(Yes, even I got tired of the endless “mash” one-liners. Just consider yourself lucky I didn’t do something even more self-indulgent, like switching to lacrosse terms.)

Future of electric rates hazy:

Ohio was one of 17 states and the District of Columbia that enacted electricity deregulation laws in the late 1990s. The theory was that deregulating the electricity-generation portion of customer bills - while regulators continued to monitor the cost of transmission and distribution - would spark market competition and lead to lower rates.

For reasons ranging from the Enron debacle to the nature of electricity (it can’t be stored), those lower rates haven’t materialized. And in states such as Illinois and Maryland, when freezes expired, prices skyrocketed 50 percent or more.

…

“We’ve watched what’s happened in other states, and it’s not good. In Maryland, prices spiked 70 percent. We don’t want to see that happen here,” said Eric Burkland, president of the Ohio Manufacturers Association.

…

David Boehm, a Cincinnati utilities lawyer who helped develop the manufacturing coalition’s proposal, said one problem with deregulation is “who pays for new generating plants?”

The state’s utilities will undoubtedly have to build new plants to meet growing demand and replace older, less environmentally friendly facilities, he said. The advantage of requiring utilities to come before the commission, he said, is that it would force them to justify their prices based on costs they incur.

Environmental advocates such as Environment Ohio say the state needs to adopt standards requiring a certain percentage of electric generation to be from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, as well as requiring energy-efficiency standards to slow the need for new generation. Amy Gomberg of Environment Ohio said both ideas would generate new jobs in Ohio and lessen the state’s dependence on fossil fuels.

Here we go again. I’m amazed at how many times we see things like this play out and people are shocked (shocked! I tell you) to find that when you deregulate an industry you get not just change for the better but often as much or even more change for the worse. Airlines? Check. Cable TV? Check. Electricity? Check.

And given all the things that are at stake, not limited to the question of everyone’s monthly electricity bill, it might be a good idea for consumers and voters everywhere in the US to educate themselves and get involved in the political process. Just a suggestion.

Of course, no matter what happens nearly all of us will be paying more for electricity in the coming years, with rates varying much more throughout the day.

Real world oil demand:

Compared to July 2006, when we had similar prices, we have one massive and little remarked difference today: there is nothing like the geopolitical risk we had in July 2006 at the height of Israel’s intense bombing and artillery shelling war against Lebanon. At the time, the geopolitical risk premium (GRP) was estimated at anywhere from 15 to 30 USD-per-barrel. Today’s GRP is likely only about 5 to 7 USD-per barrel. It therefore has a lot of growth potential, and not much downside potential.

The underlying base for high prices is short supply, because the world is one more year closer to Peak Oil than in 2006. Coupled with over-discounted risks to supply, prices can fly at the touch of the right panic button.

Under several scenario – far from ‘worst possible’ – the current and low GRP could double or triple, very quickly adding 5 to 15 USD to the barrel price, and yielding daily spot and forward prices in the range of 80 to 90 USD-per-barrel.

Despite the faux precision in oil prices quoted above, a recommended, longish piece focused on the international aspects of our oil mess.

And I would add that this is yet another example of a too-tight focus on the peak itself. We’re already in the oil crunch, as seen in the three-year-old price run up, just as we’re already seeing the early stages of global warming’s impact.

‘Momentum building’ for new climate deal: U.N.:

The United Nations says momentum is building for broader long-term action to fight global warming beyond the U.N.’s Kyoto Protocol and a climate meeting starting in Vienna on Monday will be a crucial test.

About 1,000 delegates from more than 100 countries at the Aug 27-31 talks will seek common ground between industrial nations with Kyoto greenhouse gas caps until 2012 and outsiders led by the United States and China, the top two emitters.

“Momentum is very much building,” for global action, Yvo de Boer, the U.N.’s top climate change official, said of the meeting of senior officials, scientists and activists. “And Vienna’s going to be crucial.”

“The coming week will give us an indication of whether the political community … is willing to move beyond well-intentioned platitudes towards real negotiations,” he told a news conference on the eve of the talks.

“The fight against climate change must be broadened,” Austrian Environment Minister Josef Proell said, welcoming U.S. willingness to take part in a long-term U.N. deal to cut emissions mainly from burning fossil fuels.

About freakin’ time.

Of course the US is showing a new “willingness” to take part in the talks. Bush is stiff-arming yet another big, ugly problem so that the next resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. gets an even bigger flaming sack of dog crap outside the front door on moving-in day.

GM HCCI Technology:

GM demonstrated the combustion process, known formally as homogeneous charge compression ignition, or HCCI, for the first time in two driveable concept vehicles, a 2007 Saturn Aura and Opel Vectra. When combined with the enabling advanced technologies such as direct injection, electric cam phasing, variable valve lift and cylinder pressure sensing, HCCI provides up to a 15-percent fuel savings, while meeting current emissions standards.

…

Highlights of HCCI technology include:

• Diesel-like engine efficiency with substantially reduced after-treatment cost
• Builds off proven gasoline direct-injection and variable valve actuation technologies
• Adaptable to conventional gasoline engine architectures
• Requires only conventional automotive exhaust after-treatment
• Compatible with all commercially available gasoline and E85 ethanol fuels.

Could HCCI blow right past diesel as “the” next technology for the liquid-fuel portion of vehicle drive trains in the US? It’s entirely possible, thanks to the ability of car companies to use these new engines as a drop-in replacement for a gasoline engine, plus the ability of drivers to refuel at basically any gasoline or E85 pump. (For those outside the US, diesel fuel is a lot harder to find at gas stations here than it is in Europe, for example.)

It’s easy to get so focused on plug-ins and EV’s that we overlook the dire need for the most efficient engines possible, as they’ll still be in use for a long time, whether in a standalone configuration or as an on board gen set.