In the Pipeline: 12/7/11

Let the great debate begin — IER releases energy inventory report that attacks the narrative energy scarcity Powerline Blog (12/6/11) reports: For a long time, the Left has gotten away with underselling America’s energy resources. The old chestnut that the U.S. uses 25% of the world’s oil but only has 2% to 3% of the world’s oil reserves has been repeated endlessly by Barack Obama and many others. This claim fooled millions of people who didn’t understand that in the U.S., “reserves” means petroleum that is 1) legally available for development, and 2) profitably extracted at current prices. So if Democrats would stop preventing drilling, we could vastly increase our “reserves,” as legally defined, overnight…Happily, the publicity that has recently been given to massive shale oil and natural gas deposits in North Dakota, Pennsylvania and elsewhere has awakened many Americans to the fact that our energy resources are truly vast–greater, in fact, than any other country’s. The point is driven home by a new report that has just been released by the Institute for Energy Research. IER describes the problem (and the opportunity) bluntly 

Yesterday we told you that the navy bought biofuel at $15 a gallon. We were wrong. It actually costs $26 a gallons before it is blended with other fuel Wired (12/6/11) reports: The Navy just signed deals to buy 450,000 gallons of biofuels — arguably the biggest purchase of its kind in U.S. government history. The purchase is a significant step for Navy Secretary Ray Mabus’ plans to transform the service into an energy-efficient fleet. But at approximately $15 per gallon — nearly four times the price of traditional fuel — the new fuels won’t come cheap…The $12-million purchase, expected for months, will all be used this summer off the coast of Hawaii. There, supersonic F/A-18 jets will launch from the deck of an aircraft carrier, powered by fuels fermented from algae. A 9,000-ton destroyer and a cruiser will join it on a voyage across the Pacific, using fuel made from fats and greases. (The carrier itself runs on nuclear power.) It’ll be the first demonstration of the so-called “Great Green Fleet” — an entire aircraft-carrier strike group relying on alternative energy sources.

Well, we’re glad that is settled — Lisa Jackson argues that new pollution rules are ‘myths’ and will not negatively affect the economy Energy Guardian (12/7/11) reports: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson struck back Tuesday at anti-regulatory legislation racing through the House, accusing Republicans of pursuing “myths” about the Obama administration’s pollution programs…In a speech at Duke University, Jackson pointed to scores of votes by House Republicans this year to delay or overturn water and air pollution regulations advanced by EPA, and the vehicle mileage standards it has put into place with the Department of Transportation…”Many of these advances, including the Clean Cars program and our fundamental environmental protections, are under threat right now,” she said.

How do you say ‘idiot’ in English? The Sun (12/7/11) reports: Pupils shivered in coats, hats and scarves as temperatures fell to just 1°C (34°F). Head Rob Benzie switched off the radiators to show how the secondary school could cut its carbon footprint. ‘Success’ … Mr Benzie.  But some staff and parents slammed the “barbaric” plan. One teacher called it “beyond stupid” and added: “It was absolutely ridiculous. “I’ve never worked in such cold. I’m all for saving the planet but this was barbaric. “Nobody could work properly and kids could not even grip a pen through their gloves.” The mum of a 12-year-old at Ansford Academy in Castle Cary, Somerset, said: “She was shaking when she came home. I was absolutely furious.”

The Journal wants FERC to drop a 215 finding on the EPA rules.  Unfortunately, FERC has yet to even conclude that there will be a reliability problem, despite testimony on the point from the nation’s two largest utilities, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, NERC, PJM, etc., etc.  In other words, FERC, which used to be a proud independent agency, is now just like everyone else in the sad, diseased Administration Wall Street Journal (12/6/11) reports: Say what you will about Obama Administration regulators, their problem has rarely been a failure to regulate. Which makes the abdication of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission especially notable—and dangerous for the U.S. power supply…Last week FERC convened a conference on the wave of new Environmental Protection Agency rules that are designed to force dozens of coal-fired power plants to shut down. The meeting barely fulfilled the commission’s legal obligations, but despite warnings from expert after expert, including some of its own, the FERC Commissioners refuse to do anything about this looming threat to electric reliability.

It is enough to make you think about voting for Huntsman.  Even if he was a punk when he was our classmate at Penn Politico (12/6/11) reports: Jon Huntsman, who slammed Rick Perry over the summer for not trusting scientists on climate change, has now developed his own doubts…“The scientific community owes us more in terms of a better description of explanation about what might lie beneath all of this. But there’s not information right now to formulate policies in terms of addressing it over all, primarily because it’s a global issue,” the former Utah governor said Tuesday at an appearance at the conservative Heritage Foundation.