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In the Pipeline: 5/15/13

May 15, 2013 AEA Leave a Comment

A senior adviser to McCain 2008 wrote this piece, arguing (I kid you not) that a carbon tax is a good thing because it is “relatively hidden.” Since when did hiding taxes from the American people become fashionable for conservatives? RealClearEnergy (5/14/13) reports: “Enter the carbon tax. Besides its intended purpose of reducing carbon emissions, it is politically advantageous, in that it is a tax that is relatively hidden. If phased in over a decade, the annual increase in gas prices that would result would be less than the typical annual fluctuations we already observe. And its other manifestations are also somewhat less than obvious—power bills will go up, but they’ve been inexorably increasing since time immemorial, even in places that get most of their power via natural gas.”

The rule of law? Screw it. FuelFix (5/14/13) reports: “The Obama administration has never fined or prosecuted a wind farm for killing eagles and other protected bird species, shielding the industry from liability and helping keep the scope of the deaths secret, an Associated Press investigation has found… Each death is federal crime, a charge that the Obama administration has used to prosecute oil companies when birds drown in their waste pits, and power companies when birds are electrocuted by their power lines. No wind energy company has been prosecuted, even those that repeatedly flout the law.”

This study raises interesting questions not only about suicide rates in counties where coal-fired electrical plants operate, but also about the suicide rates among individuals who are forced to fend off this nonsense on a daily basis. Science Daily (5/13/13) reports: “New research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center finds that suicide, while strongly associated with psychiatric conditions, also correlates with environmental pollution… Lead researcher John G. Spangler, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of family medicine at Wake Forest Baptist, looked specifically at the relationship between air pollution and emissions from coal-fired electricity plants.”

What happens when the greenies realize they’ve lost the scarcity narrative? I hope they don’t think they can compete on price… The Atlantic (5/13/13) reports: “That’s the big story: Like whale oil in the 1860s, oil has become uncompetitive even at low prices, long before becoming unavailable even at high prices… This comparison doesn’t even consider hidden or external costs. Just the economic and military costs of U.S. oil dependence, if paid at the pump rather than through taxes and reduced wealth, would triple the price of oil — plus any costs to health, safety, environment, climate, global stability and development, or our nation’s independence and reputation.”

We call this a dangerously maligned incentive structure. Denver Business Journal (5/8/13) reports: “After a mad dash throughout 2012 to install wind turbines across the United States — ahead of the expiration of a federal tax credit for wind-generated energy at the end of 2012 — Vestas Wind Systems didn’t deliver a single machine to a U.S. wind farm during the first three months of 2013.”

These kids put on a pretty show, and it’s good to see that not all 11 year olds are wasting their lives on Playstation 7. But it’d be cool if they also learned about the consequences of top-down, anti-growth government policies. Free markets and free people are their best bet for a bright future and a cleaner environment… It’s science. Huffington Post (5/13/13) reports: “The youths presentation included a rap that they wrote about the dangers of fracking stating, “poisoned the water, poisoned the air, poisoned the people, do you think that’s fair?” and included a call-and-response for the students, ‘When I say what the, you say frack. What the… frack, what the… frack.’”

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In the Pipeline: 3/29/13

March 29, 2013 AEA Leave a Comment

We had to recheck the calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1^st.Washington Free Beacon (3/28/13) reports: “After bankruptcy, a buyout by a Chinese firm, and more than a hundred million dollars in taxpayer money, the lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems, Inc., is getting a new name: B456 Systems, Inc… A123, which produces batteries used in electric cars, has changed its name to B456, the company announced Thursday in a regulatory filing.”

What’s the price of gasoline in California, again? Only 38.9 cents higher than the national average. But hey, at least the car companies can have a uniform standard. The White House (3/22/13) presents:

As we have noted before, Senator Blunt did a great job. So did Downey. And so did Neil Chatterjee, who kept the whole thing between the ditches and moving forward. WSJ (3/28/13) reports: “Proposals for that hardy Al Gore perennial, a carbon tax, are making a comeback. But if last weekend’s votes in the Senate are any guide, the idea is going to require a lot more political persuasion… The media ignored Harry Reid’s budget vote-a-rama, but along the way Senators were allowed to declare on a pair of amendments related to energy taxes. First up was Rhode Island liberal Sheldon Whitehouse, who wanted to reserve any carbon-tax revenues to reduce the deficit or redistribute to certain voters. Apparently Mr. Whitehouse sees a carbon levy as inevitable and wants to make sure he’s the middleman.”

It is pretty cool that the earth is a massive repository of organic compounds that we can use to make life somewhat enjoyable and interesting as we cruise through space on what is otherwise just a tiny speck of dust in the universe. But it’s also pretty cool that as our use of these organic compounds (oil, gas, coal) has increased, so has our ability to care for the environment. The bad guys think life is a zero-sum game. They are wrong. Think Progress (3/21/13) reports: “The planet we live on is valuable only as a repository for natural resources, according to Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX). Stockman, a lawmaker best known for bringing Ted Nugent to the State of the Union and opposing the Violence Against Women Act because it protected “change-gender” individuals, went on an extended Twitter rant Thursday afternoon accusing environmentalists of hating science.”

The following think tank chiefs are opposed to a carbon tax. Please contact us at nocarbontax@energydc.org if you wish to join our growing ranks. We are thinking about starting a new list – trade association heads. We fear, however, it will be pretty small.

Tom Pyle, American Energy Alliance / Institute for Energy Research
Myron Ebell, Freedom Action
Phil Kerpen, American Commitment
William O’Keefe, George C. Marshall Institute
Lawson Bader, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Andrew Quinlan, Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Tim Phillips, Americans for Prosperity
Joe Bast, Heartland Institute
David Ridenour, National Center for Public Policy Research
Michael Needham, Heritage Action for America
Tom Schatz, Citizens Against Government Waste
Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform
Sabrina Schaeffer, Independent Women’s Forum
Barrett E. Kidner, Caesar Rodney Institute
George Landrith, Frontiers of Freedom
Thomas A. Schatz, Citizens Against Government Waste
Bill Wilson, Americans for Limited Government
Wayne Brough, FreedomWorks
Rich Collins, Positive Growth Alliance

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In the Pipeline: 3/26/13

March 26, 2013 AEA Leave a Comment

It’s not enough to help us sleep at night, but at least 53 Senators disagree with His Majesty’s newest court jester. Washington Examiner (3/25/13) reports: “President Obama’s Energy secretary nominee regards a carbon tax as one of the simplest ways to move the energy industry towards clean technologies, though he notes that government would have to come up with a plan to mitigate the burden this tax places on poor people, who would pay the most.”

It would be great if the House Republicans could follow up on Senator Blunt’s – and Downey Palmer’s – good showing. Politico(3/25/13) reports: “More than a dozen Senate Democrats have a message for President Barack Obama: If he wants to take dramatic action on climate change, he’s on his own… The latest evidence came from this weekend’s marathon series of budget votes, in which moderate and conservative Democrats sided with the GOP on the Keystone XL oil pipeline and against any prospects for a tax on carbon.”

Why can’t this Kessler dude just be happy that the pipeline will provide net benefits to the environment? It seems like the entire “environmental” movement is just well-branded masochism.Bloomberg (3/25/13) reports: “‘The Senate spoke with a clear voice on the Keystone XL pipeline,’ Benjamin Cole, a spokesman for American for Energy Alliance, a Washington-based group that supports fossil fuel development, said in an e-mailed statement. ‘It is telling that the amendment garnered such overwhelming and new support from across the political spectrum.’… Environmental groups urged senators to reject the amendment, sponsored by North Dakota Republican John Hoeven. Representatives from 350.org met with aides for Democratic Senators Michael Bennet of Colorado and Mark Warner of Virginia, among others, prior to the vote, Kessler said. Both men backed the amendment… ‘It’s impossible for a U.S. senator to say they’re for action on climate change and support the pipeline,’ Kessler said. ‘It’s like saying you’re against obesity and then putting soft drinks in every school.’”

Maybe we’ll get a fresh start with energy policy over here in the original colonies if a bunch of Brits get wise and decide to go their own way. The Telegraph (3/23/13) reports: “With the worst snow conditions in the country since 1981, it’s worrying, to say the least, that gas supplies are running low. A month ago, The Sunday Telegraph warned in this column of the problems of an energy policy that puts expensive, inefficient green power before coal-fired and nuclear power. There have been a few signs that the Coalition is at last turning its attentions to the issue but, still, not nearly enough has been done. Now we are reaping the consequences. Because of a misguided faith in green energy, we have left ourselves far too dependent on foreign gas supplies, largely provided by Russian and Middle Eastern producers. Only 45 per cent of our gas consumption comes from domestic sources. All it takes is a spell of bad weather, and the closure of a gas pipeline from Belgium, to leave us dangerously exposed, and to send gas prices soaring. Talk of rationing may be exaggerated, but our energy policy is failing to deal with Britain’s fundamental incapacity to produce our own power.”

Apparently the food critic was overqualified. Huffington Post (3/20/13) reports: “But in addition to Eilperin covering climate and environmental policy issues as part of her White House reporting job, the Post’s Lenny Bernstein is moving from the Sports desk to the National staff to take over as environmental reporter. Bernstein has covered several beats at the paper over the years and most recently edited “one of the Post’s most important franchises” — the Redskins.”

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In the Pipeline: 3/25/13

March 25, 2013 AEA Leave a Comment

Show me the Moniz. ProPublica (3/20/13) reports: “When President Obama nominated Ernest Moniz to be energy secretary earlier this month, he hailed the nuclear physicist as a “brilliant scientist” who, among his many talents, had effectively brought together “prominent thinkers and energy companies” in the continuing effort to figure out a safe and economically sound energy future for the country… ‘His connections to the fossil fuel and nuclear power industries threaten to undermine the focus we need to see on renewables and energy efficiency,’ said Tyson Slocum, director of the energy program at the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.”

Next up, fines for heating your home and breathing. Fox NY (3/21/13) reports: “Businesses in Paramus, New Jersey are getting tickets when they leave their sign lights on… Paramus has a quality of life ordinance that fines businesses $200 or more, plus $33 in court costs, if their signs don’t go dark after 11 p.m.”

It is a sad day for Canada when Al Gore is more of a man than the Premier of Alberta. Calgary Herald (3/20/13) reports: “Under fire from the opposition parties over carbon tax comments, Premier Alison Redford said Tuesday she is not calling for a national carbon levy… Redford told Postmedia News on Monday the federal government should follow Alberta’s lead in establishing a $15-per-tonne levy on large industrial emitters that are unable to meet their greenhouse gas reduction targets.”

When it’s all bread and circuses, there’s no time or need to care about real science. American Spectator (3/22/13) reports: “The fact remains that because American industry is greatly improving its environmental practices and is proactively addressing all the “big problems,” there’s only one way for the EPA to stay relevant: find little “problems” — even tiny, infinitesimal ones — and inflate them into issues of tremendous importance. Combine the poorly understood concept of risk, a technically ignorant mainstream media, and a public that has been conditioned to equate the word “chemical” with “deadly poison” and you have the ideal conditions to do just that. And if that kind of approach to environmental management sounds as if it will require the services of a public relations firm rather than a team of scientists, no matter. The environmental movement has been comfortable working in this manner for decades.”

It was a busy week last week. Lots of collectivists were busy. Al Gore (3/21/13) reports: “Taxes are always a regrettable necessity, but some are less regrettable than others. A tax that strengthens energy security and cuts pollution, while minimising the damage done to employment and investment, is one of the least regrettable of all… Yet a carbon tax, which has all those characteristics, is struggling to find support from the US administration or in Congress. It deserves much wider enthusiasm.”

I will only point out that at CPAC a bunch of kids who said they were associated with Arthur Laffer were passing out “Conservatives for a Carbon Tax” stickers. So, apparently, there is still a need for the kind of education George is providing here. Frontiers of Freedom (3/20/13) reports: “It is not surprising that there are liberals in Washington proposing new stealth carbon taxes. What is surprising is that a few ‘conservatives’ support the idea. Even more inexplicable is the fact that some have called the carbon tax a ‘once in a generation opportunity.’… Let me see if I’ve got this right. A huge, gargantuan tax increase — one that would make everything cost more — is a ‘once in a generation opportunity?’”

Now that’s gratitude for you… Bloomberg (3/21/13) reports: “NextEra Energy, the largest U.S. wind-power operator, sued 16 banks yesterday in Manhattan federal court, asking a judge to interpret a 2011 credit “guarantee agreement” in light of recent changes in Spanish law… NextEra said Spain enacted favorable tariff laws in the 1990s to encourage investment in solar power so that by 2008, the country accounted for more than 40 percent of the world’s solar installations.”

What does wind power have to do with chicken you-know-what? Neither is helping North Carolinians. News Observer (3/23/13) reports: “Meanwhile, electricity generated by wind as well as poultry and swine waste have made almost no progress here despite being eligible for the same subsidies that are available for solar power. Those renewables continue to face significant economic and technological obstacles.”

With all the mayhem of St. Valentine’s Day, we missed this last month. But it should be required reading across the land. Ben Zycher takes Congressman Waxman and Senator Whitehouse to school. AEI (2/14/13) reports: “Whatever the actual magnitude of the prospective effects of changes in ambient concentrations of GHG, what is not in dispute is the international nature of those anthropogenic impacts. The policy inquiry in your letter is limited specifically to actions and legislation at the federal level. U.S. emissions of GHG are about 18 percent of global emissions, a proportion that is declining steadily. [3] If we ignore that ongoing decline in the U.S. proportion, the U.S. would contribute about 0.5 degrees of the IPCC best estimate of 3 degrees. Suppose that U.S. policies over time reduce our contribution by half, an outcome that could be achieved only in the face of massive economic dislocation. In that case, the reduction in the U.S. contribution would be about 0.2-0.3 degrees, a change that no climate model predicts would yield measurable effects in terms of climate patterns and attendant impacts upon weather and other parameters.”

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In the Pipeline: 3/22/13

March 22, 2013 AEA Leave a Comment

The brains of this operation are hard at work. IER (3/21/13) reports: “IER President Thomas Pyle sent letters to all 50 U.S. governors this week, detailing how pro-growth policies for energy development on federal lands could redound to the economic prosperity of their states… The letters represent the next phase of IER’s nation-wide strategy to educate policy makers and the American people about the opportunity for economic prosperity that more oil and gas leasing on federal lands would create. In each letter, Pyle references state-specific data concerning budget deficits and prolonged unemployment to bolster the case for expanded energy production on federal lands.”

Paul Ehrlich, Obama’s “Science Advisor” and John Holdren’s co-author and colleague said, “given society’s dismal record in managing technology, the prospect of cheap, inexhaustible power from fusion is ‘like giving a machine gun to an idiot child.’” These people could care less about the environment. They want god-like control to make the world into whatever image pops into their very scary minds. Rolling Stone (3/11/13) reports: “Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon have put up billboards, run a TV ad and presented petitions in opposition of fracking, now they’ve recruited celebrity friends including Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt for the new video to their song “Don’t Frack My Mother,” which debuted last summer on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon… The song is the latest entry in their Artists Against Fracking campaign to persuade New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo not to allow gas companies to use hydraulic fracturing in New York state to extract natural gas trapped deep within underground rock.”

And the moral of the Izembek road saga is that environmental groups care far more about grizzly habitat than the health and welfare of their fellow humans. E&ENews (3/21/13) reports: “The advancement this morning of President Obama’s nominee for Interior secretary drew cheers from some environmentalists but jeers from key conservation groups who criticized the department for postponing its decision on whether to allow a road through Alaska’s Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.”

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In the Pipeline: 3/20/13

March 20, 2013 AEA Leave a Comment

That’s odd – I thought there was a sham solar company in the US too. There must be different trademark laws overseas. Gizmodo(3/19/13) reports: “The Shams Power Company opened their Shams 1 concentrated solar power station this week in Abu Dhabi. The station generates 100 MW and can power 20,000 homes while reducing CO2 emissions by 175,000 tons per year.”

The President can be as proud of “our” increase in oil and gas production as he wants. But if he or any of his handlers take credit for any of it, they are flat out lying. Politico (3/19/13) reports: “White House energy adviser Heather Zichal drew a line in the sand this morning on the president’s Energy Security Trust proposal, stressing that the administration would not accept expanded drilling as part of the plan. “No. ANWR is off the table. Our existing OCS plan and nothing else,” Zichal told reporters, referring to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, which has long been a non-starter for Democrats. While Zichal’s comments are no surprise, they underscore the difficulty the administration’s Energy Security Trust proposal faces in Congress. The plan, which would funnel royalties from existing oil and gas production into research and development, has bipartisan support.”

Are people suggesting that competition and price signals would be better for business (and better for you)? When will these greedy capitalists just learn to take a handout? Heritage (3/19/13) reports: “More than $51 billion in unused loan guarantee authority and $4.4 billion in unused credit subsidies (to cover the government’s long-term cost of the loan) remain available under the DOE’s Loan Guarantee Program (1703) and Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program… Association with the failed solar companies and troubled car manufacturers has diminished the program’s public perception. That negative “political environment” has made companies less likely to apply for the loan guarantees…”

There’s a new sheriff in town…

The Chinese know this whole thing is a sham. It’s a terrible investment, and we should just leave it to the American taxpayer to pick up the tab. WSJ (3/18/13) reports: “Chinese auto makers have pulled back from talks to buy Fisker Automotive Inc. over a disagreement on whether to revive a loan agreement with the U.S., leaving the Anaheim, Calif., company’s future uncertain ahead of an April loan payment… Fisker management had proposed to the Chinese that as part of any sale it tap the remaining portion of a $529 million U.S. loan, a move that would commit a new owner to building Fisker cars at a former General Motors Co. GM +0.21% auto factory in Delaware, a person familiar with the situation said on Monday…The Delaware plant is big, old and expensive and the Chinese balked at the U.S. loan because they don’t want to be compelled to build cars there, another person said.”

This would’ve been a fun day in 8^th grade science class. Slate (3/19/13) reports: “The treatment plant produces a lot of solid organic waste from the 44 million gallons of wastewater it processes daily. There’s an anaerobic digester on site to consume some of that waste so IEUA doesn’t have to pay to landfill everything it pulls out of the sewage, but the bacteria in the digester produce another kind of waste: methane, a potent greenhouse gas. IEUA is under the authority of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, one of the strictest such agencies in the country. Plant managers knew that beginning in November, 2012, it would be also under California’s statewide emissions trading program, forcing it, for the first time, to pay for the carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity it gets from the grid.”

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In the Pipeline: 3/19/13

March 19, 2013 AEA Leave a Comment

I think it goes something like: “You give them an inch, and they come after you with a chainsaw for your puppies and freedom.” E&ENews(3/18/13) reports: “A group of leading economists — including Nobel Prize winners Kenneth Arrow, William Sharpe, Thomas Sargent and Joseph Stiglitz — called on President Obama to back a carbon price on aviation… In a letter dated Thursday, the experts urged Obama to support the market-based measure as the cost-effective way to promote more efficient technology and lower emissions.”

Forget Rachel Hunter; not everything the Aussies create is worthwhile. Yahoo (3/18/13) reports: “The federal coalition says reports that business insolvencies are at a record high in Australia are worrying and show the carbon tax is doing damage… The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has recorded more than 10,500 company collapses for the year to March, News Limited reports.”

This just in: Your car stinks because manufacturers need to please a bunch of bureaucrats in la-la land, not you the consumer who is going to drive the thing. The Guardian (3/14/13) reports: “A new report reveals that carmakers routinely manipulate official UN-backed miles/gallons tests, with a series of tricks including stripping the car down to weigh as little as possible, overinflating the tyres and testing in the thin air at high-altitude tracks… The tricks of the trade are listed in a report by the Transport & Environment campaign group (T&E), which suggests the official fuel consumption cited by car manufacturers is on average almost 25% lower than that achieved in reality, and in some cases 50% lower.”

Quod licet Jovi, non bovi. At least that is what my friend Octavian used to say. Fox News (3/18/13) reports: “Dozens of celebrities may be running afoul of the law as they unite under the banner of one group that is seeking to prevent a method of gas drilling in New York state… Artists Against Fracking opposes hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and boasts members including Yoko Ono and actors Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon.”

The Economist starts making the case for secession. The Economist(3/16/13) reports: “This fits a pattern. Pressed for cash, states are adopting sweeping reforms as they vie to attract investments and migrants. Louisiana and Nebraska want to abolish corporate and personal income taxes. Kansas has created a post called “the Repealer” to get rid of red tape and pays a “bounty” to high schools for every vocational qualification their students earn in certain fields; Ohio has privatised its economic-development agency; Virginia has just reformed its petrol-tax system… In this second, can-do America, creative policymaking is being applied to the very problems Congress runs away from, like infrastructure spending. While the federal government twiddles its thumbs, states and cities, which are much shorter of cash, are coming up with new ways to raise money for roads, bridges and schools.”

I wonder when the Sierra Club is going to launch its “Beyond Wind” campaign. The suspense is killing me. Natural News (3/14/13) reports: “Large British wind farms will actually release as much carbon dioxide as fossil-fuel power plants, according to a study conducted by researchers from Aberdeen University and published in the journal Nature… The source of the emissions is not the windmills themselves, but the land on which they are being constructed.”

Easy with the jokes there, tiger! WSJ (3/18/13) reports: “Institute for Energy Research senior vice president Dan Kish on how President Obama may hold up the Keystone XL pipeline and other energy and infrastructure projects.”

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In the Pipeline: 3/18/13

March 18, 2013 AEA Leave a Comment

What happens to a society when there are more takers than makers? White House (3/15/13) reports: “The President’s plan builds on an idea that has bipartisan support from experts including retired admirals and generals and leading CEOs, and it focuses on one goal: shifting America’s cars and trucks off oil entirely.”

I bet oil production would come to a screeching halt if President Obama’s teleprompter were turned off. Praise His Majesty, from whom all blessings flow. Washington Examiner (3/16/2013) reports: “‘We produce more oil than we have in 15 years. We import less oil than we have in 20 years,’ he said. ‘We’re producing more natural gas than we ever have before — with hundreds of thousands of good jobs to show for it.’… Those numbers are true. Between fiscal years 2010 and 2012, total U.S. oil production rose by about 1.1 million barrels per day over fiscal year 2007, and natural gas production rose 20 percent from 2007 to 2012… What the president failed to mention is that the growth he is so proud of has taken place in spite of his administration’s energy policy, not because of it.”

“Congress set out to create an ethanol industry . . .” With a start like that, who could have guessed that economic, environmental, and energy catastrophe awaited? Pretty much everyone. NYTimes (3/16/13) reports: “Five years ago, rural America was giddy for ethanol. Backed by government subsidies and mandates, hundreds of ethanol plants rose among the golden fields of the Corn Belt, bringing jobs and business to small towns, providing farmers with a new market for their crops and generating billions of dollars in revenue for the producers of this corn-based fuel blend… Those days of promise and prosperity are vanishing.”

And yet, some folks in the sector appear to be OK with a carbon tax. Apparently, that is affordable. EnergyTomorrow (3/11/13) video reports: “Billions of new oil and natural gas taxes? Washington isn’t closing loopholes it’s raising taxes. Say no to Washington’s new energy taxes.”

The Obama Administration is starting to get lazy. Now they are letting their newsletter dump bad news on Friday. Washington Post (3/15/13) reports: “The Obama administration is leaning toward revising its landmark proposal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants, according to several individuals briefed on the matter, a move that would delay tougher restrictions and could anger many environmentalists… The discussions center on the first-ever greenhouse gas regulations for power plants, which were proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency nearly a year ago. Rewriting the proposal would significantly delay any action, and might allow the agency to set a separate standard for coal-fired power plants, which are roughly twice as polluting as those fueled by natural gas.”

We don’t feel that bad for Kelsey; we’re losing money on wind ‘investments’ everyday too. Washington Times (3/14/13) reports: “Former Frasier star Kelsey Grammer told TMZ on Tuesday that wind technology was the worst investment he’s ever made… Grammer told the tabloid that though his finances are good, he lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on a small wind investment… ‘I’m OK, but I didn’t make up for it. It’s just one of those things that’s just a straight loss,’ he said. ‘You’d think it would be lucrative, but it’s not really a friendly environment for new technology, it really isn’t.’”

It’s like environmentalists are a band of firefighters who stay in business by going around lighting peoples’ houses on fire. Slate(3/17/13) reports: “At the same time, another 1 billion people will participate in ‘Earth Hour’ by turning off their lights from 8:30-9:30. The organizers say that they are providing a way to demonstrate one’s desire to ‘do something’ about global warming. But the reality is that Earth Hour teaches all the wrong lessens, and it actually increases CO2 emissions. Its vain symbolism reveals exactly what is wrong with today’s feel-good environmentalism.”

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In the Pipeline: 3/15/13

March 15, 2013 AEA Leave a Comment

What about newborn babies, cow farts, and electric car batteries? Is there anything that doesn’t have an impact on the climate? At what point will you have enough control? Are we asking too many questions, your Majesty? Bloomberg (3/14/13) reports: “President Barack Obama is preparing to tell all federal agencies for the first time that they have to consider the impact on global warming before approving major projects, from pipelines to highways… The result could be significant delays for natural gas- export facilities, ports for coal sales to Asia, and even new forest roads, industry lobbyists warn… The Environmental Protection Agency and activist groups say that review should be broadened to account for the greenhouse gases emitted when exported coal is burned in power plants in Asia.”

Do these dunderheads not remember how many problems were caused by the securitization of junk mortgages? WSJ (3/14/13) reports: “The Obama administration and some on Wall Street are laying the groundwork for bundling renewable-power contracts into securities, part of an effort to make it cheaper to finance alternative energy… The initiative aims to extend to renewable energy a financial tool already used in the mortgage and credit-card industries. The securities could be sold to pension funds or other investors, who would receive a return funded by payments from users of electricity where solar panels or other equipment is installed.”

You know that feeling you get when fingernails are dragged against a chalkboard very slowly and deliberately? The Hill (3/14/13) reports: Pelosi, an avid environmentalist, said Thursday that there’s a reason the pipeline is proposed through the United States and not Canada: the Canadians don’t think it would benefit them… “I met with some legislators from Canada the other day, and I said, ‘You have two coasts, actually three,’ ” Pelosi said, pointing upwards. “‘Why aren’t you taking this oil out through your own country?’

We’ve made it really easy to fire an email over to Secretary Kerry. Send this link out to your people, people.

The following think tank chiefs are opposed to a carbon tax. Please contact us at nocarbontax@energydc.org if you wish to join our growing ranks. We are thinking about starting a new list – trade association heads. We fear, however, it will be pretty small.

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In the Pipeline: 3/13/13

March 13, 2013 AEA Leave a Comment

I suppose China, a nuclearized North Korea, and Islamic militants in the Philippines are largely trivial matters. I also assume this means that the Navy will start shelling powerplants, refineries, and automobile factories. Boston Globe (3/12/13) reports: “America’s top military officer in charge of monitoring hostile actions by North Korea, escalating tensions between China and Japan, and a spike in computer attacks traced to China provides an unexpected answer when asked what is the biggest long-term security threat in the Pacific region: climate change… Navy Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, in an interview at a Cambridge hotel Friday after he met with scholars at Harvard and Tufts universities, said significant upheaval related to the warming planet ‘is probably the most likely thing that is going to happen . . . that will cripple the security environment, probably more likely than the other scenarios we all often talk about.’”

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Washington Times (3/12/13) reports: “Mr. Vitter also released some of Mr. Armendariz’s emails, obtained in a broader investigation of EPA emails, and released several portions Tuesday showing Mr. Armendariz was pleased with new rules and restrictions EPA was pursuing on power generation… ‘We have set things in motion, including empowering and shaming the states, to clean up the oil/gas sector,” Mr. Armendariz said in the email. “Further progress is inevitable. I am extremely proud of the work that we have done collectively. Gina’s new air rules will soon be the icing on the cake, on an issue I worked on years before my current job.’”

Let’s hope she does to the anti-technology crowd what she did to the Beatles. The Guardian (3/11/13) reports: “An eclectic group of celebrities including Yoko Ono, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Susan Sarandon have joined forces in a music video calling for New York state to ban hydraulic fracturing… Titled Don’t Frack My Mother, the song was written by Sean Lennon, with about 25 musicians, actors and comedians performing in the video.”

Our friend Bryan over at the Empire was kind enough to send this along. The author is rude enough to point out that EPA doesn’t actually have the statutory authority to do what it is about to do. Like anyone cares about such things in the post-legal Republic. Federalist Society (March 2013) reports: “With the prospect of imminent action, and growing political pressure to coerce unwilling states into unprecedented greenhouse gas regulation, whether the EPA has the authority to take these actions must be explored. . . . This paper concludes that it does not: In amending Section 111(d) in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, Congress unambiguously provided that the subsection could not be used to set standards for industries that are also regulated under the Clean Air Act’s Section 112 air toxics program. Because existing power plants have been regulated under that program since the 2012 Utility maximum achievable control technology (“MACT”) Rule, the EPA may not lawfully regulate them under Section 111(d).”

What does this have to do with energy? Plenty. The scarcity narrative has broken down everywhere. It is being replaced by the paradigm of plenty. Which is bad news for folks, like many of our environmental brethren (yes, we mean you John Holdren), who do not like humans. CBS (3/11/13) reports: “For the first time in the history of the world, more people will die from overeating than undereating [starvation] this year. … It’s all happened in the last 20 years. … As long as you don’t ban Cheez-Its. Cheez-Its are OK. That’s my addiction.”

The Price of Green Energy: Is Germany Killing the Environment to Save It? Speigel Online (3/12/13) reports: “The German government is carrying out a rapid expansion of renewable energies like wind, solar and biogas, yet the process is taking a toll on nature conservation. The issue is causing a rift in the environmental movement, pitting “green energy” supporters against ecologists.”

We missed this yesterday, but in all fairness Brooks routinely misses things (like the surge in oil and gas production) by years. So we don’t feel too bad. NYTimes (3/11/13) reports: “People in China and elsewhere are wondering if the fracking revolution means that the 21st century will be another North American century, just like the last one… What are the names of the people who are leading this shift? Who is the Steve Jobs of shale? Magazine covers don’t provide the answers. Whoever they are, they don’t seem hungry for celebrity or good with the splashy project launch. They are strong economically, but they are culturally off the map.”

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There’s a new sheriff in town…

We’ve made it really easy to fire an email over to Secretary Kerry. Send this link out to your people, people.

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In the Pipeline
In the Pipeline: 5/15/13