Bahia-honda Bridge ~Tidal Energy \ Water Turbine Project~

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Anyone who has driven South on U.S 1 from Miami to Key West know of the 100+ small bridges, and one BIG 7-mile bridge, along the 150+ mile ride to KW...

I have made this ride numerous times and fished around many of these bridges during slack-tide and full range of tide changes. There is an incredible amount of water moving under these bridges going and coming between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. And this changing of tides happens 4 times a day...

The Key West Citizen paper reports that there are efforts being made to harness this energy with a water turbine that will be moved by the tidal water flow running thru it...

"Keys Hydro Power late last month received a state Department of Environmental Protection permit to test a Fiberglas composite underwater turbine in the channel off the old Bahia Honda Bridge, said group founder Douglas Bedgood."

"Keys Hydro Power has been asked to install rigid, cage-like mesh near the front and back of the turbine to keep the marine life from being snagged in the rotors. The excluder will keep out anything larger than 4 inches wide. Anything smaller can pass through unharmed, Bedgood said."

"Keys Hydro Power plans to test one turbine in the Bahia Honda Channel for 60 days to determine whether it can efficiently harness power from the ocean. The turbine would yield energy by having the currents pushing the rotors. Keys Hydro Power has been working with several Florida engineering firms on designs for the underwater turbine that would be placed a half-mile south of the bridge. If the test is successful, the group wants to place more turbines, or farms of turbines, off the Florida coast."

Are we headed towards $4 a gallon GAS again?...

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Republican Candidate for Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell asked a simple question of the potential Democratic Party Candidates to join him in calling for the exploration, development, and distribution of known energy resources off the coast of Virginia.

The reply from the potential candidates for Democratic Party Candidate for Virginia Governor was a resounding NO and inline with the present Democratic Party Governor and\or DNC Chairman (depends what hat he has on at the time) Tim Kaine…

"The issue is simple. Virginia has the opportunity to be the first state on the Eastern Seaboard to lease exploration and development rights for natural gas and oil off of our shores. Exploration would take place in a safe, environmentally-friendly manner, 50 miles off our coastline, far out of sight from our beaches."

"According to one estimate, there are 130 million barrels of oil and 1.14 trillion cubic feet of natural gas off Virginia's coast. A study by a professor at Old Dominion University, forecasts that natural gas production alone off Virginia’s coast would create 2,578 new jobs, and produce $271 million in state and local revenue. Unfortunately, the Democratic candidates said no to Virginia jobs and yes to the special interests."
http://bobmcdonnell.com/

So we are headed to $4+ a gallon gasoline again. We are headed towards higher fuel and energy costs to heat and cool our homes. We are headed to increased production and transportation costs on products we consume. We are headed towards even more dependency on foreign sources of energy. We are headed towards the Obama administration wishes of a carbon use tax that will fund much less efficient energy sources like solar and windpower…

The Washington Times had a great article written by Ed Feulner who outlines the
Situation with the new Obama administration Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar…

“It takes years to develop an oil field, which is why we should get started this year, while prices are still low. Mr. Salazar's own Interior Department estimates there are 19 billion barrels of oil available in U.S. waters, and such estimates tend to be on the low side. But we won't know until we start looking. This isn't the first time Mr. Salazar has opposed exploration, by the way. Last summer, when the Bush administration wanted to sell some public land in Western states so oil companies could take a closer look at harvesting fuel from oil shale, Mr. Salazar disliked the program. "A fire sale will not lower gas prices. It will not accelerate the development of commercial oil shale technologies," he wrote in The Washington Post. Again, true as far as it goes. But without exploration, we'll never know if oil shale can be made to work.
Our country needs more oil exploration, as quickly as is prudent. Otherwise, prepare for the eventual return of $4 or higher gasoline.

"Democrats" in their own words....

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For my friends in Harrisonburg who are quick to defend the "New" administration and blame any problems on the prior administration...