Source 27: Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline ad

ConocoPhillips Alaska Gas Line Ad 2008 (Youtube.com, 4/12/08)

Summary:

This is an advertisement created by ConocoPhillips to promote their proposal for the Alaska natural gas pipeline project.

Topic:

Should the Obama administration allocate large amounts of money ($150 billion) in this time of economic crisis to alternative energy sources?

Category:

Institution- business

What is it?

It is an advertisement made by the energy company ConocoPhillips that was found on youtube.com

Author:

ConocoPhillips

Accessed:

3/4/09

Support:

ConocoPhillips pipeline plan

This is an advertisement made by ConocoPhillips.  The information in the video is used to support the natural gas pipeline plan proposed by the company.  No further sources are stated.

Audience and Agenda:

ConocoPhillips is an internationally integrated energy company.  It is the fifth largest energy corporation.  It has an annual revenue or $188.52 billion.  It makes the majority of its revenue from oil and natural gas holdings.  It employs approximately 32,000 people worldwide.  This ad has 776 hits on Youtube.com.

Usefulness:

This advertisement makes the case for the gas line proposal made by ConocoPhillips for the natural gas reserves in Alaska.  It makes the claim that the proposal will create jobs and benefit the economy.   This is a good resource to see the argument that is being made in favor of the ConocoPhillips proposal.  However, it leaves out any information about competing proposals and the benefits and drawbacks of such proposals.  Advertisements are always good indicators of the angle that is being taken to persuade an audience in a certain direction.  They are usually one sided, but at least it is usually easy to tell what side they are on.

Works Cited:

About ConocoPhillips:

http://www.conocophillips.com/about/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips proposal:

http://www.angda.state.ak.us/DOCS/ConocoPhillips%20Presentation.pdf

http://www.denalipipeline.com/

Source 26: Obama’s real challenge with alternative energy

Obama’s real challenge with alternative energy  (renewable-energy-tv.blogspot.com, 1/1/09)

Summary:

This is a video news story that addresses some complicated issues that must be addressed in order for the Obama Administration to move forward with its alternative energy agenda.

Topic:

Should the Obama administration allocate large amounts of money ($150 billion) in this time of economic crisis to alternative energy sources?

Category:

Journalistic- mainstream

What is it?

This is a video news story produced by MarketWatch.com that was found on a blog from a website that brings together renewable energy blogs.

Author:

The author of blog is Ray the Money Man.

Support:

Severin Borenstein, Director, University of California Energy Institute

Stacy Delo, reporter

Severin Borenstein represents an energy researcher who expresses the issues that may hinder the Obama administration’s agenda on alternative energy.  He also gives his opinion on how to address some of these issues.  Stacy Delo is the reporter who put the story together.

Audience and Agenda:

Renewable Energy TV is a website that brings together videos from various locations that touch on the subject of alternative energy.  It is a part of blogcatalog.com.  Blogcatalog.com is a website that allows anyone to start a blog.  The website gets approximately 9 million hits a month from all around the world.  It is funded by advertising revenue.  The video is produced by MarketWatch.com which is a website that gives investment advise.  This website gets 1.8 million hits per month.  It is published by Dow Jones & Co. and is funded by advertising and other private investors.  It was once a publically traded company. 

Usefulness:

This video makes the argument that falling energy costs make it harder get public support for the implementation of policies to promote alternative energy.  It also raises other issues such as the difficulty in identifying jurisdiction for the tranmission of energy over state lines.  The story raises these questions and provides possible solutions.  This source is helpful for identifying these problems which is the first step to addressing them.  The argument that lower oil prices are a bad thing for the promotion of alternative energy is an issue that the average person may overlook.  This shows that in order for the Obama administration’s energy plan to be fully effective it is required that there be a minimum gas price implemented which may upset a lot of people.  This story makes the argument that now may not be the time for this, but it may be the only way to create sufficient demand for alternative energy sources.

Works Cited:

About blogcatelog.com

http://www.quantcast.com/blogcatalog.com#business

http://www.blogcatalog.com/

About MarketWatch.com

http://www.quantcast.com/marketwatch.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MarketWatch

http://www.marketwatch.com/companyinfo/