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Just as a rule, anything that these guys issue on a Friday is terrible.  This is no exception. Environment & Public Works  (9/21/12) reports: "In typical EPA fashion, the agency released yet another late Friday afternoon statement - this time to inform us that Ron Curry will replace Al Armendariz of 'crucify' fame to oversee the largest oil and gas producing region in the country," Senator Inhofe said.  "The timing of the announcement is the first red flag, and while I look forward to...
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Even the British – who we beat in two wars – have managed to figure out that the shale plays are a winner.  How far behind can Josh Fox can be? Global Warming Policy Foundation  (9/18/12) reports: “Dr Tim Fox, Head of Energy and Environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers said: “Shale gas has the potential to give some of the regions hit hardest by the economic downturn a much-needed economic boost. The engineering jobs created will also help the Government’s efforts...
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Well now.  Grover Norquist opens his kimono on the energy tax.  Guess what?  It turns out that the pledge would allow an energy tax, provided it was initially offset by reductions elsewhere.  So at least we now have some idea why Jim Hansen (the dude who gets paid by NASA but spends most of his time lobbying for larger government and less economic growth) was given time to sell his wares at Grover’s Wednesday meeting last week. Bloomberg (9/13/12) reports: “I called Grover Norquist...
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Brother Tom and his merry band continue to preach on. AEA (9/17/12) reports: “Go behind the scenes with the American Energy Alliance's 2012 Bus Tour.”

  What a surprise.  EPA does something destructive and contrary to the national interest deep on Friday afternoon.  AFPM  (9/14/12) reports: “EPA’s decision to increase the biomass diesel volumes is wholly discretionary and irresponsible. It only serves to increase our nation’s fuel bill. Given the exorbitant cost of...
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If he’s not shaking hands and preaching the good word in Small Town, USA, you can probably find Tom on cable news. AEA (9/12/12) reports: “I think they’re right in making the case that it’s time for this production tax credit to end. What has become, really, is just a boondoggle for the wind industry. We’re talking about an industry that has been getting this credit now for twenty years and now what’s happening is they’re literally distorting the markets that they’re in by...
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The scarcity narrative continues to break down under the pressure of technology, production, and American innovation. Market Watch (9/11/12) reports: “U.S. crude-oil production is expected to grow by 74%, or more than 4.9 million barrels per day to an average of 11.6 million barrels per day within 10 years, according to Platts’s energy data analytics unit Bentek Energy.”   Is EPA serious here?  Are they really defending giving money to China so it can become a more efficient...
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Wow!  A win, win, win.  Unless you are poor, in which case an energy tax is regressive.  Or unless you consume anything that uses energy when it gets made, or grown, or transported.  Or unless you think the link between carbon dioxide and catastrophic climate change is tenuous at best.  In those instances, it is a loss, loss, loss. Common Dreams  (8/28/12) reports: “While noting the raising taxes is never embraced by the mainstream of US politics, a new study released by researchers...
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This is from the Democratic Party platform.  It is like the Keystone XL pipeline project was never proposed.  It is an unperson. DNC  (9/12) reports: “In the last four years, President Obama and the Democratic Party have taken concrete steps to make us more energy independent. We’ve supported nearly 225,000 clean energy jobs and Americans are importing less oil, breathing cleaner air, and saving money on energy costs. Historic investments in clean energy technologies have helped...
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You do have to say this for the President:  he has no trouble separating himself from the reality of his record.  That is a really valuable skill in politics. AEA  (9/6/12) reports: ““On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Solyndra’s bankruptcy, Barack Obama made the latest in a four year string of empty promises about his plan to achieve American energy independence. Despite his pledge to create 600,000 jobs in the energy sector and 1 million new manufacturing jobs, President...
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He definitely should.  It would help the campaign tremendously. National Journal (9/4/12) reports: "A large group of Democratic donors is threatening to withhold money from President Obama’s reelection campaign unless he breaks his silence on climate change and responds directly to GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s denigration of the issue at the Republican National Convention last week."   I had no idea that Pleistocene-era caliche deposits release carbon into the atmosphere...
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