In the Pipeline

Apparently Al Gore has forgotten about his own invention. Hollywood Reporter  (4/30/13) reports: “Al Gore, one of Hollywood's favorite sons because of his commitment to the environment, rocked a large crowd in Beverly Hills on Tuesday with an impassioned plea to solve the ‘climate change crisis,’ part of which is getting media right… Gore lamented that a modern-day Thomas Paine would not be able to get his ‘Common Sense’ message to the masses today because he couldn't afford TV...
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Van Jones, previously Deputy Assistant to the President for Destroying Coal Miners' Jobs, deflects responsibility by pretending to care about the very people whose lives he and his former boss have worked so diligently to destroy. Twitchy (4/29/13) reports: “Jones is in St. Louis today to show his solidarity with the United Mine Workers of America and protest the ‘corporate greed’ of ‘Big Coal’:”   Why just women? Maybe it would drive some of the House Democrats to...
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Remember this? Well, the situation in Colorado is about to go from bad to worse. Fierce Energy (4//13) reports: “Colorado is closing in on new legislation that would more than double the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for the state's rural electric co-ops, setting a goal of 25 percent of generation by 2020.”     There are two important takeaways here:  John Shively is far too nice for this job; and Mark Begich has just been introduced to the albatross that will be wrapping...
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I guess we have to give the Virginia Economic Development Partnership some props for “[having] grave doubts about the business model”. It doesn’t sound like things are working too well in Mississippi. NYTimes  (4/25/13) reports: “When Terry McAuliffe appeared with his good friend Bill Clinton at the ribbon-cutting for Mr. McAuliffe’s electric car company in July 2012, the campaign-style event, complete with “Born in the U.S.A.” blaring, was meant to supply the top line of his...
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No need to panic! The Obama Administration plays the market long. We’ll recoup these “investments” during His Majesty’s fourth term. Yahoo  (4/24/13) reports: “The Obama administration was warned as early as 2010 that electric car maker Fisker Automotive Inc. was not meeting milestones set up for a half-billion dollar government loan, nearly a year before U.S. officials froze the financing after questions were raised about the company's statements, newly released documents...
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Don’t let your children out of sight: “The more we learn about a gas-drilling practice called hydraulic fracturing—or ‘fracking’—the more we see it as a zenith of violence and disconnect…”Weekly Standard  (4/29/13) reports: “Recognizing the significant environmental benefits of natural gas as a source of electric power, some prominent national environmental groups, such as the Environmental Defense Fund and NRDC, have mostly supported the increase in domestic gas...
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The EPA is completely unhinged. The Hill (4/22/13) reports: “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) objected Monday to the State Department’s draft review of the proposed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline route, saying it included “insufficient information” on environmental issues.” The negative consequences of government mandates are very real. Rural Coloradans are about to get slapped in the face if the bozos in Denver have their way. Heartland  (4/12/13) reports: “A 2011...
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Cheers to ending “misery and vice” Malthusianism.  Bjorn is right on some things, wrong on others, but mostly we couldn't resist his headline: "What I'd like to see this Earth Day: More fracking". The Globe  (4/22/13) reports: “Year after year, we are treated to a message of environmental doom and gloom and admonitions on Earth Day. On the back of this sentiment in wealthy countries, governments have invested billions of dollars in inefficient, feel-good policies – such as...
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My very strong suspicion is that half of everything they sell is made with petroleum products. And everything they sell is transported with petroleum products. I also suspect that they are really, really inane. Politico  (4/15/13) reports: “APPAREL COMPANY PATAGONIA ORGANIZING AGAINST KEYSTONE: The gear, clothing and apparel company Patagonia is blasting the proposed Keystone XL pipeline in a new email to customers. ‘Tar sands oil in the Keystone XL pipeline will cross more than 1,000...
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Let me explain how this works. Washington Gas agrees to buy wind power in an amount equal to the amount Union Station uses each year. They charge ratepayers more. The generators get a federal subsidy (about 1/4 of the total price) from taxpayers and get to generate power even when no one wants it. States in which the power is generated get to say they are meeting their portfolio mandates. Union Station gets the PR bump. Who pays for all this? You do, sucker. E&ENews  (4/12/13) reports: “A...
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