Believe it or not, there are plenty of things to remain optimistic about in this world. Among others, you’ve got puppies, bacon, and The Hangover III hitting theaters. IER (5/23/13) reports: “Air quality in the United States is getting cleaner, but sadly many Americans believe the opposite. In order to explain the reality of America’s improving environmental quality, Steven Hayward has spent years compiling environmental data with his Almanac of Environmental Trends. Recently he released an update using data from the Environmental Protection Agency to chronicle the astonishing reductions in air pollution in the last few years alone.”

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes. MPR News (5/14/13) reports: “The Minnesota House and Senate have agreed to an energy bill that includes a 1.5 percent solar energy standard for investor-owned utilities… The House version of the bill had required investor-owned utilities to provide at least 4 percent of their power through solar generation by late 2025. The Senate had approved a bill that included a 1 percent solar standard.”

Are these bozos so close to the issue that they can’t see how simple it really is? We could hire a senior in high school to do this study and save the government and American people a lot of time and money. Here’s a hint – free trade is good for everyone. The Daily Caller (5/23/13) reports: “The newly confirmed Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has announced he will delay the final approval of 20 applications to export liquefied natural gas until he reviews studies on the impact exports would have on domestic natural gas prices… ‘I want to do, as I promised to Chairman Wyden, to make sure that we are using up-to-date data and then we want to go forward on a case-by-case basis … in terms of evaluating licenses in as expeditious a way [possible], consistent with that review process,’ said Moniz, according to The Hill.”

Apologies in advance Dan and Dan, but here’s the winner of the caption contest… Thanks for all the submissions! 

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.

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
Craig Richardson, American Tradition Institute

The birds are taking out the turbines. We’re taking down the ivory towers (metaphorically speaking, of course). Daily Caller(5/21/13) reports: “On his first day in office, President Obama promised to make his ‘administration the most open and transparent in history.’ Yet the recent flap over migratory bird deaths is just the latest example of the Obama administration’s open flouting of the values the president pledged to uphold. Taken together, the scandals expose an ideologically driven administration more concerned with protecting allies and punishing opponents than evenly enforcing the law.”

We are a little worried about the safety of these folks in Boulder tonight. We encourage you to send them back up to help stave off the pitch-fork-enviro-mob. Denver Business Journal (5/22/13) reports: “Boulder will be Ground Zero for the national fracking controversy Wednesday evening, when two films about the use of water, sand and chemicals to access oil and natural gas will be screened at the same time and less than 2 miles from each other.”

Let us make this simple. PacifiCorp thinks that things that are unreliable (like wind power) should pay a bit more than those things that are reliable (like coal or hydropower). Only among the leeches in the wind “industry” would such an idea be controversial. Maybe John Feehery, wind lobbyist, can help.Energy Daily (5//13) reports: “The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), NextEra Energy and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) are among the groups telling FERC that PacifiCorp’s proposed charges for regulation reserve and frequency response services are unfair and unwarranted, with affected renewable generators standing to get socked with far higher charges than fossil-fueled and other power plants that can provide steady output. . . . PacifiCorp maintains its proposed rates are comparable to those charged by other utilities in the region, and are justified by the additional burdens it shoulders to assure adequate power reserves are in place to balance any deviations in power output from intermittent renewables.”

Some problems are big and complicated, like the RFS (thank you again, you know who you are). Some are small, but pressing and immediate (like this). We are waiting to see if the Senators are going to send a letter explaining how the Keystone Pipeline might help the situation as well. Senator Franken (5/21/13) reports: “Minnesotans are very frustrated by the sudden spike in gas prices and they want to know why it’s happening,” said Sen. Franken. “With prices well over $4 per gallon in Minnesota, this is taking a toll on families and businesses across the state. I am pushing the Department of Energy to prevent future skyrocketing gas prices and to provide better information to alleviate future pain at the pump.”

Maybe we can scoop up some new donors. We don’t like the Obama administration’s energy policies, either. The Hill (5/21/13) reports: “Billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer, who’s increasingly throwing his weight around in politics, said approving the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline would create political hurdles for President Obama’s second-term agenda and cost him the support of key donors… Steyer, a major Democratic fundraiser, told Grist magazine that Keystone opponents have leverage to exert over Obama even though he’s free of having to run for reelection.”

If you have time to read one article today, this is the one. The Nation(5/21/13) reports: “The Center for American Progress, Washington’s leading liberal think tank, has been a big backer of the Energy Department’s $25 billion loan guarantee program for renewable energy projects. CAP has specifically praised First Solar, a firm that received $3.73 billion under the program, and its Antelope Valley project in California… Though the think tank didn’t disclose it, First Solar belonged to CAP’s Business Alliance, a secret group of corporate donors, according to internal lists obtained by The Nation. Meanwhile, José Villarreal—a consultant at the power-house law and lobbying firm Akin Gump, who ‘provides strategic counseling on a range of legal and policy issues’ for corporations—was on First Solar’s board until April 2012 while also sitting on the board of CAP, where he remains a member, according to the group’s latest tax filing.”

Of course the automakers and United Auto Workers support these new regulations. They get a free license to raise prices on the little guy and pat themselves on the back for what more or less amounts to imaginary benefits. TreeHugger (5/20/13) reports: “The public overwhelmingly supports the proposed Tier 3 standards. According to a survey conducted by the American Lung Association, 62 percent of Americans surveyed support the EPA setting stricter standards and tightening limits on tailpipe emissions from new cars. Automakers and the United Auto Workers support them as well… Now is the time to add your voice to the growing chorus of citizens who are standing up for children and clean air — and standing up to Big Oil. It is crucial that the standards be finalized this year — failure to do so would result in losing at least an entire model year worth of benefits at a time when the climate crisis has become critical.”

If the previous Obama administration is any sort of clue, Sally will throw a few REI tents and sleeping bags at the exploration crew and take credit for their work later (oh and don’t forget your bear mace!).Politico (5/21/13) reports: “Alaskan officials are hoping to prod the federal government into measuring the amount of oil and gas beneath the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and are offering state money as part of their plan to push the project forward… ‘Alaska is willing to help complete the work the federal government seems unwilling to do,’ Gov. Sean Parnell said via webcast from a Chamber of Commerce event Monday announcing the initiative… In a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Parnell said he would seek up to $50 million in state funding for seismic testing and proposed a winter-based exploration plan to mitigate environmental impact. The hope is that the plan will not only spur Interior to act but will help the country figure out the best course for ANWR, he said.”

The enviros and their vacuous leaders in Congress are sowing the seeds of their ultimate demise by going down this road. No good can come from this for them. And there will be no sympathy. The Daily Caller(5/21/13) reports: “So, you may have a question for me,” Whitehouse said. “Why do you care? Why do you, Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, care if we Republicans run off the climate cliff like a bunch of proverbial lemmings and disgrace ourselves? I’ll tell you why. We’re stuck in this together. We are stuck in this together. When cyclones tear up Oklahoma and hurricanes swamp Alabama and wildfires scorch Texas, you come to us, the rest of the country, for billions of dollars to recover. And the damage that your polluters and deniers are doing doesn’t just hit Oklahoma and Alabama and Texas. It hits Rhode Island with floods and storms. It hits Oregon with acidified seas, it hits Montana with dying forests. So, like it or not, we’re in this together.”

It looks like they’re digging holes just to fill them back up over in Britain. What’s great is you can create even more jobs if everyone digs with a spoon. Express (5/19/13) reports: “WIND FARM operators are being paid millions for “wasted” electricity under a complex system known as constraint payments.The money is paid out when turbines are spinning but the electricity they are generating is surplus to requirements… Freedom of Information documents reveal that since 2011 more than £26.5million has been paid out under the scheme.”

They say black is the new gr33n.

As a refresher, the “environmental” movement is about control and monopoly of power, not about saving the environment. We also hope to see the RFS repealed and the environmental gains that would consequently follow. The American Interest (5/16/13) reports: “The environmental cost of shuttling these barrels back and forth across the globe makes this more than just an absurd story of misguided government policy. The fact that this program is effectively subsidizing needless voyages by high-emitting ships makes a mockery of biofuel’s dubious status as a “green” program… Fortunately, there are two bills wending their way through Congress at the moment, one to completely repeal the renewable fuels standard and the other to reform it. Both of these bills would fix this senseless trade circle. Let’s hope they pass, and soon.”

What does “post-carbon” mean? The people who thump their chests in the name of science sure seem to enjoy twisting words around. But oddly enough, the bad guys reveal their true goals with this green-speak, in that a “post-carbon” world is a world without you and me, my friend. We happen to think people are Earth’s greatest resource, so for now we’ll enjoy the molecular composition of carbon and all that it has to offer. The Globe and Mail(5/17/13) reports: “Canada and Alberta need to begin now to prepare for the post-carbon world – a world that will be largely powered by some combination of hydro, wind, solar, and biomass energy – all of which are or could be produced in abundance in Canada. More importantly, the post-carbon world requires that we make energy efficiency our number one priority, because only in that way will our overall demand for energy be small enough that it can be reliably met by renewable, but sustainable, energy sources.”

Three things. 1.) Coral Davenport is starting to see ghosts. 2.) Until Kevin McCarthy gets a new pollster (we know a good one), the GOP rank and file would be wise not to listen to their esteemed Whip on this issue. 3.) John Feehery is a shill for the wind industry. National Journal (5/19/13) reports: “Each January, when Congress gavels a new session to order, the party in charge rolls out a series of bills laying out its political agenda—and often they’re predictable variations on well-worn themes. So it was when House Republicans launched the year with a bill that demanded President Obama present a plan to wipe out the federal deficit, one that slashed pay for federal workers, and one that sought to increase renewable energy. (Record scratch.) Wait, what?”

You are probably going to hear a lot about the paper from Cook.  So you should probably be armed with some skepticism. JoNova(5/17/13) reports: “What does a study of 20 years of abstracts tell us about the global climate? Nothing. But it says quite a lot about the way government funding influences the scientific process. John Cook, a blogger who runs the site with the ambush title “SkepticalScience” (which unskeptically defends the mainstream position), has tried to revive the put-down and smear strategy against the thousands of scientists who disagree. The new paper confounds climate research with financial forces, is based on the wrong assumptions, uses fallacious reasoning, wasn’t independent, and confuses a consensus of climate scientists for a scientific consensus, not that a consensus proves anything anyway, if it existed. Given the monopolistic funding of climate science in the last 20 years, the results he finds are entirely predictable.”

Well, the good news is that at least this Secretary of State seems to understand that there are life and death issues.  Although his choice of those issues is ridiculous. Weekly Standard (5/14/13) reports: “Speaking today in Stockholm, Sweden, John Kerry called “climate change” a “life and death” issue. And the secretary of state apologized on behalf of the United States for not doing enough to fight climate change.”

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.’”

“This is another example of the Obama Administration using budget cuts to inflict maximum harm on the American people. It is unjustifiable for Secretary Hagel to furlough 800,000 employees while his department continues to spend billions of taxpayer dollars on wasteful green energy initiatives. While Secretary Hagel’s employees are sitting at home for 11 days without pay, the Defense Department will continue spending $59 per gallon on biofuels and ensuring that naval bases produce 50 percent of their energy from expensive alternative sources.

 

“The Obama-Hagel priorities have never been clearer. This administration would rather furlough hardworking Americans who support our men and women in uniform rather than sacrifice their failing green schemes. Unfortunately, as long as the Obama Administration values their green-above-all political agenda over the well being of the American people, we can expect more of the same.”

Some people on the right are asking why the government is out to get them, while others on the left are wondering why the government isn’t doing enough to stop them. All we have to say at this time: “Who is John Galt?”. Huffington Post (5/13/13) reports: “But who is Thomas Pyle and what is the American Energy Alliance?”

The Governor knows what the right thing to do is. We remain optimistic, mostly because optimism is free. Real Vail (5/11/13) reports: “Democrats on Thursday told the Denver Post they don’t expect Gov. John Hickenlooper to veto any of the bills currently awaiting his signature, including SB 252. But many Republicans – and a majority of the state’s rural electric associations (REAs) want him to kill the bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass, and Senate President John Morse, D-Colorado Springs… On Thursday, Hickenlooper spokesman Eric Brown told Real Vail that the governor is “still reviewing the legislation” and has not made a decision on whether to sign it into law for veto it. However, he added that the governor must act by June 7.”

As writers and producers begin working on Ironman 4, early reports indicate that Senator James Inhofe will get the nod to replace Robert Downey Jr. Investor’s Business Daily (5/10/13) reports: “To accomplish this, I am introducing the Iran Sanctions Implementation Act of 2013.  The bill requires the president to designate portions of the federal land estate as “Iranian Oil Replacement Zones” so that production on federal lands will increase by 1.25 million barrels of oil per day, enough oil to fully offset current Iranian exports… Significant oil reserves, to the magnitude of tens of billions of barrels, are locked away on federal lands in the Mountain West, Alaska and offshore. The Institute for Energy Research estimates that if we aggressively pursue these resources, $14.4 trillion in economic activity will be generated, 2.5 million jobs will be created and the federal deficit will be reduced by $2.7 trillion.”

There is no longer rule of law in this country. There is only the imposition of rules that apply unevenly to different entities and individuals. LA Times (5/10/13) reports: “Federal wildlife officials took the unprecedented step Friday of telling private companies that they will not be prosecuted for inadvertently harassing or even killing endangered California condors… In a decision swiftly condemned by conservationists and wildlife advocates, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said operators of Terra-Gen Power’s wind farm in the Tehachapi Mountains will not be prosecuted if their turbines accidentally kill a condor during the expected 30-year life span of the project.”

At least there’s still hope for the California condor. Condor Wind Energy specializes in two bladed technology, we assume to cut down on the killing of this endangered species by 33%.

Start your week off with a dose of sanity. Bangor Daily News (5/9/13) reports: “Gov. Paul LePage wants to strip from state law goals for increasing the state’s wind energy capacity over the next two decades.”

Hey! We’re famous (again). Maybe the House will join in the fun. Rep Stockman (5/10/13) reports: “‘For almost two years, Gina McCarthy has failed to live up to promises to provide Congress with the basic data that underlies this administration’s billion dollar Clean Air Act regulations. The public has been denied the opportunity to review the science that underpins alleged benefits from these regulations. Utilizing secret science is no way to develop credible regulations. I commend my Senate colleagues for drawing this critical line in the sand.’… A recent poll by the Institute for Energy Research indicates that the American people agree with making data public and stand for transparent science; 90 percent of people agree that studies and data used to make federal government decisions should be made public and 91 percent think studies and data funded by taxpayers should be made public.”

“Bureaucratic inefficiency”. That’s what they are going to lead with? Even Senator Hatch knows that dog can’t possibly hunt. NYTimes (5/11/13) reports: “But Ms. Lerner said the examinations of the Tea Party groups were not a response to such pressure. She portrayed it more as a bureaucratic mix-up. Between 2010 and 2012, applications for 501(c)(4) tax exemptions nearly doubled, to more than 2,400. As the agency has done in the past, it centralized the processing of the surge at its Cincinnati office, where about 300 were flagged for further examination.”

The fact that the only person representing the “bad guys” in this piece is our friend Tim tells you all you need to know. We like Coral, but this piece is pure advocacy. National Journal should rethink their approach on this beat. National Journal (5/9/13) reports: “Soon after his experience in South Carolina, Emanuel changed his lifelong Republican Party registration to independent. “The idea that you could look a huge amount of evidence straight in the face and, for purely ideological reasons, deny it, is anathema to me,” he says… Emanuel predicts that many more voters like him, people who think of themselves as conservative or independent but are turned off by what they see as a willful denial of science and facts, will also abandon the GOP, unless the party comes to an honest reckoning about global warming.”

California was destroyed by its culture of fairy tales long ago, but at certain point you’d have to believe that people would not be enthralled by the next remake of Robin Hood when they’re out of work and can’t afford dinner and a movie. Los Angeles Times (5/5/13) reports: “These Zero Emission Vehicle credits could put as much as $250 million in Tesla’s coffers this year, according to one Wall Street analyst, and they are a key reason the 10-year-old automaker has survived this long. Tesla gets to sell the credits to other automakers that need them to satisfy tough California regulations.”

Prince Harry is going to get a beating for this, but we love those unscripted moments of honesty. Retraction in 5…4…3… The Telegraph (5/11/13) reports: “Susan Reilly, chief executive officer of Renewable Energy Systems Americas, said after speaking to the prince that she had to reassure Harry about the benefits of wind turbines – just as she’d done with his father… She said: ‘Prince Harry said he was worried about their visual impact, I told him that I had met his father some years ago and when we discussed wind farms he shared his concerns.’”

Drinking champagne every night sounds appealing too, but there’s a reason most people don’t do it. Civitas Institute (5/8/13) reports: “North Carolinians oppose the state law requiring utility companies to purchase a percentage of their energy from so-called renewable energy sources by more than 3-to-1, according to a new Civitas Institute poll. Additionally, ratepayers strongly oppose the use of such energy sources as wind or solar if it means paying higher utility bills… ‘North Carolinians may feel that using renewable energy sounds appealing — but they don’t want to be forced to pay higher prices for it,’ said Civitas President Francis X. De Luca.”

Bob Inglis has been doing a lot of soul searching, and apparently crushing the lives of poor people is the answer to his salvation. Politico (5/6/13) reports: “’Losing an election is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Losing your soul is considerably worse.’… The controversial tax proposal has long won the backing of many economists, who say it is the simplest and purest means of reducing emissions blamed for contributing to climate change. And while it has also won tentative backing from oil giants like Shell and ExxonMobil, it’s been pilloried by many oil-state politicians and conservatives, who say it would raise energy costs and hurt fossil fuel industries.”

I can’t wait to drive a hovercraft. Hopefully the government doesn’t put a noose around the industry with their special way of doing things. WSJ (5/6/13) reports: “Terrafugia Inc., the Woburn, Mass., company developing the Transition flying car, said it plans to begin delivering the vehicle to customers in 2015 or 2016. In the meantime it is working on a successor model called the TF-X, which will take off and land vertically, fly at more than 200 mph and seat four people… The TF-X is also a plug-in hybrid. It uses electric motors and tilting rotor blades take off and a gasoline engine and ducted fan to propel it in forward flight.”

Apparently wind hit a “turning point” in 1981, nine years before the wind PTC was enacted. Is the joke on them or on us? MasterResource (5/6/13) reports: “It is entertaining and even humorous to bring up the “oil short world” and wind power’s “turning point” in today’s energy debate. Oil is more abundant than ever and growing in reserves and resources as technology improves. Wind power remains intermittent and government-dependent some decades after Flavin declared its tipping point reached.”

Warning! Graphic picture of government-sponsored killing!

Marsha Blackburn deserves an apology from Al Gore. CSPAN (4/24/09) reports: “Rep. Marsha Blackburn challenged Former Vice President Al Gore’s contribution to environmental charities during an exchange at a subcommittee hearing on global climate change legislation.”

You can do a lot of these comparisons. North and South Korea, for instance, have some different rules that impact economic growth. Manhattan Institute (May 2013) reports: “If New York lifts its moratorium, companies will be drilling the same type of wells to exploit the same subterranean source of gas—the Marcellus Shale. Pennsylvania’s experience is a good guide to what would happen in New York… In this paper, we analyze the effect of hydrofracturing—at modest, moderate, and high levels—on jobs and income growth in Pennsylvania counties. We then use these data to project the benefits that New York counties stand to gain if the state again permits hydrofracturing.”

Does “minimally viable” involve making a profit? Or were those things just a 20th century fad? The Hill (5/6/13) reports: “Kiernan said AWEA suggested ramping down the production tax credit over the course of six years as part of an analysis of what the industry needed to be “minimally viable.” He stressed the House Ways and Means Committee requested the exercise, and that it was performed in the context of broad tax code changes.”

These people have no shame. But I guess it’s cool if they want to put their credibility on trial and provide us with some solid entertainment (all at the expense of taxpayers, of course). WSJ (5/6/13) reports: “Now, SolarCity is pushing back with a lawsuit that alleges the opposite: some of the taxpayer-funded grants it received weren’t as big as originally promised… The suit, filed quietly in February in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, comes as SolarCity and other industry players are defending solar-friendly government policies, and it could undermine the industry’s message that solar power will soon be viable without government help.”