Graphics are in development.

With transportation the fuel source needs to be more up for consideration.  Fossil fuels are presenting concerns with potential climate change; in the near term, more of an immediate impact would be exposure to harmful vapors released throughout the process of development and use. The first immediate action is to prevent exposure by keeping inhabitants away from affected areas, including fuel production and distribution, along with highways.  Studies are raising red flags for homes and businesses within a range of 100 meters’ proximity to highways / fuel stations and one mile from fuel production, such as hydraulic fracturing.  Within this distance preferably should be a remediation program, similar to those discussed in the Agriculture Webinar (nonprofitwebinar.org/agriculture).  In the event buildings are already constructed too close, workers and tenants should be provided with retrofit protections.  This process may involve a ventilation and vacuum apparatus to generate a barrier which blocks and removes all air approaching from that source.  Workers are to be provided with personal respiration and hazard gear, along with ongoing healthcare coverage.

In terms of climate change, carbon has not been disproved as a contributor.  With that in mind industries are requested to take all steps possible to minimize their acceleration of the process.  With fossil fuel combustion, carbon previously contained within ground gets released into the atmosphere, which scientists have cautioned over time may lead to extreme, traumatic weather.  Biological, plant-based fuel production reduces concern about these factors.  During the growth process, plants absorb carbon from the environment, therefore when leaves or byproducts are combusted the net yield is more balanced out.

Hemp is widely regarded as a worthy plant for this purpose, offering rapid production with minimal treatment.  The seeds can be converted into oil extracts, whereas leaf matter is inherently ignitable for use in biomass briquettes, which serve the same purpose as coal, such as for trains and steam engines.  Calculations in more detail are requested to approximate how much cumulative carbon is absorbed by the hemp plant over the course of various phases in its lifecycle, along with the respective amount released when refined in different ways and burned. For instance there may be an equilibrium point, where portions of the plant could be set aside for other purposes to contain some amount of carbon, if necessary.  Given the hemp plant is a relatively short in height, growing operations can utilize structured platforms to stack multiple levels, maximizing production for a given plot of land   Notice, it is assumed the factors outlined in our Agriculture Webinar (nonprofitwebinar.org) are already accounted for, though areas around hemp refinery and combustion should still be sectioned off, if possible.

References (Last Updated May 10, 2021):

– United States Department of Transportation
– National Transportation Safety Board
– National Transportation Library – Bureau of Transportation Statistics
– National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
– Climate Change – EPA
– Global Climate Change – NASA
– Near Busy Roads – San Diego Reader
– American Lung Association State of the Air – Health Risks Near Highways
– Living Near a Highway Can Be Bad for Your Health – Tufts Now
– Environmental Health – Near-Highway Pollutants in Motor Vehicle Exhaust – BMC
– Is It Safe to Live Near a Gas Station? – Scientific American
– Living Within 100m of a Garage is Bad for Your Health – Daily Mail
– Gas Stations Pollute their Immediate Surroundings – Science Daily
– Air Pollution Spikes in Homes Near Fracking Wells – Forbes
– Study of Health Impacts in Air Near Fracking Sites – University of Colorado Denver
– Birth Defects and Mothers’ Proximity to Natural Gas Development – NIH
– Exxon Mobil CEO: No Fracking Near my Backyard – USA Today
– Outdoor Air – Oil and Natural Gas Production – EPA
– Report Lists Toxic Chemicals Used in Local Oil and Gas Operations – SCPR
– Gulf Oil Spill Researcher: Bacteria Ate Some Toxins, But Worst Remain – AAAS
– Oklahoma Earthquakes Fracking – LA Times
– Man-Made Earthquakes Are Changing the Seismic Landscape – The Atlantic
– Here’s Another Complication for Fracking – Radioactive Waste – PRI
– Coal Ash Is More Radioactive Than Nuclear Waste – Scientific American
– Keystone Pipeline Leak Worse Than Thought – US News
– A Century of Controversy – National Geographic
– America, Oil, and War in the Middle East – Oxford Journals
– The Coming Oil Wars – Spectator
– Lead in Aviation Fuel – Scientific American
– Hemp Biodiesel: When the Smoke Clears – Biodiesel Magazine
– Firewood in the Fuel Tank – Low Tech Magazine
– The Cannabis Biomass Energy Equation – CC Guide
– USA Energy Department – Wood and Pellet Heating
– Biomass Pyrolysis Research – USDA
– Cars Made of Plants – Edmunds Report
– Hemp is the Future of Plastics – NASA/ADS
– America on the Move – Smithsonian
– Mushrooms May Slow Global Warming – CS Monitor