In the Pipeline: 6/17/13

We have the resources, the capital, the innovators, and the technology, but do we have the policy?  Energy Guardian (6/17/13) reports: “The strength of the American manufacturing renaissance has become a hot debate topic, with some experts contending it is more hype than reality, especially as job growth remains slow in the industrial heartland. That skepticism is unwarranted, says American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers President Charles T. Drevna. With the revolution in shale gas adding affordable energy to the U.S. economy, he sees domestic investment in his sector and others set to remain strong for years.”

How do you think Mckibben, Gore, and the rest travel? Washington Post (6/13/13) reports: “As if the nice meal and the on-demand movies and the fully reclining seats weren’t enough to infuriate the rest of us, first-class air travel is also ruining the environment. Or at least so says the World Bank in a new study estimating that the carbon footprint of a first-class airplane seat may be as much as nine times larger than an economy-class berth. A business-class ticket has three times the carbon footprint as economy.”

It’s only money. Granted, it’s not their money… The Telegraph (6/15/13) reports: “A new analysis of government and industry figures shows that wind turbine owners received £1.2billion in the form of a consumer subsidy, paid by a supplement on electricity bills last year. They employed 12,000 people, to produce an effective £100,000 subsidy on each job. The disclosure is potentially embarrassing for the wind industry, which claims it is an economically dynamic sector that creates jobs. It was described by critics as proof the sector was not economically viable, with one calling it evidence of “soft jobs” that depended on the taxpayer.”

Stack as many mandates and incentives up as you can, you still can’t get people to buy an inferior product they just don’t want. NBC (6/11/13) reports: “With signs that sales of its Chevrolet Volt battery car could be coming unplugged, General Motors is offering potential buyers as much as $5,000 in incentives – making it the latest maker to try to cut prices in a bid to boost lagging demand for electric vehicles. Whether the move will work remains to be seen, as GM has already trimmed the price on the Volt plug-in hybrid.”

Perhaps while traveling the Fatherland, His Majesty will see the real cost of following Merkel’s lead. Somehow we doubt it. The Daily Caller (6/14/13) reports: “Early in his first term, President Barack Obama held up Germany as a role model for green energy policy and combating global warming. However, following Berlin’s lead on green energy could lead to skyrocketing energy prices, say conservative groups. “At precisely the moment that Europe comes to a sobering recognition of its failed energy policies, the Obama administration is punch drunk on expensive green energy,” said Benjamin Cole, spokesman for the Institute for Energy Research.”