend a lecture in Dallas, Texas earlier this spring, where they listened to nationally recognized speakers in the world of small business. Click on their website careel-tech for more information.
"I had a really bad fall and went through 53 surgeries," Kroell said. "When I retired, my wife also got badly injured in a near-fatal car accident and became disabled as well."
The Kroells had no choice but to move out of their home on base near San Diego. They packed up and moved to Squaw Valley – close enough to Al's hometown, but far enough from city living that they could focus on rest and recuperation.
As the credit card bills stacked up, Christy and Al found solace in something that brought them joy: making custom laser engraved plaques for military service members. Al said he started making plaques over 30 years ago when he was in the military as a way to honor service men and women departing military bases. He used an engraving machine to produce custom plaques from wood, metal and glass.
It didn't occur to the Kroells that they could make a living doing it, until they caught wind of Reedley College's entrepreneurship program two years ago. They each took a few business classes, and Al joined the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Club. He was inspired.
Once they decided to go full-force into the engraving business, Al took classes all over the educational spectrum. He learned to operate heavy machinery in manufacturing class, design computer graphics in art class, and master public speaking in communication class. He said the biggest skill he learned was how to give an effective "elevator pitch," or pitching his business to a potential investor in under a minute.
"They don't teach you that in the military," Al Kroell said. "Everything that we've done here at the college has helped us to get this business off the ground. It's all been trial and error and a lot of hard work, but I know we wouldn't be where we are today without it."
Where they are today is a pretty good spot. Nine months ago, the Kroells officially started ChristyAl Engraving. They wrote a compelling business plan that nabbed them a $100,000 loan from a small business investing company, and purchased a highly accurate computerized laser engraving machine.
They now make signs from marble, glass, wood, metal, ceramics and just about anything imaginable, as small as a dime to as large as 4 by 8 feet. Their first love is still military plaques, but the Kroells have also branched out into commercial business signs, memorial plaques, and wood cut-outs.
Their joy in creating custom work is apparent. Even the back of Al's iPad is etched with their company's logo. He said he once etched his fingernails, just to see if the machine was capable of doing it. (It was.)
As they've built up a solid portfolio and clientele, Christy and Al recently got some more good news. They received a grant from the Sam's Club Giving Program to attend a lecture in Dallas, Texas earlier this spring, where they listened to nationally recognized speakers in the world of small business. Click on their website careel-tech for more information.
2013年6月24日 星期一
Is This Where North Korea Makes Its Centrifuges?
When it comes to North Korea, there are pretty severe limits on
traditional intelligence-gathering. Spy agencies frequently disagree
about what’s happening in the country, and rarely can they ever say
anything conclusive. North Korea is simply too closed and too
disconnected to go snooping around in the usual manner.
But then, sometimes, they just stick what you need in the newspaper.
Kim Jong-un has finally started to visit factories across the country in the tradition of his father and grandfather. In a visit to the Kanggye General Tractor Plant publicized over the weekend, we see him looking at a big machine, but not just any machine. It’s a specialized flow-forming machine of the type used to make centrifuge rotors. Could this actually be a secret centrifuge-manufacturing capability?
Flow-forming machines are pretty rare. There are only a handful of flow-forming companies in the United States, and the coveted machines were among the hard-to-get items traded during the early days of the Khan network. These machines are the only way to manufacture the thin-walled P-2 centrifuge rotor on which the North Korean enrichment program is thought to be built. While flow-forming is used outside of centrifuge manufacturing plants, the applications are limited and only a small handful of applications require the Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machine shown above.
(Going by its name, the plant manufactures tractors, and while flow-forming is occasionally used in the automotive industry to make fancy aluminum-alloy rims, it seems unlikely that North Korean farmers are in the habit of outfitting their tractors with 40-inch bling and ranging around Gangnam style.)
And do you see that curved ceiling? Looks like this tractor factory is in an underground tunnel.
Elsewhere in the factory, we see this hot piercer mill, a machine that takes raw feedstock and makes the thick-walled seamless tubes that serve as preforms for the flow-forming machines. The dimension of that preform looks pretty close to the dimensions of a P-2 centrifuge rotor.
Much about the facility speaks to its special importance within the industrial hierarchy. This “tractor plant” is located in an isolated area of the country, Jagang Province, about which the outside world seems to know little. Despite their isolation, the local employees have been blessed with recreational facilities far in excess of what the government provides to the average working stiff—like this enormous recreational facility, planted gardens, and a large swimming pool with deck chairs. Life is often best for those that are part of the strategic weapons complex. More information about the program is available on the web site at www.careel-tech.com.
But then, sometimes, they just stick what you need in the newspaper.
Kim Jong-un has finally started to visit factories across the country in the tradition of his father and grandfather. In a visit to the Kanggye General Tractor Plant publicized over the weekend, we see him looking at a big machine, but not just any machine. It’s a specialized flow-forming machine of the type used to make centrifuge rotors. Could this actually be a secret centrifuge-manufacturing capability?
Flow-forming machines are pretty rare. There are only a handful of flow-forming companies in the United States, and the coveted machines were among the hard-to-get items traded during the early days of the Khan network. These machines are the only way to manufacture the thin-walled P-2 centrifuge rotor on which the North Korean enrichment program is thought to be built. While flow-forming is used outside of centrifuge manufacturing plants, the applications are limited and only a small handful of applications require the Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machine shown above.
(Going by its name, the plant manufactures tractors, and while flow-forming is occasionally used in the automotive industry to make fancy aluminum-alloy rims, it seems unlikely that North Korean farmers are in the habit of outfitting their tractors with 40-inch bling and ranging around Gangnam style.)
And do you see that curved ceiling? Looks like this tractor factory is in an underground tunnel.
Elsewhere in the factory, we see this hot piercer mill, a machine that takes raw feedstock and makes the thick-walled seamless tubes that serve as preforms for the flow-forming machines. The dimension of that preform looks pretty close to the dimensions of a P-2 centrifuge rotor.
Much about the facility speaks to its special importance within the industrial hierarchy. This “tractor plant” is located in an isolated area of the country, Jagang Province, about which the outside world seems to know little. Despite their isolation, the local employees have been blessed with recreational facilities far in excess of what the government provides to the average working stiff—like this enormous recreational facility, planted gardens, and a large swimming pool with deck chairs. Life is often best for those that are part of the strategic weapons complex. More information about the program is available on the web site at www.careel-tech.com.
Unison Opens New Facility
The manufacturer of all-electric tube bending machines, Unison, has
opened a new facility in Scarborough, U.K. Purpose-fitted for machine
design and manufacture, the building more than doubles the production
capacity of this fast growing company, and accelerates machine building
times by around 15%.
Located close to Unison's previous building, the new facility gives Unison more than 24,000ft2 of manufacturing space, along with two acres of surrounding land. The building interior has been remodeled to increase Unison's manufacturing efficiency and capacity.
One of the most important new features is a dedicated flow line for building machines, fitted with a gantry crane to simplify handling and installation of large components. Tube bending machines now progress through six sequential assembly cells with application-specific tooling for each stage of the build cycle, from the basic preparation of the mechanical chassis and equipment cabinets, through the installation of electrical and mechanical components, to cabling, system commissioning and test, and finally customer acceptance. At the end of the line, machines can be rolled into containers for shipping. In the old facility, assembly time for a typical machine was 12 weeks. The organization and higher efficiency of the new flow line will reduce this to 10 weeks for a majority of the smaller machine sizes that Unison builds.
Another key new feature is an expanded metalworking machine shop, including a brand new $470,000 investment in a very large laser cutting machine center, to speed the fabrication of the metalwork components and tooling required for the bending machines. This brings in-house some components previously made by sub-contractors, further helping to speed delivery times.
Unison is growing rapidly, thanks to its focus on the most advanced sector of this metalwork machinery market - all-electric machines with their computer-controlled bending - plus the company's willingness to invest in design which has continually extended the scope of the bending technology into larger tube and pipe sizes. All-electric bending machines, rather than the traditional hydraulically powered machines, have now become the de-facto standard in all of the precision metalwork fabrication markets that Unison specializes in, including aerospace, automotive production, shipbuilding, oil and gas, and small-batch manufacturing.
In addition to larger size machines, a key element of Unison's philosophy is to assist clients in re-engineering their manufacturing processes alongside the acquisition of a new machine - to multiply productivity. This is achieved by Unison's vision of their machines as elements of the wider manufacturing process, and the availability of Unison software and hardware engineering development resources to enable new bending machine investments to form part of more integrated design-to-manufacturing solutions, and to optimize bending performance.
Located close to Unison's previous building, the new facility gives Unison more than 24,000ft2 of manufacturing space, along with two acres of surrounding land. The building interior has been remodeled to increase Unison's manufacturing efficiency and capacity.
One of the most important new features is a dedicated flow line for building machines, fitted with a gantry crane to simplify handling and installation of large components. Tube bending machines now progress through six sequential assembly cells with application-specific tooling for each stage of the build cycle, from the basic preparation of the mechanical chassis and equipment cabinets, through the installation of electrical and mechanical components, to cabling, system commissioning and test, and finally customer acceptance. At the end of the line, machines can be rolled into containers for shipping. In the old facility, assembly time for a typical machine was 12 weeks. The organization and higher efficiency of the new flow line will reduce this to 10 weeks for a majority of the smaller machine sizes that Unison builds.
Another key new feature is an expanded metalworking machine shop, including a brand new $470,000 investment in a very large laser cutting machine center, to speed the fabrication of the metalwork components and tooling required for the bending machines. This brings in-house some components previously made by sub-contractors, further helping to speed delivery times.
Unison is growing rapidly, thanks to its focus on the most advanced sector of this metalwork machinery market - all-electric machines with their computer-controlled bending - plus the company's willingness to invest in design which has continually extended the scope of the bending technology into larger tube and pipe sizes. All-electric bending machines, rather than the traditional hydraulically powered machines, have now become the de-facto standard in all of the precision metalwork fabrication markets that Unison specializes in, including aerospace, automotive production, shipbuilding, oil and gas, and small-batch manufacturing.
In addition to larger size machines, a key element of Unison's philosophy is to assist clients in re-engineering their manufacturing processes alongside the acquisition of a new machine - to multiply productivity. This is achieved by Unison's vision of their machines as elements of the wider manufacturing process, and the availability of Unison software and hardware engineering development resources to enable new bending machine investments to form part of more integrated design-to-manufacturing solutions, and to optimize bending performance.
2013年6月20日 星期四
Vendors take their places as Covered Bridge Festival gets under way
Workers scurried about, setting up booths, tents, mobile kitchens and the big stage. Most of the work couldn’t be done until today, because many of the locations are on city streets and couldn’t be erected until after the streets were barricaded Wednesday.
As is usual with the Covered Bridge Celebration, the Elk Avenue Bridge is closed. All of downtown is accessible by car, but barricades prevent drivers from going east to the courthouse. The best alternative is to take Broad Street.
Many of the vendors were already in place by midday Wednesday and all of the food vendors were in place but still setting up. Despite the competition, most vendors said they see each other at most festivals in the region and most have become friends. Most have been to the Covered Bridge Festival many times.
This is the third time for Ken Packer of Packer’s Concessions. He specializes in Johnsonville brats and “gourmet lemonade. “My lemonade is made from scratch and it is all made by hand,” Packer said. The drink comes with whole strawberries, raspberries or cherries.
Packer said he always has a good week at the festival and it has a special place in his heart because it was the first big festival he worked.
His friends on the other side of the street, Acie and Star Mullins of Little Delights, have been doing it for a lot longer time. They became food vendors when they retired from their first career. That was 15 years ago and they now do about 25 shows a year. Even with all their experience, they enjoy coming to the Covered Bridge.
“This is a good event,” Acie said. “Its always fun to come to the Covered Bridge.”
They feature some interesting variations on festival fare, including the potato twister dog. That is a potato that has been turned into a spiral by a special cutting machine. The sprial has a hole in the middle which is filled with a hot dog. The whole concoction is fired to perfection.
“You get your meat and potatoes together on a stick,” Star said. Another veteran Covered Bridge food vendor is DNA Concessions, owned by Darwin Booker.
Booker’s specialties include blooming onions, fried green tomatoes, crazy taters, deep fried Oreos and funnel cakes.
Booker said he is hoping for good weather this week. “This is our fifth show of the year and so far, it has rained at every one of them.”
Across the street, at the corner of the bridge stands another veteran, Salt and Pepper/Mama’s Lemonade. They have been in business for more than 20 years and have been coming to the Covered Bridge Celebration for more than 10 years.
They have a wide selection that includes footlong hand-dipped corn dogs, Philly cheese steaks, Polish sausage and deep fried bologna.
There will be plenty of live entertainment to go along with the festival food.
Stephanie McKinney, events and marketing coordinator for the Elizabethton/Carter County Chamber of Commerce said “we have a good lineup every night. Thursday night is Bluegrass Night and we will have The Boxcars. If you haven’t seen them, you really need to, because they can really burn it up.” Click on their website www.careel-tech.com for more information.
As is usual with the Covered Bridge Celebration, the Elk Avenue Bridge is closed. All of downtown is accessible by car, but barricades prevent drivers from going east to the courthouse. The best alternative is to take Broad Street.
Many of the vendors were already in place by midday Wednesday and all of the food vendors were in place but still setting up. Despite the competition, most vendors said they see each other at most festivals in the region and most have become friends. Most have been to the Covered Bridge Festival many times.
This is the third time for Ken Packer of Packer’s Concessions. He specializes in Johnsonville brats and “gourmet lemonade. “My lemonade is made from scratch and it is all made by hand,” Packer said. The drink comes with whole strawberries, raspberries or cherries.
Packer said he always has a good week at the festival and it has a special place in his heart because it was the first big festival he worked.
His friends on the other side of the street, Acie and Star Mullins of Little Delights, have been doing it for a lot longer time. They became food vendors when they retired from their first career. That was 15 years ago and they now do about 25 shows a year. Even with all their experience, they enjoy coming to the Covered Bridge.
“This is a good event,” Acie said. “Its always fun to come to the Covered Bridge.”
They feature some interesting variations on festival fare, including the potato twister dog. That is a potato that has been turned into a spiral by a special cutting machine. The sprial has a hole in the middle which is filled with a hot dog. The whole concoction is fired to perfection.
“You get your meat and potatoes together on a stick,” Star said. Another veteran Covered Bridge food vendor is DNA Concessions, owned by Darwin Booker.
Booker’s specialties include blooming onions, fried green tomatoes, crazy taters, deep fried Oreos and funnel cakes.
Booker said he is hoping for good weather this week. “This is our fifth show of the year and so far, it has rained at every one of them.”
Across the street, at the corner of the bridge stands another veteran, Salt and Pepper/Mama’s Lemonade. They have been in business for more than 20 years and have been coming to the Covered Bridge Celebration for more than 10 years.
They have a wide selection that includes footlong hand-dipped corn dogs, Philly cheese steaks, Polish sausage and deep fried bologna.
There will be plenty of live entertainment to go along with the festival food.
Stephanie McKinney, events and marketing coordinator for the Elizabethton/Carter County Chamber of Commerce said “we have a good lineup every night. Thursday night is Bluegrass Night and we will have The Boxcars. If you haven’t seen them, you really need to, because they can really burn it up.” Click on their website www.careel-tech.com for more information.
YCCC’s new machining facility ready
This fall 24 students will have the opportunity to enroll in
precision machining programs at York County Community College’s new
facility in Sanford.
The community college held an open house on Monday to celebrate the new program and to give the media a look at the newly renovated 6,050-square-foot space at One Eagle Drive in South Sanford that will house the program. The facility includes classrooms and a fully outfitted manufacturing laboratory.
Interim YCCC President Scott Knapp guided a visitor to the laboratory where new conventional machining equipment and computer numerically controlled machining tools were positioned in work stations around the cavernous room. Knapp pointed out a long row of conventional, manually operated metal-working machines, along a wall of the laboratory.
“That’s where you start in the field,” he said.
The larger, computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines stood in another row.
Knapp said the field is called “precision machining” because tools and parts for the aircraft industry, automobile industry and other high-tech applications really do have to be precise. He said starting salaries, with an associate degree, can be $40,000 or more.
YCCC had originally planned to accept 12 students into the program the first year and another 12 the next year. Knapp said Monday that the program will accept 24 students for the first year and that there is room at the facility for an additional program, if there is a need and a demand for it. Knapp pointed to a wall of the laboratory and said that YCCC has the option to lease another 5,000 square feet beyond the wall.
“We know we’re not meeting the state’s needs,” he said.
In addition to his interim position at YCCC, Knapp is president of Central Maine Community College in Auburn, one of three community colleges in the state that currently offers a precision machining technology program.
Bob Franklin, an engineer, who used to work in the aerospace industry, was lured away from a school in Hudson, N.Y., where he taught mechanical engineering and built a high-tech manufacturing program for students. He has been hired to head up YCCC’s new precision machining program. Knapp said YCCC is in the process of hiring an additional teacher.
“We’ve got great hopes for this program,” Franklin said on Monday. “We think we can [accommodate] over 100 students.”
YCCC will offer two precision machining programs beginning in September. Students can take a one-year certificate program in which they will learn to operate conventional machine tools, read and analyze engineering drawings and use precision measuring and inspection instruments. They will also receive an introduction to CNC machines and their operation.
The two-year associate degree program is designed to prepare students to apply technical knowledge and skills to use either conventional or CNC machine tools, such as lathes and milling machines, to produce precision parts. It will include instruction in blueprint reading, machining, lathe and mill operations, and other computer and related technical instruction as well as liberal arts, applied mathematics, and shop and safety practices.
There are a number of manufacturing companies in York County that employ highly skilled machinists, including Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick and General Dynamics in Saco, the two largest in the state, as well as many smaller companies. In addition, many positions are going unfilled because companies cannot find employees with the skills they need. More information about the program is available on the web site at www.careel-tech.com.
The community college held an open house on Monday to celebrate the new program and to give the media a look at the newly renovated 6,050-square-foot space at One Eagle Drive in South Sanford that will house the program. The facility includes classrooms and a fully outfitted manufacturing laboratory.
Interim YCCC President Scott Knapp guided a visitor to the laboratory where new conventional machining equipment and computer numerically controlled machining tools were positioned in work stations around the cavernous room. Knapp pointed out a long row of conventional, manually operated metal-working machines, along a wall of the laboratory.
“That’s where you start in the field,” he said.
The larger, computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines stood in another row.
Knapp said the field is called “precision machining” because tools and parts for the aircraft industry, automobile industry and other high-tech applications really do have to be precise. He said starting salaries, with an associate degree, can be $40,000 or more.
YCCC had originally planned to accept 12 students into the program the first year and another 12 the next year. Knapp said Monday that the program will accept 24 students for the first year and that there is room at the facility for an additional program, if there is a need and a demand for it. Knapp pointed to a wall of the laboratory and said that YCCC has the option to lease another 5,000 square feet beyond the wall.
“We know we’re not meeting the state’s needs,” he said.
In addition to his interim position at YCCC, Knapp is president of Central Maine Community College in Auburn, one of three community colleges in the state that currently offers a precision machining technology program.
Bob Franklin, an engineer, who used to work in the aerospace industry, was lured away from a school in Hudson, N.Y., where he taught mechanical engineering and built a high-tech manufacturing program for students. He has been hired to head up YCCC’s new precision machining program. Knapp said YCCC is in the process of hiring an additional teacher.
“We’ve got great hopes for this program,” Franklin said on Monday. “We think we can [accommodate] over 100 students.”
YCCC will offer two precision machining programs beginning in September. Students can take a one-year certificate program in which they will learn to operate conventional machine tools, read and analyze engineering drawings and use precision measuring and inspection instruments. They will also receive an introduction to CNC machines and their operation.
The two-year associate degree program is designed to prepare students to apply technical knowledge and skills to use either conventional or CNC machine tools, such as lathes and milling machines, to produce precision parts. It will include instruction in blueprint reading, machining, lathe and mill operations, and other computer and related technical instruction as well as liberal arts, applied mathematics, and shop and safety practices.
There are a number of manufacturing companies in York County that employ highly skilled machinists, including Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick and General Dynamics in Saco, the two largest in the state, as well as many smaller companies. In addition, many positions are going unfilled because companies cannot find employees with the skills they need. More information about the program is available on the web site at www.careel-tech.com.
2013年6月17日 星期一
A show of steel as Barrett establishes a new brand
Daniel Redgwick, general manager of the new Barrett Constructional
steel business, said the business was established “as a centralised
operation to meet the growing demand from the UK construction industry”.
He said: “We have worked with clients in the structural fabrication and construction markets for many years for projects such as bridges, hospitals, schools, shopping centres and industrial buildings.”
He said the new business will refine its services to clients and help build the reputation it has already established for quality and competitively priced products.
Mr Redgwick was previously a sales manager at the Barrett Group in Bradford before taking on the new role. The new division offers customers “all the benefits” of being part of the UK’s largest independent steel stockholder.
Barrett Constructional has extensive dock facilities which allows them to deliver to customers promptly. The company also unified all its engineering services under one name – Barrett Engineering Steel. The companies involved in the move are as diverse as Rotherham in south Yorkshire, Oldham in Greater Manchester, Consett in Durham and Dudley, in the West Midlands.
John Childs, managing director of the engineering division, said it consolidated the businesses and gave a strong corporate identity that supports growth in the UK and exports. BES provides specialist materials such as black and bright carbon and alloy and stainless products. They offer cutting, forging, heating and testing.
At a time when many similar companies in the sector are contracting, Barrett Steel with 42 firms working out of 28 sites across the UK and Ireland is bucking this trend. It continues to invest and is confident of future growth. A recent acquisition was a steel stockholding company in Maghaberry, near Lisburn, from the Sterling Group. The company, a five-acre site with a 30,000 sq foot steel processing facility, will now trade as Barrett Steel Ireland Ltd.
The purchase in Ireland demonstrates the company’s commitment to Ireland and providing customers an extensive range of products and processing facilities. The company made its first acquisition in Ireland in 2012.
The facility will offer processed options such as shotblasting and priming and automatic drilling and cutting to customer specifications.
The company was established in 1866 by the eponymous Henry Barrett and is now the UK’s largest independent steel stockholder.
A processing facility has recently opened in Houston,Texas in addition to the UK facilities in Bradford, Scunthorpe and the West Midlands. It enables them to saw, cut, punch, drill and shear and laser marking machine tubular and flat products as well as shotblasting, primer painting and profiling.
Group marketing manager Chris Lamb said they were taking a more diversified approach and looking at renewables; oil and gas and offshore, but the core of the business “has always been manufacturing and construction”.
“The ethos of the company is to move away from traditional thinking with steel to becoming more of a solutions provider, we can supply the needs of the customer and we’ve adapted to the market.” With oil and gas, they are looking towards India and China.
Constructional seals don’t travel well, so they don’t export to these markets. In the next year, the company plans to recruit following the acquisition of the Irish steel company.
He said: “We have worked with clients in the structural fabrication and construction markets for many years for projects such as bridges, hospitals, schools, shopping centres and industrial buildings.”
He said the new business will refine its services to clients and help build the reputation it has already established for quality and competitively priced products.
Mr Redgwick was previously a sales manager at the Barrett Group in Bradford before taking on the new role. The new division offers customers “all the benefits” of being part of the UK’s largest independent steel stockholder.
Barrett Constructional has extensive dock facilities which allows them to deliver to customers promptly. The company also unified all its engineering services under one name – Barrett Engineering Steel. The companies involved in the move are as diverse as Rotherham in south Yorkshire, Oldham in Greater Manchester, Consett in Durham and Dudley, in the West Midlands.
John Childs, managing director of the engineering division, said it consolidated the businesses and gave a strong corporate identity that supports growth in the UK and exports. BES provides specialist materials such as black and bright carbon and alloy and stainless products. They offer cutting, forging, heating and testing.
At a time when many similar companies in the sector are contracting, Barrett Steel with 42 firms working out of 28 sites across the UK and Ireland is bucking this trend. It continues to invest and is confident of future growth. A recent acquisition was a steel stockholding company in Maghaberry, near Lisburn, from the Sterling Group. The company, a five-acre site with a 30,000 sq foot steel processing facility, will now trade as Barrett Steel Ireland Ltd.
The purchase in Ireland demonstrates the company’s commitment to Ireland and providing customers an extensive range of products and processing facilities. The company made its first acquisition in Ireland in 2012.
The facility will offer processed options such as shotblasting and priming and automatic drilling and cutting to customer specifications.
The company was established in 1866 by the eponymous Henry Barrett and is now the UK’s largest independent steel stockholder.
A processing facility has recently opened in Houston,Texas in addition to the UK facilities in Bradford, Scunthorpe and the West Midlands. It enables them to saw, cut, punch, drill and shear and laser marking machine tubular and flat products as well as shotblasting, primer painting and profiling.
Group marketing manager Chris Lamb said they were taking a more diversified approach and looking at renewables; oil and gas and offshore, but the core of the business “has always been manufacturing and construction”.
“The ethos of the company is to move away from traditional thinking with steel to becoming more of a solutions provider, we can supply the needs of the customer and we’ve adapted to the market.” With oil and gas, they are looking towards India and China.
Constructional seals don’t travel well, so they don’t export to these markets. In the next year, the company plans to recruit following the acquisition of the Irish steel company.
What if … you’re injured on a run or other outing?
A near-miss with a pickup during a run led an entrepreneurial Kentuckian to create a product that quickly IDs injured outdoor warriors.
Edward Wimmer of Northern Kentucky launched Road ID in 1999 after jogging alone along a rural road preparing for a marathon. It was during that run that a pickup truck ran him off the road. He dodged it, landing in a ditch.
But what would have happened if things turned out differently? Just a week earlier, Wimmer’s dad feared for his safety during those runs.
“He’d asked about the kinds of roads I was running on. He’d said ‘What would happen to you if you were in an accident. How would I know if anything happened?’ No one would know who I was,” the Georgetown College graduate said.
Road ID was launched that year from Wimmer’s father’s basement. It was his first job right out of college. The company’s first product, which it still sells, is the FIXX ID. It’s similar to a dog tag in style but is made from high-polished stainless steel. The ID is laser engraved with the wearer’s name, town and emergency contact phone numbers. It’s worn around the neck with a stainless steel chain.
The ID gives emergency responders a quick way to identify an injured person and his emergency contacts, if he is unconscious or just too shaken up to answer questions, Wimmer said.
Wimmer started Road ID out of college, at the age of 21, deciding to work for himself rather than for a company. He’d graduated with degrees in marketing and finance, and entrepreneurship runs through his family line, he said.
“I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be an entrepreneur, it was in my blood. But I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” until the idea for Road ID came along.
Wimmer started the company with a couple of credit cards he’d signed up for in college. He now has an office in Erlanger, and a smaller one in Austin, Texas.
“My father (Mike) is co-owner. We still work together to this day,” he said.
Since that first product, the Road ID line has expanded into wrist bands, ankle straps and shoe pouches. It’s become a product for all sorts of outdoor athletes, who want to better ensure their safety if an accident happens.
“We paid really close attention to our customers, and what they wanted were IDs for the wrist, ankle and shoe,” Wimmer said.
Their most popular product is The Wrist ID Slim ($17.99), a tough silicon-based band, to which the ID attaches. The band comes in several colors.
The company also sells an “interactive” version of each band that allows wearers to create and store additional medical information online, including allergies, additional contact information, previous medical procedures and health insurance information.
The interactive bands include instructions that allow emergency personnel to access that information, which they can do by phone or the web. Users pay a small annual fee for the service.
There are two main components to Road ID products. First, of course, is the safety factor. Road ID is one of the rare products where the user is better off not using it, but the company receives messages every day from customers who say it’s been of vital help in times of crisis, Wimmer said.
“One great story is from a guy who was riding his bike down a hill at 40 mph. The next thing he remembers, after briefly coming to consciousness, is seeing the top of an ambulance. When he got to the hospital, his wife and kids were waiting for him. What more could you ask for?” Wimmer said. “We are a for profit company, but safety is our motivator.”
Edward Wimmer of Northern Kentucky launched Road ID in 1999 after jogging alone along a rural road preparing for a marathon. It was during that run that a pickup truck ran him off the road. He dodged it, landing in a ditch.
But what would have happened if things turned out differently? Just a week earlier, Wimmer’s dad feared for his safety during those runs.
“He’d asked about the kinds of roads I was running on. He’d said ‘What would happen to you if you were in an accident. How would I know if anything happened?’ No one would know who I was,” the Georgetown College graduate said.
Road ID was launched that year from Wimmer’s father’s basement. It was his first job right out of college. The company’s first product, which it still sells, is the FIXX ID. It’s similar to a dog tag in style but is made from high-polished stainless steel. The ID is laser engraved with the wearer’s name, town and emergency contact phone numbers. It’s worn around the neck with a stainless steel chain.
The ID gives emergency responders a quick way to identify an injured person and his emergency contacts, if he is unconscious or just too shaken up to answer questions, Wimmer said.
Wimmer started Road ID out of college, at the age of 21, deciding to work for himself rather than for a company. He’d graduated with degrees in marketing and finance, and entrepreneurship runs through his family line, he said.
“I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be an entrepreneur, it was in my blood. But I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” until the idea for Road ID came along.
Wimmer started the company with a couple of credit cards he’d signed up for in college. He now has an office in Erlanger, and a smaller one in Austin, Texas.
“My father (Mike) is co-owner. We still work together to this day,” he said.
Since that first product, the Road ID line has expanded into wrist bands, ankle straps and shoe pouches. It’s become a product for all sorts of outdoor athletes, who want to better ensure their safety if an accident happens.
“We paid really close attention to our customers, and what they wanted were IDs for the wrist, ankle and shoe,” Wimmer said.
Their most popular product is The Wrist ID Slim ($17.99), a tough silicon-based band, to which the ID attaches. The band comes in several colors.
The company also sells an “interactive” version of each band that allows wearers to create and store additional medical information online, including allergies, additional contact information, previous medical procedures and health insurance information.
The interactive bands include instructions that allow emergency personnel to access that information, which they can do by phone or the web. Users pay a small annual fee for the service.
There are two main components to Road ID products. First, of course, is the safety factor. Road ID is one of the rare products where the user is better off not using it, but the company receives messages every day from customers who say it’s been of vital help in times of crisis, Wimmer said.
“One great story is from a guy who was riding his bike down a hill at 40 mph. The next thing he remembers, after briefly coming to consciousness, is seeing the top of an ambulance. When he got to the hospital, his wife and kids were waiting for him. What more could you ask for?” Wimmer said. “We are a for profit company, but safety is our motivator.”
2013年6月8日 星期六
Nashua technical education programs’ cutting edge has dulled
When Nashua High School North was being built a dozen years ago, the
city was on the cutting edge of career and technical education, placing
its programs – literally – front and center at the new building.
Many students viewed technical education programs as alternatives for students not planning to attend college, but city educators wanted to change that perception.
“It was all part of the idea that students will be more engaged in education if it’s viewed as relevant to their future,” Superintendent Mark Conrad said. “We were focused on making CTE programs not seen as programs for only one type of student.”
And while Conrad said both city public high schools have worked hard over the last 10 years to keep that mission alive, it’s time to review the district’s practices.
“It’s been 10 years,” he said. “There are times when, due to rapidly changing environments or student interest, you need to step back and evaluate. This is really the first time we started to do that in a serious way.”
The Board of Education heard from members of a new committee last month that was formed to review the career and technical education programs in the city, discussing plans to review and revamp some programming.
While the changes to the programs are still being discussed, Conrad said the review is an important step toward maintaining the city’s focus on career readiness for students.
In 2001, when Nashua North was being designed and plans for a renovation of Nashua South were coming together – a $143 million project – both schools featured a physical focus on their technical education programs.
Many schools tucked their career centers at the back of the building or in a separate center, but the designs for the new schools had those programs right through the front door.
North’s cosmetology and graphic arts programs are to the right of the main entrance, and its cafe and culinary arts program is located off the lobby.
Nashua South features the Purple Panther Preschool, staffed in part by students from its early childhood education program, a television production studio and laser marking machine lab.
The city planned to have a system that would guide freshmen and sophomores toward a career path, encouraging them to select a career academy and CTE program during their junior and senior years.
“I do think in the early years we met that goal,” Conrad said. “At that point in time, the high dropout rate was a concern, and CTE was viewed as something that could be a significant way of reducing the dropout rate.”
But the last few years have seen a lot of changes and challenges for the technical programs, he said, including turnover in the director position.
And while the high schools have successfully enrolled students of all backgrounds and ability in the programs, there hasn’t been enough of a focus on getting students to think about career opportunities at a younger age, Conrad said.
The city will begin those conversations in middle school to allow for better planning for technical education enrollments in high school.
And he said he’s confident the work will help maintain the city’s focus on helping all students, no matter their higher education plans.
“The last couple years, we lost focus a little bit because of turnover,” Conrad said. “But we have a very strong team now that will help move us forward.”
Many students viewed technical education programs as alternatives for students not planning to attend college, but city educators wanted to change that perception.
“It was all part of the idea that students will be more engaged in education if it’s viewed as relevant to their future,” Superintendent Mark Conrad said. “We were focused on making CTE programs not seen as programs for only one type of student.”
And while Conrad said both city public high schools have worked hard over the last 10 years to keep that mission alive, it’s time to review the district’s practices.
“It’s been 10 years,” he said. “There are times when, due to rapidly changing environments or student interest, you need to step back and evaluate. This is really the first time we started to do that in a serious way.”
The Board of Education heard from members of a new committee last month that was formed to review the career and technical education programs in the city, discussing plans to review and revamp some programming.
While the changes to the programs are still being discussed, Conrad said the review is an important step toward maintaining the city’s focus on career readiness for students.
In 2001, when Nashua North was being designed and plans for a renovation of Nashua South were coming together – a $143 million project – both schools featured a physical focus on their technical education programs.
Many schools tucked their career centers at the back of the building or in a separate center, but the designs for the new schools had those programs right through the front door.
North’s cosmetology and graphic arts programs are to the right of the main entrance, and its cafe and culinary arts program is located off the lobby.
Nashua South features the Purple Panther Preschool, staffed in part by students from its early childhood education program, a television production studio and laser marking machine lab.
The city planned to have a system that would guide freshmen and sophomores toward a career path, encouraging them to select a career academy and CTE program during their junior and senior years.
“I do think in the early years we met that goal,” Conrad said. “At that point in time, the high dropout rate was a concern, and CTE was viewed as something that could be a significant way of reducing the dropout rate.”
But the last few years have seen a lot of changes and challenges for the technical programs, he said, including turnover in the director position.
And while the high schools have successfully enrolled students of all backgrounds and ability in the programs, there hasn’t been enough of a focus on getting students to think about career opportunities at a younger age, Conrad said.
The city will begin those conversations in middle school to allow for better planning for technical education enrollments in high school.
And he said he’s confident the work will help maintain the city’s focus on helping all students, no matter their higher education plans.
“The last couple years, we lost focus a little bit because of turnover,” Conrad said. “But we have a very strong team now that will help move us forward.”
Hole in Hanford tank to allow vacuuming of radioactive waste
Hanford workers have cut a large hole in an underground tank holding
radioactive waste for the second time since waste began to be added to
the tanks in World War II.
The first cut was three years ago to install a larger pipe called a riser to insert a new robotic arm that's much bigger, tougher and more versatile than other technologies used to empty waste from enclosed underground tanks.
The second hole, which was cut early Wednesday, will allow another of the new robotic arms, the Mobile Arm Retrieval System, or MARS, to be installed in one of Hanford's 149 single-shell tanks.
This MARS is equipped with a waste vacuum system, rather than a sluicing system, to limit the liquid added to leak-prone tanks.
The 17-inch thick concrete and rebar-reinforced dome of Tank C-105 plus the 6 feet of soil above it serve to protect workers from radiation from the 132,000 gallons of high-level radioactive waste in the tank.
But the hole was cut without spreading radioactive waste from the tank and with a negligible radiation dose to workers, according to Hanford officials.
It sets the stage to try the vacuum-equipped MARS, which shows promise to remove waste efficiently, particularly from tanks known to have leaked that could leak more if sluicing waste retrieval systems are used. In sluicing, liquid waste is sprayed to break up waste or move it toward a central pump.
The Department of Energy faces a September 2014 deadline under a court-enforced consent decree to have all 16 tanks in the group called C Tank Farm emptied to regulatory standards.
It has seven tanks to go, including Tank C-105, and it notified Washington state this week that it is one of two tanks that may not be emptied by the deadline. The MARS system is not expected to be ready to begin work to empty the tank until next year.
Work to empty tanks has been slow, in part, because waste retrieval systems inserted into many tanks have been unable to empty all the waste, requiring several technologies to be used to empty a single tank.
But in hundreds of hours of testing on a mock tank, the MARS equipped with a vacuum retrieval system has shown it can remove sludge, rocks and sand, and the hard-packed waste found at the bottom of some tanks, said Chris Burke, manager of the MARS program for contractor Washington River Protection Solutions.
The only drawback is that the more robust system will not fit down the 12-inch-diameter risers that provide the only access into the older, underground tanks.
To prepare to insert the second MARS into Tank C-105, workers had to dig up the dirt covering the top of the underground tank, and then cut a 55-inch-diameter circle to remove a portion of the tank dome.
Workers used remotely operated equipment to put distance between themselves and the radioactive waste in the tank. As the cut was made and a round plug of concrete lifted up, a shield plate was slipped over the hole to protect workers from radioactive "shine," said Tom Fletcher, DOE assistant manager of the tank farms.
Workers started the cut at 3:30 a.m. and were done in less than two hours, impressing Washington State Department of Ecology observers with their precision and attention to safety, said Jane Hedges, manager of Ecology's nuclear waste program.
The cut was made with a rotary laser cutting machine, after concerns were raised that an abrasive spray with small particles of garnet used when the first tank was opened in 2010 would add garnet to the waste. The garnet might erode metal in the vitrification plant being built to treat the waste.
"This is the first time rotary core cutting technology has been used on this scale in Hanford's tank farms," Chris Kemp, DOE deputy federal project director for tank farm retrieval, said in a statement.
The commercially available technology, which was adapted for a nuclear environment, uses a laser-guided canister with teeth on the bottom to drill a circle into the concrete.
The first cut was three years ago to install a larger pipe called a riser to insert a new robotic arm that's much bigger, tougher and more versatile than other technologies used to empty waste from enclosed underground tanks.
The second hole, which was cut early Wednesday, will allow another of the new robotic arms, the Mobile Arm Retrieval System, or MARS, to be installed in one of Hanford's 149 single-shell tanks.
This MARS is equipped with a waste vacuum system, rather than a sluicing system, to limit the liquid added to leak-prone tanks.
The 17-inch thick concrete and rebar-reinforced dome of Tank C-105 plus the 6 feet of soil above it serve to protect workers from radiation from the 132,000 gallons of high-level radioactive waste in the tank.
But the hole was cut without spreading radioactive waste from the tank and with a negligible radiation dose to workers, according to Hanford officials.
It sets the stage to try the vacuum-equipped MARS, which shows promise to remove waste efficiently, particularly from tanks known to have leaked that could leak more if sluicing waste retrieval systems are used. In sluicing, liquid waste is sprayed to break up waste or move it toward a central pump.
The Department of Energy faces a September 2014 deadline under a court-enforced consent decree to have all 16 tanks in the group called C Tank Farm emptied to regulatory standards.
It has seven tanks to go, including Tank C-105, and it notified Washington state this week that it is one of two tanks that may not be emptied by the deadline. The MARS system is not expected to be ready to begin work to empty the tank until next year.
Work to empty tanks has been slow, in part, because waste retrieval systems inserted into many tanks have been unable to empty all the waste, requiring several technologies to be used to empty a single tank.
But in hundreds of hours of testing on a mock tank, the MARS equipped with a vacuum retrieval system has shown it can remove sludge, rocks and sand, and the hard-packed waste found at the bottom of some tanks, said Chris Burke, manager of the MARS program for contractor Washington River Protection Solutions.
The only drawback is that the more robust system will not fit down the 12-inch-diameter risers that provide the only access into the older, underground tanks.
To prepare to insert the second MARS into Tank C-105, workers had to dig up the dirt covering the top of the underground tank, and then cut a 55-inch-diameter circle to remove a portion of the tank dome.
Workers used remotely operated equipment to put distance between themselves and the radioactive waste in the tank. As the cut was made and a round plug of concrete lifted up, a shield plate was slipped over the hole to protect workers from radioactive "shine," said Tom Fletcher, DOE assistant manager of the tank farms.
Workers started the cut at 3:30 a.m. and were done in less than two hours, impressing Washington State Department of Ecology observers with their precision and attention to safety, said Jane Hedges, manager of Ecology's nuclear waste program.
The cut was made with a rotary laser cutting machine, after concerns were raised that an abrasive spray with small particles of garnet used when the first tank was opened in 2010 would add garnet to the waste. The garnet might erode metal in the vitrification plant being built to treat the waste.
"This is the first time rotary core cutting technology has been used on this scale in Hanford's tank farms," Chris Kemp, DOE deputy federal project director for tank farm retrieval, said in a statement.
The commercially available technology, which was adapted for a nuclear environment, uses a laser-guided canister with teeth on the bottom to drill a circle into the concrete.
2013年6月2日 星期日
Wind of change is blowing
Even the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change began to ratchet
down its more extravagant predictions as early as 2007. In 2010 the
Royal Society reviewed its stance on the Anthropogenic Global Warming
theory and assumed a more neutral position. Since then, it has been like
the retreat from Moscow: last month Oxford scientists, albeit in
Delphic language, moderated forecasts of climate disaster.
Last week the ultimate warmist zealot among the political class, Tim Yeo MP, executed a spectacular volte-face. In 2009 Yeo said: “The dying gasps of the deniers [sic] will be put to bed. In five years’time no-one will argue about a man-made contribution to climate change.” Now, four years later, he is saying: “Although I think the evidence that the climate is changing is now overwhelming, the causes are not absolutely clear. There could be natural causes, natural phases that are taking place.” Within the Anthropogenic Global Warming hierarchy, that retraction is broadly akin to Richard Dawkins joining the Cistercian Order.
The global warming hysteria began in the 1880s but was discredited when its prediction that CO2 would increase the mean global temperature by more than 1C by 1940 was not borne out. What gave it fresh life over the past two decades was the realisation by governments that it could provide a pretext for taxing citizens to unprecedented levels and by private entrepreneurs that government subsidies could supply a dripping roast. Of all the damage that politicians have inflicted on the public, the “green” scam has been among the most extreme.
The Renewables Obligation, introduced in Scotland in 2002, was scheduled to end in 2027, by which time UK energy customers will have been robbed of 32 billion. It has now been extended to 2037 for new projects. By 2011 Ofgem confirmed that 10 per cent of every electricity bill went towards “renewables”. Proliferating wind turbines are blighting the landscape despite being a wholly inefficient source of energy. Turbines operate at just 24 per cent of capacity – for more than a third of the time at only 10 per cent – and conventional power stations have to remain in service as backup: two energy systems pointlessly working in tandem.
South of the Border a modicum of sanity has entered government thinking since UK energy minister John Hayes’ “Enough is enough” remarks. In England and Wales turbines are falling out of favour.
Not so in Scotland. Alex Salmond is a born-again renewables fanatic – understandably, since he has always had an affinity with wind. At the Scottish Low Carbon Investment Conference in Edinburgh in 2011, in the hallowed presence of Al Gore, Salmond described Scotland’s renewables policy: “It’s a turning point, like the discovery of a new world or the change from hunter-gathering to agriculture.” He forecast the low carbon sector would create 130,000 new jobs in Scotland by 2020. Last March an expert told Holyrood’s economy, energy and tourism committee the actual number of new jobs would be between 300 and 1,100.
Local objections to wind farms are routinely overruled by central government (that would be the listening, accountable Scottish Nationalist government). At the end of last year only ten out of Scotland’s 32 local authorities admitted to knowing how many wind turbines were sited in their areas.
They could cover every inch of Scottish soil with Martian whirligigs and the lights will still go out, due to the SNP’s refusal to replace Hunterston B, due to close in 2016, and Torness, closing in 2023. All this to satisfy a superstition: if all mankind stopped producing CO2 (try selling that idea in China and India), 96.5 per cent would remain. The climate Anabaptists will never recant, but their mad creed is doomed all the same.
Last week the ultimate warmist zealot among the political class, Tim Yeo MP, executed a spectacular volte-face. In 2009 Yeo said: “The dying gasps of the deniers [sic] will be put to bed. In five years’time no-one will argue about a man-made contribution to climate change.” Now, four years later, he is saying: “Although I think the evidence that the climate is changing is now overwhelming, the causes are not absolutely clear. There could be natural causes, natural phases that are taking place.” Within the Anthropogenic Global Warming hierarchy, that retraction is broadly akin to Richard Dawkins joining the Cistercian Order.
The global warming hysteria began in the 1880s but was discredited when its prediction that CO2 would increase the mean global temperature by more than 1C by 1940 was not borne out. What gave it fresh life over the past two decades was the realisation by governments that it could provide a pretext for taxing citizens to unprecedented levels and by private entrepreneurs that government subsidies could supply a dripping roast. Of all the damage that politicians have inflicted on the public, the “green” scam has been among the most extreme.
The Renewables Obligation, introduced in Scotland in 2002, was scheduled to end in 2027, by which time UK energy customers will have been robbed of 32 billion. It has now been extended to 2037 for new projects. By 2011 Ofgem confirmed that 10 per cent of every electricity bill went towards “renewables”. Proliferating wind turbines are blighting the landscape despite being a wholly inefficient source of energy. Turbines operate at just 24 per cent of capacity – for more than a third of the time at only 10 per cent – and conventional power stations have to remain in service as backup: two energy systems pointlessly working in tandem.
South of the Border a modicum of sanity has entered government thinking since UK energy minister John Hayes’ “Enough is enough” remarks. In England and Wales turbines are falling out of favour.
Not so in Scotland. Alex Salmond is a born-again renewables fanatic – understandably, since he has always had an affinity with wind. At the Scottish Low Carbon Investment Conference in Edinburgh in 2011, in the hallowed presence of Al Gore, Salmond described Scotland’s renewables policy: “It’s a turning point, like the discovery of a new world or the change from hunter-gathering to agriculture.” He forecast the low carbon sector would create 130,000 new jobs in Scotland by 2020. Last March an expert told Holyrood’s economy, energy and tourism committee the actual number of new jobs would be between 300 and 1,100.
Local objections to wind farms are routinely overruled by central government (that would be the listening, accountable Scottish Nationalist government). At the end of last year only ten out of Scotland’s 32 local authorities admitted to knowing how many wind turbines were sited in their areas.
They could cover every inch of Scottish soil with Martian whirligigs and the lights will still go out, due to the SNP’s refusal to replace Hunterston B, due to close in 2016, and Torness, closing in 2023. All this to satisfy a superstition: if all mankind stopped producing CO2 (try selling that idea in China and India), 96.5 per cent would remain. The climate Anabaptists will never recant, but their mad creed is doomed all the same.
PSC should listen to both sides
Public Service Commissioner Roger Koopman has not looked at the
history of renewable energy development in Montana and he does not know
the real costs of electric generation, certainly a requirement in his
job as a PSC commissioner.
Renewable energy in Montana is the least expensive new generation resource. The largest wind farm serving NorthWestern Energy in Montana, Judith Gap, costs the utility 4.6 cents per kilowatt-hour, less than any other generation resource in the state.
Requiring utilities to purchase renewable energy was smart in 2005 and it is today. Koopmans assertion that wind farms will be built “at any cost” shows his ignorance of policy. There are built-in caps on the cost of energy in the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), and there are several ways utilities can comply cost effectively. No utility has ever needed to apply for a waiver from the RPS based on the cost caps. The reason? Renewable energy is cost-effective.
Water is indeed a renewable energy source. In fact, the RPS allows new hydroelectric energy if the generator is less than 15 megawatts. The RPS was intended to develop new low-impact resources, not to give a bonus to corporations for improving power plants that they would improve anyway, as PP&L lobbied to do in both 2007 and 2011 legislative sessions.
Environmentalists love hydroelectricity too, but Koopman chose to ignore the impact of new hydroelectric dams — farmers, watch out! Your farm can become part of the new Koopman reservoir.
The renewable energy tax breaks were put there to level the playing field dominated by conventional generation, heavily subsidized in the past. I think that Koopman’s property tax barb was cherry picking. I did look up Wyoming’s industrial property tax rate and it is 11.5 percent. I suggest we put all of the tax incentives given to industry and get rid of all of them — fossil fuel breaks and renewable energy breaks. Renewable energy would win if all the costs were accounted for.
Koopman’s statement that Montana’s environmentalism is based on high income people unconcerned with wage earners is wrong. Montana’s environmentalism is common people voting with their conscience and their pocketbooks. The people who suffer most from bad environmental policy are the poor.
The PSC should take a longer view, assuring low energy costs for future generations, not only for the next quarter. Too often people only become concerned with their health and environment when they are directly affected by pollution. There is a saying — there are no atheists in foxholes, and so you become an environmentalist when there are tar balls floating into your shrimp net or you can’t eat the fish you catch from the lake. We all need to be concerned with our environment.
Paying a little more for clean energy looks like a pretty good deal when your kid is having an asthma attack aggravated by dirty air or has autism caused by mercury he breathes. The anti-environmental agenda totally ignores the costs of a dirty environment — the costs we do not see on our power bills — but these costs are very real.
Koopman is pitched against the people he is supposed to serve, resorting to inflammatory language and name calling to gin up support. Instead of working to build consensus he is partisan. I suggest that Mr. Koopman work with voters in his district to understand issues, seeking solutions that work for all. Renewable energy is a job creator, and we all need to support its development.
My favorite quote by Thomas Edison: “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”
Renewable energy in Montana is the least expensive new generation resource. The largest wind farm serving NorthWestern Energy in Montana, Judith Gap, costs the utility 4.6 cents per kilowatt-hour, less than any other generation resource in the state.
Requiring utilities to purchase renewable energy was smart in 2005 and it is today. Koopmans assertion that wind farms will be built “at any cost” shows his ignorance of policy. There are built-in caps on the cost of energy in the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), and there are several ways utilities can comply cost effectively. No utility has ever needed to apply for a waiver from the RPS based on the cost caps. The reason? Renewable energy is cost-effective.
Water is indeed a renewable energy source. In fact, the RPS allows new hydroelectric energy if the generator is less than 15 megawatts. The RPS was intended to develop new low-impact resources, not to give a bonus to corporations for improving power plants that they would improve anyway, as PP&L lobbied to do in both 2007 and 2011 legislative sessions.
Environmentalists love hydroelectricity too, but Koopman chose to ignore the impact of new hydroelectric dams — farmers, watch out! Your farm can become part of the new Koopman reservoir.
The renewable energy tax breaks were put there to level the playing field dominated by conventional generation, heavily subsidized in the past. I think that Koopman’s property tax barb was cherry picking. I did look up Wyoming’s industrial property tax rate and it is 11.5 percent. I suggest we put all of the tax incentives given to industry and get rid of all of them — fossil fuel breaks and renewable energy breaks. Renewable energy would win if all the costs were accounted for.
Koopman’s statement that Montana’s environmentalism is based on high income people unconcerned with wage earners is wrong. Montana’s environmentalism is common people voting with their conscience and their pocketbooks. The people who suffer most from bad environmental policy are the poor.
The PSC should take a longer view, assuring low energy costs for future generations, not only for the next quarter. Too often people only become concerned with their health and environment when they are directly affected by pollution. There is a saying — there are no atheists in foxholes, and so you become an environmentalist when there are tar balls floating into your shrimp net or you can’t eat the fish you catch from the lake. We all need to be concerned with our environment.
Paying a little more for clean energy looks like a pretty good deal when your kid is having an asthma attack aggravated by dirty air or has autism caused by mercury he breathes. The anti-environmental agenda totally ignores the costs of a dirty environment — the costs we do not see on our power bills — but these costs are very real.
Koopman is pitched against the people he is supposed to serve, resorting to inflammatory language and name calling to gin up support. Instead of working to build consensus he is partisan. I suggest that Mr. Koopman work with voters in his district to understand issues, seeking solutions that work for all. Renewable energy is a job creator, and we all need to support its development.
My favorite quote by Thomas Edison: “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”
訂閱：
文章 (Atom)