In the Pipeline: 1/22/13

We normally reserve this space for satire, mockery, and comic relief.  Like I said, we normally reserve this space for satire, mockery, and comic relief…  Politico (1/22/13) reports: “President Barack Obama promised in his inaugural speech to take on climate change in his second term, setting the stage for a series of bruising policy battles over energy, the environment and foreign affairs… Americans’ obligations are not just to self, ‘but to all posterity,’ Obama said. ‘We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.’”

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Politico(1/18/13) reports: “The Interior Department is hitting the reset button on its landmark attempt to regulate fracking on federal land… The department Friday announced that BLM “is making improvements to the draft proposal in order to maximize flexibility, facilitate coordination with state practices and ensure that operators on public lands implement best practices,” according to department spokesman Blake Androff.”

As we settle into 2013 and start to cheat on our New Year’s resolutions, it is a good reminder that not all weight loss programs are created equal.  And this weight loss program might kill you. National Review (1/8/13) reports: And here’s the part of the deal that got much less attention: the new mandate that all auto manufacturers achieve by 2025 a Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE ) standard of 52 miles per gallon — twice the previous requirement of 26 miles per gallon… At first blush, 52 mpg sounds like a laudable goal. What’s wrong with making more efficient cars? After all, they’ll be more affordable to drive, and simultaneously reduce the nation’s carbon emissions. Talk about a policy twofer! … The problem with the goal is simple: We can get only so far on the mileage front without affecting safety. Allow me, as someone who has spent a lifetime in and around the automotive industry, to explain why.

The inbounds pass comes in to Epstein. Here’s Alex at the foul line, the shot… is GOOD! THE BULLS WIN IT! THEY WIN IT! Center for Industrial Progress (1/21/13) reports: “Supporters and opponents of FrackNation attended the premiere’s after-party. Alex Epstein debates an opponent.”