Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Gwen Moore: "Poop to Power"

Gwen Moore talked crap on FOX News this morning.

She appeared to address this "Earmark of the Day" -- $500,000 to Marquette University for research to turn human waste into electricity.




Transcript

GWEN MOORE: Listen, this is extremely important. In the stimulus bill, we have 16 and a half billion dollars to try to do research on how to change biomass into electricity. And this is a program in the Omnibus bill that is very worthy. I call it 'Poop to Power.' To be able to use agricultural waste... 'Poop to Power.' Isn't that cute? To be able to use waste products, and to turn that into electricity, this researcher... 'Poop to Power.'

When you look at all of the waste that goes into our sewerage district, and of course I live on a beautiful lake, Lake Michigan, and to be able to take those waste products and to use them to have bacteria, break that down and turn it into methane, and to reduce our dependence on coal is extremely important in terms of reducing the carbon imprint. Wisconsin is dependent on coal at the tune of 70%.

As a matter of fact, Bill, I had my very first asthma attack shoveling coal into our furnace when I was young.

BILL HEMMER: ...Now, I think Marquette's a great school. I think they probably had fantastic alums who were giving a lot of money to that school. My question is why are we paying for that? Isn't that what grants are for for universities?

MOORE: You know, we're not just taxpayers, Bill. We're citizens. And as citizens, we need citizens of the United States, we need to, number one, be the leaders in developing alternative energy so that we can generate jobs. In my particular community, there is very high unemployment, in some areas, up to 50% unemployment among the men in my community.

HEMMER: How many jobs would this create?

MOORE: Well, I can tell you that 70% of our electricity right now is generated from the use of coal. And this would reduce... it has already reduced the need for electricity fired by coal in the South Shore plant.

HEMMER: But the 500 grand itself -- How many jobs would it create? And I still want to get a solid answer to my question about a grant. Why not apply for the grant money and use that instead of...? Because you know what I see out there? I see every American household, every American household is making changes because of the economic climate except for one, and that's the House of Congress.

MOORE: Listen, why wouldn't we apply for grants? I'll tell you why: Because the department is actually looking for innovative projects like this. And while the researcher is in place, why should they wait with their representative, me, you know, elected by the people in that area, has identified a very worthy project, something that will make a difference not only in Milwaukee, not only in the United States, but around the world, why shouldn't we be the leader? And to the extent that the department funded it, they didn't do it because they love me so much, Bill. They did it because they saw it as a project that they are trying to encourage.

Moore didn't answer Hemmer's question about how many jobs the grant would create.

But she certainly is passionate about "Poop to Power."




(h/t Charlie)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

So are you for or against spending the money on the research to produce methane generated electricity or simply displaying ecstatic glee at being able to use the word poop? Considering that the beautifully intense colors in the photo next to your name on the right of the your home page are largely the product of heavy particulate pollution, mostly from coal generated electricity, where do you stand on the subject?

As dial-up is my only option for connection, I'll have to wait to get to the public library to view the video, but nowhere in the print version of the transcript you have provided do the words human waste appear. Human waste from Milwaukee, including heavy metals and other toxins are largely disposed of on white suburban school-yards, parks, ball fields, playgrounds and on high income golf courses in the form of fertilizer. Fertilizer which because of high levels of toxins still present, is being linked by medical research to the marked increased incidence of alzshimers, Lou Gehrigs disease and other forms of dimensia. Milorganite ring a bell?

So are you for coal-fired electrical generation pollution or simply trying to dis Gwen Moore? Seems like your unwillingness to give her the respect of using her legislative title before her name tells the story. Seems to me you Hemmer and Sykes aren't only speaking crap, you're apparently also full of it. Let's attempt to generate some more, "faux," controversy for the sake of total obstructionism, to everything.

Mary said...

That's right. I'm "simply displaying ecstatic glee at being able to use the word poop."

Geez, take it down a notch.

Moore laughed at "Poop to Power" and so did I. Do you ever laugh?

And the colors of the sky at sunset are NOT "largely the product of heavy particulate pollution, mostly from coal generated electricity."

Read about what makes a beautiful sunset.

It's NOT pollution from coal generated electricity.

Good grief.

You even try to turn a breathtaking sunset into a downer.

Anonymous said...

Hey Gwen Moore,
I can recycle my pups waste which I collect weekly in the back yard to your office. That will be my gift to the 'save the earth' efforts and then I can sleep well at night, knowing I have done my poop, I mean, my part. Address for donations please?
Bruce

Mary said...

District Office
219 N Milwaukee St STE 3A
Milwaukee, WI 53202

DC Office
1408 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Anonymous said...

Hey people, properly done this is a great idea that is not really new. If the heavy metals are kept out of the waste stream the end result is power and fertilizer. This power solution has the potential to increase our national energy independence.

Mary said...

It's a renewable resource. That's for sure.