Let’s cut to the chase. Matt Damon is a moron. And this movie is propaganda apparently funded by the United Arab Emirates, who want to make sure that we stay dependent on OPEC for as long as possible. Other than that, it has winner written all over it. Heritage (9/28/12) reports: “A new film starring Matt Damon presents American oil and natural gas producers as money-grubbing villains purportedly poisoning rural American towns. It is therefore of particular note that it is financed in part by the royal family of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.”
In other news, water is wet. Governor Paul LePage (9/28/12) reports: “On September 26, 2012, the Maine Heritage Policy Center and Beacon Hill Institute for Public Policy Research released a study which found that Maine’s current Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) Law, which mandates the minimum and maximum amount of energy consumers must purchase from various sources, will raise the cost of electricity in Maine by 8% in 2017. This 8% increase amounts to approximately $145 million in statewide consumption costs, and would cost Maine approximately 995 jobs, $85 million in real disposable income, decrease investment in the state by $11 million, and increase the average household electricity bill by $80 per year.”
Such a good idea they need to spend 37 million taxpayer dollars telling people about it. I wonder how much the Obama crew is going to spend on propaganda for a carbon tax. TheAge.Com (10/1/12) reports: “THE [Australian] federal government has spent more than $200 million on advertising campaigns in the past financial year, including nearly $37 million promoting the carbon tax and its compensation package and $17 million for the national broadband network.”
In a well-functioning republic, someone campaigning for reelection might say what they have in mind for a second term. But this is no longer a well-functioning republic. Politico (9/28/12) reports: “Never fear, former White House climate adviser Carol Browner assured environmentalists Thursday night — President Barack Obama has a big to-do list when it comes to their issues in a second term… What exactly is on that list? Browner didn’t say in her pitch to a constituency that has had a sometimes fraught relationship with Obama. But she said environmentalists face a clear choice in November.”
This is very important for energy companies, as well as anyone who thinks that agencies (like the CFTC and EPA) need to abide by, you know, the law. Forbes (9/28/12) reports: “Plaintiffs asserted that the CFTC misinterpreted its statutory authority under the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936 (“CEA”) when it promulgated the Position Limits Rule and, accordingly, there was an incorrect and impermissible interpretation of the statute at issue. In framing the issue for its consideration, the Court stated on page 10 of its Opinion:”