In the Pipeline: 1/28/13

It’s not a question of enough, pal.  It’s a zero sum game – somebody wins, somebody loses. Money itself isn’t lost or made; it’s simply transferred from one perception to another. Phoenix Business Journal (1/19/13) reports: “Salt River Project is evaluating a plan put forward by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that would require as much as $1.1 billion in emission upgrades at the Navajo Generating Station… The coal-fired power plant near Page is owned by a consortium of utilities that includes SRP and Arizona Public Service Co. as well as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which uses it as a source of power for the Central Arizona Project.”

His Majesty has a difficult decision to make, so please extend him every courtesy.  He must choose between placating the ecothugs in his Royal Court (like Bill McKibben) or providing his already suffering subjects with low cost energy and jobs. ABC News (1/23/13) reports: “But Obama faces significant pressure from an engaged environmental lobby to block the plan, particularly in light of his groundbreaking comments on climate change in his second inaugural address… ‘You cannot say the words the president did in his inaugural address, and then turn around and approve the pipeline,’ said Jane Kleeb with BOLD Nebraska, an advocacy group opposed to the plan. ‘This much is as crystal clear as the Ogallala Aquifer is without this risky export tar sands pipeline.’”

Although it was great for Bruce’s creative juices, it’s a good sign that Americans will no longer have to be born down in a dead man town. Barron’s (1/26/13) reports: “As the only industrialized superpower not decimated by World War II, the United States once made nearly 40% of the planet’s goods. These days, that number has shrunk to 18%. We make American Girl dolls in China, Levi’s jeans in Mexico, and enough movies in Vancouver to nickname it Hollywood North… Chemical makers guzzle energy and also rely on byproducts from oil and gas purification — stuff like ethane, butane, and propane — for raw materials. So the shale boom delivers a double blessing of cheap feedstock and energy. In fact, PwC thinks that we might start seeing more plastic-based substitutes for materials like metal, glass, or wood. That’s good news for diversified specialty-chemical giants like DuPont (DD), and also Dow Chemical (DOW), which is investing $4 billion to boost production and build an ethylene plant in Texas that could hire 2,000 workers.”

The gummint ought to stop this pronto. ABC News (1/27/13) reports: “Private landowners are reaping billions of dollars in royalties each year from the boom in natural gas drilling, transforming lives and livelihoods even as the windfall provides only a modest boost to the broader economy… ‘We used to have to put stuff on credit cards. It was basically living from paycheck to paycheck,’ said Shawn Georgetti, who runs a family dairy farm in Avella, about 30 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.”

This guy ran a utility?  Poverty, Climate Change and Social Justice is an odd name for a charitable fund. Unless of course J. Wayne is funding organizations that are against Socially Unjust Climate Change policies that will do nothing other than keep people in Poverty.  I’m sure this woman can’t wait to hear who gets the first grant. Entergy (1/25/13) reports: “Entergy Corporation today announced the creation of a $5 million endowment to honor retiring Chairman and Chief Executive Officer J. Wayne Leonard and continue efforts to address the issues of climate change, poverty and social justice.”

Too bad the eco-scamsters will have to wait four years before they try and “Pombo” Vitter.  In the meantime, sit back, relax, and enjoy the fight. Senator Vitter (1/22/13) reports: “U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) is warning of more secret “sue and settle” deals with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and environmental groups. In a letter today, Vitter encourages Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell to join the 13 states’ AGs who recently filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with EPA asking for any and all correspondence between EPA and a list of 80 environmental, labor union and public interest organizations that had been party to litigation since the start of the Obama Administration.”