Business Perspectives articles from March 2005

Business Perspectives archives from March 2005

Why are energy prices so high?
March 22, 2005... We often hear that energy is the lifeblood of our economy and that is quite true. Our economic growth and our economic and social well-being depend on safe, affordable and dependable supplies of energy. Fortunately, we have had that, for the...

Summer 2005 motor gasoline outlook.
March 22, 2005... Summary * Petroleum markets are tight and are likely to remain so through the summer season (April through September). High crude oil costs, refinery capacity constraints, strong gasoline demand growth, uncertainty about the availability...

To drill or not to drill.(oil well drilling environmental and economic prespective)
March 22, 2005... In March 2005, the Senate approved, by a 51-49 vote, drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska. In 1980, then-President Jimmy Carter approved a bill that if approved by Congress would allow drilling in ANWR. The debate...

How high are gasoline prices?
March 22, 2005... Rising gasoline prices provided plenty of fodder during the 2004 political campaign season as retail gasoline prices, including taxes, edged over $2.00 per gallon in most parts of the country. In nominal terms, current gasoline prices are...

Daylight saving time saves more than time.
March 22, 2005... Most people view Daylight Saving Time as a necessary evil, an inconvenience that gives us an extra hour of sleep in October and robs us of an hour of sleep in April. Spring forward, fall back, lose an hour, gain an hour. Is there any reason for...

Memphis Light, Gas and Water: meeting the challenge.(Brief Article)
March 22, 2005... Who knows more about utilities than Shelby County's own Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW)? Business Perspectives wanted to know how MLGW was meeting the challenge of high energy prices. We asked MLGW to respond to some basic concerns, such...

About MLGW.(Memphis Light Gas and Water)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2005... Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) is the largest three-service utility in the nation. With more than 2,800 employees, the utility brings electricity, natural gas, and water services to customers throughout Shelby County. The utility's annual...

MLGW takes innovative path to ensure stable rates.(Memphis Light, Gas & Water innovative management)
March 22, 2005... MLGW has a long-standing commitment to providing the best possible service at the lowest possible rates, and the utility has received numerous awards that illustrate its effectiveness in achieving this goal. The utility's stance on rates...

MLGW meets the challenges of the restructured gas industry.
March 22, 2005... MLGW's mission is to provide customer-focused, reliable, safe, and cost-effective utility services to the Greater Memphis community. There are continual challenges in trying to meet these goals, and MLGW's strategic plan has three areas of...

Green Power Switch offers environmentally-friendly generation.
March 22, 2005... Electric power generation from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas creates significant emissions resulting in greenhouse gases, acid rain, and other air quality problems. In addition to investing billions to improve the environmental...

Resources available to help customers control utility costs and consumption.(Buyers Guide)
March 22, 2005... Cut Energy Waste To Save Rising energy costs--be it natural gas, oil, or gasoline--are prompting many consumers to examine operating costs in a manner not seen since the energy crisis of the 1970s. While not everyone can trade in their...

Driving change--one hybrid at a time.(energy consumption and hybrid vehicles )
March 22, 2005... The Gas-Guzzling Status Quo The auto industry spends $8 billion a year on advertising, with most of it spent convincing the American consumer that bigger is good, bigger and faster is even better, and that the biggest and fastest of...

Pushing the envelope: a promising example of ORNL's work on integrating building technologies is progress in creating affordable zero energy houses.(Reprint)
March 22, 2005... If ORNL's Jeff Christian could have his way, next-generation houses in East Tennessee would generate as much electricity as they consume. Such zero-energy homes, which eliminate electric bills by producing the power they need using solar...

U.S. and energy.(energy statistics)(Illustration)
March 22, 2005... [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Summary of U.S. and Tennessee Nuclear Power Plants, 1980-2000 1980 1990 2000 2000 (U.S.) (U.S.) (U.S.) (TN) Operable Units 71 112 104 ...

The Memphis economy.(nonfarm employment statistics)
March 22, 2005... Data on the Nonfarm Employment and Unemployment Rates are for the Memphis MSA that includes Shelby, Fayette, and Tipton counties in Tennessee; Crittenden County, Arkansas; and DeSoto County, Mississippi. The definition of the Memphis MSA...

Memphis by the numbers.(Memphis Light Gas and Water customer base)(Illustration)
March 22, 2005... Total Number of MLGW Customers for 1990, 2000, and 2003 1990 359,024 2000 409,070 2003 427,154 Source: Memphis Regional Chamber and Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division. Note: Table made from bar graph. Number...