Minutes from March 27, 2017

Rotary Club of Casper WY

Meeting Summary

3/27/17

 

President Elect Richard Schwahn called the meeting to order at 12:16, welcoming everyone to today’s meeting. 

Inspiration, Pledge, 4-Way Test:

Phillip Giffin

Greeters:

Nicole Tholson and Steve Loftin were the greeters today, and Steve introduced the members who brought guests:

•Don Harris introduced his son Jim Harris;

•Scott Skavdahl introduced Fred Devore;

•Steve Loftin introduced Becky Byron;

•Kim Manchego introduced her son, Josh Manchego;

•   Tobby, the club’s exchange student, was introduced;

 

Song of the Week:

Gary Pehrson led us in a rousing rendition of Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

 

Rotarians of the Week:

Bill Schilling nominated Richard Schwahn for taking good care of his dog.

Steve Loftin nominated Guy DeWitt, Tom Broumley, Rick Diamond, Dan Odell, Dennis Jack and Jim Porter for volunteering to pack food at Food Bank of the Rockies last week.

Jim Anderson announced that Gene and Deb Theriault are still in Australia on the Friendship Exchange.

 

Announcements:

Bill Schilling announced that the County Commissioners had met to discuss the restrooms that are planned to be built at Rotary Park.  He stated that he and Steve Loftin have been working with CEPI for the planning and construction.  The commissioners amended the allocated $100,000 to $125,000 of 1 Cent Money for the construction.   Bill went on to say that, with the money that the club has allocated for the park, they will be able to complete Rotary Park this Summer.

Dave Elmer announced that he had placed a sheet with Duck Derby sponsorship levels on the tables.  He welcomed all businesses and individuals who want to sponsor the Duck Derby this year to sign up.

  

Program (Major General K. Luke Reiner speaking about the State of the World and its effects on your Guard):

Joe MacGuire introduced Major General K. Luke Reiner. Major General Luke Reiner is the Adjutant General for Wyoming. As such, he directs the Wyoming Military Department, located in Cheyenne. He is responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, plans and programs affecting the more than 3,000 Army and Air National Guard members in Wyoming. He is also responsible for the Wyoming Veterans’ Affairs Commission and the Oregon Trail State Veterans’ Cemetery.  The General began speaking about The World and Your Military saying that, in his opinion, the major threats that the United States faces now are 4+1.  Russia, North Korea, China, Iran and Isis. He reviewed each of the threats one by one explaining why he felt they were a danger to our safety.  General Reiner spoke about the Federal Budget and how military support has decreased and that the budget is barely sufficient to handle the security.  He went on to say that there are 3000 Air and Army National Guardsmen in Wyoming and 50,000 nationwide and that they are always looking for new recruits.  He concluded by saying that the United Sates has been at war for 16 years, which make this the longest war in history.

 

Program (Jason Begger speaking about the Integrated Test Center (coal))

A small state agency is working to keep coal viable as a major electric energy source by conducting research into ways of turning carbon dioxide into an asset. The greenhouse gas is blamed for being a major contributor to global warming. Obama-era regulations and actions took aim at carbon dioxide producing uses by Americans who rely on coal and oil and gas for powering homes, businesses and vehicles.  Jason Begger told Casper Rotarians earlier this week that the Wyoming Integrated Test Center (ITC) is working on emission technology research. "ITC is developing a pilot scale research facility that will utilize gasses from the flue of the Dry Fork generating station," Begger said. In addition to carbon dioxide emissions, coal-fired power plants also put nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide and particulates into the atmosphere.  Funding for ITC comes from a variety of government and industry sources. These include $15.0 million appropriated by the Wyoming Legislature; Basin Electric’s contribution as host of ITC at the Dry Fork station; Tri State Generating and Transmission $5.0 million; the National Rural Electric Association has kicked in $1.0 million; and the XPRIZE Foundation, which is holding a contest to find the best natural gas and coal technology to capture carbon dioxide. The research competitors are in the second phase of the contest and Begger said he hopes the testing center will be fully constructed later this year. It will consist of several bays in which scientists will build their test modules using the flue gas piped from the power plant.  Begger said that one-third of the nation uses electricity produced by coal-fired power plants. He used the example of a large pool of water that represents the U.S. energy supply. "Fuels like coal, natural gas and solar feed into the pool while demand from electricity users constantly drains the available electricity," Begger said. Electricity from coal plants can provide constant base load power that helps grid operators know how much electricity is available "minute by minute."  The Wyoming Business Report’s Wyoming Energy Summit will feature discussions of all energy challenges and opportunities from all aspects of the state’s energy sector. These will include discussions of coal, oil and gas, and renewable sources such as wind an solar. The Summit will be held at Cheyenne’s Radisson Hotel May 18, 2017, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.