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Energy and Environment: Around The Interwebs

While there’s lots of news, as usual, on energy and environment, we feel it necessary to draw our readers’ attention to the ugly side of environmentalism as recounted by our friends at ClimateDepot.com:

A public appeal has been issued by an influential U.S. website asking: “At what point do we jail or execute global warming deniers.” The appeal appeared on Talking Points Memo, an often cited website that helps set the agenda for the political Left in the U.S. The anonymous posting, dated June 2, 2009, referred to dissenters of man-made global warming fears as “greedy bastards” who use “bogus science or the lowest scientists in the gene pool” to “distort data.”

Get the whole story there. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

* Obamanomics: Green jobs = Pay cuts

* Double Whopper w/ Guts: Burger King franchisee defies alarmists, franchisor

* Thorium Power and the Nuclear Renaissance

* Shopfloor.org: Natural Gas, Bakken, Marcellus and Energy Security

* Dickinson ND sees first June snowfall in 60 years

* George Will: The Green Bubble Has Burst

* Letter: Going green won’t work unless it’s global

Finally, some video on why Kinger Morgan Energy Partners chief Rich Kinder arguing that alternative energy sources will not be enough to break America’s dependence on foreign oil (hat tip to Reuters’ blog)

Have We Given Up On Market-based Solutions for Climate Change Issues?

Apparently not. The Washington Post’s editorial page this morning carries this important question about the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade behemoth bill:

if the point of cap-and-trade is to change market incentives, why does Congress, and not the market, need to dictate these changes? Those are a few questions that emerge when you begin to read through the 900 pages.

It’s a good question, and one that is increasingly popping up. While the end of the Bush Administration may well have raised skepticism among some about the free market, the Obama Administration’s rush to regulate, tax and control aspects of our lives ranging from energy use to health care is starting to attract a response. That is certainly good news in a time of many threats to our economy.

Cows: Endangered By EPA Endangerment Ruling

The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association has written a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson warning that the EPA’s possible “endangerment” decision on greenhouse gases.

We wanted to pass along these concerns, because they are very reasonable and very real:

“Since methane emissions — a type of greenhouse gas — are a natural byproduct of cattle and other livestock, the U.S. cattle industry could be subject to an onslaught of unfair lawsuits, as a new wave of litigation could be created by the EPA’s findings that blame livestock producers for a litany of health problems. The resulting costs of this legal liability — or even the costs of simply preparing for potential litigation — could run many farmers and ranchers out of business at a time when they are coping with one of the worst economic recessions this nation has ever seen.

“The pain from EPA’s ruling would be felt by even the smallest family-run operations in rural America. According to last year’s advanced notice of proposed rulemaking for regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, the USDA estimates that beef operations with as few as 50 cattle would cross the 100 ton-per-year threshold, thus triggering costly regulation.”

“Spain’s Energy Model: What Not To Do”

A must-read on cap-and-trade devastation comes from Rep. Michele Bachmann over at Redstate.com:

“After years of promoting green jobs, Spain has the highest unemployment rate of any developed country—currently at 17.5%, and that number is expected to climb to 20.5% by the end of the year. That’s one in five workers out of a job.

“According to a study by Dr. Gabriel Calzada, an economics professor at Juan Carlos University in Madrid, on the effect of public aid to renewable energy sources on employment, if the U.S. adopts the Spanish model as proposed by President Obama, for each job created, the “U.S. should expect a loss of at least 2.2 jobs on average, or about 9 jobs lost for every 4 created.”

“Dr. Calzada further found that the high-energy costs associated with these policies have driven high-energy reliant businesses, like manufacturing, to cheaper places. And of the green jobs created, two-thirds were temporary installment and construction jobs.

“Other countries have similar job-loss stories to share. As the economic realities of Australia’s much-heralded cap-and-trade policies began to sink in, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a delay in its implementation. A headline in The Australian says it all: ‘Carbon Plan Will Cause Jobs Carnage.’”

Read the whole article … now!





	June 9, 2009 Energy and Environment: Around The Interwebs While there’s lots of news, as usual, on energy and environment, we feel it necessary to draw our readers’ attention to the ugly side of environmentalism as recounted by our friends at ClimateDepot.com: A public appeal has been issued by an influential U.S. website asking: “At what point do we jail or execute global warming deniers.” The appeal appeared on Talking Points Memo, an often cited website that helps set the agenda for the political Left in the U.S. The anonymous posting, dated June 2, 2009, referred to dissenters of man-made global warming fears as “greedy bastards” who use “bogus science or the lowest scientists in the gene pool” to “distort data.” Get the whole story there. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. * Obamanomics: Green jobs = Pay cuts * Double Whopper w/ Guts: Burger King franchisee defies alarmists, franchisor * Thorium Power and the Nuclear Renaissance * Shopfloor.org: Natural Gas, Bakken, Marcellus and Energy Security * Dickinson ND sees first June snowfall in 60 years * George Will: The Green Bubble Has Burst * Letter: Going green won’t work unless it’s global Finally, some video on why Kinger Morgan Energy Partners chief Rich Kinder arguing that alternative energy sources will not be enough to break America’s dependence on foreign oil (hat tip to Reuters’ blog) Have We Given Up On Market-based Solutions for Climate Change Issues? Apparently not. The Washington Post’s editorial page this morning carries this important question about the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade behemoth bill: if the point of cap-and-trade is to change market incentives, why does Congress, and not the market, need to dictate these changes? Those are a few questions that emerge when you begin to read through the 900 pages. It’s a good question, and one that is increasingly popping up. While the end of the Bush Administration may well have raised skepticism among some about the free market, the Obama Administration’s rush to regulate, tax and control aspects of our lives ranging from energy use to health care is starting to attract a response. That is certainly good news in a time of many threats to our economy. Cows: Endangered By EPA Endangerment Ruling The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association has written a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson warning that the EPA’s possible “endangerment” decision on greenhouse gases. We wanted to pass along these concerns, because they are very reasonable and very real: “Since methane emissions — a type of greenhouse gas — are a natural byproduct of cattle and other livestock, the U.S. cattle industry could be subject to an onslaught of unfair lawsuits, as a new wave of litigation could be created by the EPA’s findings that blame livestock producers for a litany of health problems. The resulting costs of this legal liability — or even the costs of simply preparing for potential litigation — could run many farmers and ranchers out of business at a time when they are coping with one of the worst economic recessions this nation has ever seen. “The pain from EPA’s ruling would be felt by even the smallest family-run operations in rural America. According to last year’s advanced notice of proposed rulemaking for regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, the USDA estimates that beef operations with as few as 50 cattle would cross the 100 ton-per-year threshold, thus triggering costly regulation.” “Spain’s Energy Model: What Not To Do” A must-read on cap-and-trade devastation comes from Rep. Michele Bachmann over at Redstate.com: “After years of promoting green jobs, Spain has the highest unemployment rate of any developed country—currently at 17.5%, and that number is expected to climb to 20.5% by the end of the year. That’s one in five workers out of a job. “According to a study by Dr. Gabriel Calzada, an economics professor at Juan Carlos University in Madrid, on the effect of public aid to renewable energy sources on employment, if the U.S. adopts the Spanish model as proposed by President Obama, for each job created, the “U.S. should expect a loss of at least 2.2 jobs on average, or about 9 jobs lost for every 4 created.” “Dr. Calzada further found that the high-energy costs associated with these policies have driven high-energy reliant businesses, like manufacturing, to cheaper places. And of the green jobs created, two-thirds were temporary installment and construction jobs. “Other countries have similar job-loss stories to share. As the economic realities of Australia’s much-heralded cap-and-trade policies began to sink in, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a delay in its implementation. A headline in The Australian says it all: ‘Carbon Plan Will Cause Jobs Carnage.’” Read the whole article … now!