Having something to endure always brings people together, which is why on the morning of our first day on our trip the rain can be credited with the majority of the bonding that has already happened between the nine students and two faculty members accompanying each other on our unique field study in Montana. We were awakened by Steve, the appointed “Morning Czar” of the day who got us all out of the closest things man has come to a synthetic womb – our tents – and up making breakfast and hot drinks. The plan for the day was to bike to a coal fired power plant that morning, come back for lunch, visit an oil refinery, and then return to our Kampsite of America where we would have a discussion, dinner and possibly a soak in the hot tub.
The first hour of our visit to the power plant was spent in a classroom, listening to a presentation by Tom Olson, the plant manager, along with a public relations representative and an engineer. We learned how the plant operated and more specifically the details of operating in accordance with state and federal regulations and what they are doing to address the issue of coal’s impact on pollution and climate change. Occasionally in the presentation the three would include comments about the faults of wind power, citing its inconsistency. In relation to global warming words such as “allegedly” were used. While I might think the contrary, I can see why the people we talked to today might think that. I will use my bike trailer as an analogy.
About a week before coming to Montana to bike across the state, I purchased a trailer to tow all my belongings behind me. It was not cheap, as I invested hard earned cash in the piece of equipment, just like the employees invested a lot of time and effort into their work. Three other students on the trip have trailers, and they all happen to be the same kind, but different from mine in many ways. Theirs have one wheel, a dry bag to load their gear in, and it connects directly to the frame of the bike. Mine has two wheels, a compartment covered with a removable water repellent canvas top, and a hitch to attach it to the bike. In my mind, my trailer is the smarter choice between the two. Even if I went with the other kind, I would think that I had the superior trailer. Why would I choose to admit a bad decision, when all I need to do is deny that the other trailer is better? I am not saying that it was a bad decision to work in a coal fired power plant, but if I did I would never admit that all the time I put in did more bad than good, and I would not be eager to accept a “theory” that global temperatures are rising, causing glaciers to melt and raise sea levels, especially since my house is not under water yet.
Lunchtime blessed us with the opportunity to eat food, and even bask in a bit of sunshine and clear sky that the clouds forgot to cover up. It did not take too long for them to realize their mistake and soon enough we were damp with the familiar drizzle as we were picked up and taken to the Exxon/Mobile oil refinery in a big rumbling bus.
New Jersey is a state that mainly acquired its tainted reputation from the region in front of and around Newark International Airport. Anybody driving on the parkway in that area will see refinery after refinery with their looming tanks of crude oil, gasoline, and diesel fuel. Many people who drive on this section of road just hold their breath and push a little harder on the gas pedal, not once thinking about what it would be like to check it out and meet the people who work at these places. Imagine working at a coal power plant or an oil refinery for twenty plus years, and then all of a sudden facing major scrutiny for the role your industry plays in global warming. Upon talking with some employees, defensiveness became a common theme of the day, but for reasons that should be understood.
I for one cannot say that I don’t take advantage of Jersey’s relatively cheap oil. Without it, transporting my belongings up and down the coast to and from Vermont would become a feat for one with strength comparable to the Incredible Hulk. If I did not use my cell phone and the electricity needed to charge it, to give my friend a message within seconds I would need speed comparable to that of Flash Gordon. What I am trying to say is that the lifestyle that we live is made possible today by the fossil fuels that we burn for energy, and the people who make it happen. To keep that standard of living and not rely on natural gas, oil, and coal, we would all need to be superheroes. Maybe that will happen someday, but until then all we can do is live with what we have available to us but at the same time increase our efforts to live more sustainably, and focus efforts on switching to renewable energy sources.
Tags: Cycle The Rockies, Energy, Montana, Wild Rockies Field Institute
