Commercial Real Estate Problems

The world of banking has been in a difficult place, through their own making, for quite some time now. The president has thrown a lot of taxpayer money at the banks to solve the problem. All that stimulus does not seem to have kick started the economy. Of course, all of this bad news developed because of a mad rush to make as many home loans as possible, and making them easier and easier to get - before the BUST that is. That was the residential market. The commercial market is always a few months behind.

I was reading in a real estate magazine the other day that banks are now holding more than $34 billion in non performing commercial and industrial property loans. I have not seen anything in the press about the massive mess potential of this latest real estate debacle. Maybe it is to come, and maybe I am seeing problems that just aren't there. After all, I am just an environmental consultant.

Closing Mines

There has been a lot of talk lately about closing old mines. It is apparently a big safety issue and States throughout the west have initiated the process. Recently we bumped into a very nice technology that is terrific for closing mines in a safe and effective way. It would also allow for reopening the mine with minimal effort if whatever the mine was originally being used for becomes economically viable again.

We have an arrangement with a materials firm that has invented a structural polyurethane foam, that is non-toxic. It is an expandable foam that when set is the approximate consistency of a board. The material is relatively cheap. It can easily, quickly, and relatively cheaply fill the mine cavity to prevent any entry. Yet it allows for reopening with minimal effort, in the precise location of the original tunnels. This structural foam obviously has a myriad of uses beyond that of mine closures, but that does seem to be the flavor of the day.