In the Pipeline: 1/15/13

Could it be that investors have figured that now that the free money is coming to an end, it is time to leave the party? Bloomberg(1/14/13) reports: “Clean energy investment slid 11 percent last year after governments in industrial nations slashed subsidies for technologies ranging from wind turbines to solar power and biomass. The $268.7 billion invested in the industry last year was down from a record $302.3 billion in 2011, the second highest reading ever and was five times the level in 2004, according to data compiled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.”

Sounds like the EPA doesn’t like what they found in Pavilion.  And by that we mean they didn’t find any ‘evidence’ to advance an agenda that doesn’t include actual environmental protection.Billings Gazette (1/10/13) reports: “Federal environmental regulators have once again lengthened their investigation into potential groundwater contamination at a west-central Wyoming natural gas field, riling the operator in the field and area landowners, who are both fed up with the delays.”

The Big Pompino is back at the plate and pointing for the fences.  Don’t bet against this man. Politico (1/15/13) reports: “Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) today will reintroduce his legislation from the last congress targeting a variety of tax credits (with a few small adjustments). A House GOP aide tells ME that the bill, which picked up 28 Republican co-sponsors but didn’t see much movement in the last Congress, as well as the larger issue of energy tax provisions in general, is getting more attention from members following the fiscal cliff deal, which included an extension of the wind production tax credit and other energy provisions.”

Beyond Belief: Sierra Club “Beyond” Campaigns now include national security, prosperity, and common sense. Politico (1/14/13) reports: “Top brass at the Sierra Club say they have new hope that President Barack Obama will reject the Keystone XL pipeline because of the high-carbon intensity of tar sands oil drilling… Before, activists thought that there was little real chance of such a decision, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said on a press call Monday.”

Greeks are raiding public forests to get wood to heat their homes because normal heating oil is too expensive.  Don’t think for a second that this is some silly situation in a faraway land that could never happen here in America. WSJ (1/11/13) reports: “Tens of thousands of trees have disappeared from parks and woodlands this winter across Greece, authorities said, in a worsening problem that has had tragic consequences as the crisis-hit country’s impoverished residents, too broke to pay for electricity or fuel, turn to fireplaces and wood stoves for heat… As winter temperatures bite, that trend is dealing a serious blow to the environment, as hillsides are denuded of timber and smog from fires clouds the air in Athens and other cities, posing risks to public health.”

Wind Turbines: The “Cuisinarts of the Sky”. MasterResource (1/14/13) reports: “Tension in the room mounted. The old man … pleaded with the [California] planning commission to protect his pigeons from ‘the Cuisinarts of the air’. The arrow went straight home, sending up a roar from the audience. A new image had been created, and the cameras flashed it across the country. Although often credited to staging by Cerrell and Associates, the term was conceived by the Sierra Club.”

Question: Name three people that crushed Matt Damon this weekend at the box office.  Answer: A hobbit, a dead President, and Bette Midler.  And no, Bette Midler is not a hobbit. The Hill(1/7/13) reports: “Fracking gets natural gas out of the ground, but it isn’t bringing people into movie theaters… Big stars and political controversy didn’t translate into a significant box-office haul as “Promised Land,” a new movie exploring environmental concerns about the gas-production method known more formally as “hydraulic fracturing,” fared poorly in its nationwide opening.”