In the Pipeline: 10/29/12

What’s holding electric cars back is that they are inferior, expensive products.  How many superior, affordable products need government support? National Journal (10/25/12) reports: “Consider auto sales. Instead of looking at the sales of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as a percentage of the total auto sales, the focus should be on the incredible growth in sales this year in this sector.”

$16 trillion in debt, and the government claims the private sector is recklessly abusing resources.  How do these people sleep at night? IER (10/26/12) reports: “Markey, who is Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, argues that the “Use it or Lose It” report shows that new energy-rich areas like Alaska should not be opened for drilling, because oil and gas companies already have enough idle leases that are not being utilized.  The report, however, fails to make a key distinction: that some leases are more valuable than others, and that the most valuable areas of the federal land estate all aren’t being offered for lease.  An analysis of the report’s central claims is below.”

All these people want to do is control our lives.  Once they have that control, it’s both amusing and frightening to realize they have nothing else on the to-do list. NY Post (10/26/12) reports: “Nationally, environmental activists push the expansion of renewable energy — solar, wind, etc. But when industries work to implement those initiatives at the community level, local greens scream at the impact on their community; they’d rather keep the land as it is.

This man should be President. Environment and Public Works (10/26/12) reports: “I am truly honored that yet another radical environmental group has given me an award for my efforts to put a stop to President Obama’s far-left global warming agenda,” Senator Inhofe said.  “The Center for Biological Diversity should be pleased to know that my award will have a prominent place in my office, along with all the others I have been proud to receive over the years.  As the top Republican on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, I have worked every day to expose the radical left’s extremist agenda aimed at ending American production of oil, gas, and coal because of the devastating consequences it will have on the American people.

Hmmmm. E&ENews (10/26/12) reports: “But Vitter said in an interview yesterday that, while he’s not trying to get ahead of Election Day, he’s also not comfortable with the idea of Connaughton playing any major environmental or energy role in a Romney administration… “I would have very serious concerns with Jim Connaughton being named to any significant position,” Vitter said. “And if it were a Senate-confirmed position, I would expect to have to oppose his nomination.””

But apparently the wind production tax credit is still a really good idea. Energy & Commerce (10/26/12) reports: “Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CO) appeared on Fox News today to discuss the ongoing investigations into Colorado solar panel manufacturer Abound Solar – the now-bankrupt company that was awarded a $400 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy. Abound Solar, which is located in Gardner’s congressional district, is now under investigation by the Weld County district attorney for financial misrepresentation and consumer fraud. Whistleblowers have come forward and exposed that the company was falsifying documents and failing to disclose product flaws to investors and customers. Describing the problems with Abound’s panels, Gardner quoted a whistleblower employee who stated, “The solar panels worked fine as long as you didn’t put them in the sun.””

Actually, Governor Romney was repeating what he has been saying for a while.  Tax credits for mature industries (like wind that has been around for more than 100 years) should be phased out. Energy Guardian (10/16/12) reports: “In what was billed by his campaign as a major economic speech delivered in Ames, Iowa, Romney appeared to back away from his previous stance against tax incentives for the wind industry, which is lobbying to extend the Production Tax Credit. “We will support nuclear and renewables, but phase out subsidies once an industry is on its feet,” Romney said.”