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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In dueling votes last month, U.S. senators took a stand either for or against a tax on carbon dioxide emissions. Although symbolic, the votes separated those who want to impose yet another tax on American consumers from those who understand that more taxes mean less prosperity. By a vote of 53-46 , the Senate expressed support for Sen. Roy Blunt's amendment to ensure that any future carbon tax bill would require 60 votes to pass. On the other hand, the Senate overwhelmingly rejected Sen....
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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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WASHINGTON D.C. -- AEA President Thomas Pyle released the following statement in response to today's decision by the Internal Revenue Service to establish a loose definition for the wind Production Tax Credit's qualifying language. According to the new IRS guidelines, wind projects can receive 10 years of taxpayer-funded subsidies by committing as little as 5 percent of the costs by Jan. 1, 2014. "The Internal Revenue Service has twice in one month tilted the tax code to the benefit of wind...
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You know it's bad when... Columbia Journalism Review  (4/12/13) reports: “Journalists and the GOP called for more transparency at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week, as Gina McCarthy, the Obama administration's pick to succeed Lisa Jackson as head of the agency, entered congressional confirmation hearings… The day before McCarthy, who now heads the EPA's air pollution division, faced off with the Senate Committee on Environmental and Public Works, a group of Republicans...
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