Senate to Vote on Plan to Reign In EPA Today--Unless Vote Gets Postponed Again... The Hill (4/5/11) reports: The Senate will vote on a GOP-backed plan to kill Environmental Protection Agency climate change rules Wednesday afternoon, according to Democrats and a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)...Lawmakers will vote on McConnell’s amendment to small-business legislation, as well as several Democratic alternatives. The amendments need 60 votes to pass...The...
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Lisa Jackson channels her inner Scooby Doo villain and says, “If it weren’t for you pesky free market advocates, we would have gotten away with it!” New York Times (4/4/11) reports: A Virginia state lawmaker caused a stir in February when he admitted that his resolution declaring U.S. EPA's effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions a "regulatory train wreck" was written by the coal industry…Republican Delegate Will Morefield's resolution said EPA regulations would have...
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NYT reporter is shocked by his discovery that we live in a world that is confined by scarcity and that includes energy New York Times (4/3/11) reports: Political support may be holding for nuclear power and offshore oil, despite the Fukushima and Gulf of Mexico disasters, as decision makers confront the challenges of climate change and dwindling energy reserves…A theory of “peak everything” suggests the world is running short of vital assets like clean water, carbon-free air, some...
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Obama positions his green pivot on national security and we all know OPEC is far more stable than the U.S. Politico (3/30/11) reports: President Barack Obama will try yet again Wednesday to make his case for major energy reforms, a mission he’s so far struggled to accomplish, thanks to global and domestic challenges often beyond his control…Senior White House officials said the speech at Georgetown University kicks off a “concerted effort around energy security” that will occupy the...
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Hastings Jumpstarts Debate On American Energy Production with Three New Measures WASHINGTON - This morning, Representative Doc Hastings, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, announced three new proposals to increase America’s energy production, create well-paying, long-term jobs, and decrease our reliance on foreign state-owned oil companies.  In response, Thomas Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance, issued the following statement: “While gas prices...
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HOF won’t induct Charlie Hustle for betting on his team to win, but the HOF just placed a bet against American energy Mother Nature Network (3/29/11) reports: The hall of fame, based in Cooperstown, decided to support the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce’s recent resolution opposing hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” as it is commonly known. Fracking is a controversial method used by the natural gas industry where rig operators pump a mixture of water, sand and secret chemicals into...
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Do you believe in magic? Professor Folbre commands wind and solar to be cost competitive with fossil fuels and to displace nuclear energy New York Times (3/28/11) reports: More important is the rate of change in the cost and utilization of these technologies, particularly those that rely on wind, water or solar power and will not contribute to global warming…The cost per kilowatt hour of generating electricity from wind and solar power has declined steadily in recent years and is projected...
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Energy crisis by design — the war against affordable and reliable energy will not go without casualties Washington Post (3/24/11) reports: Last month, Seahawk Drilling declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced the sale of its assets to shallow-water driller Hercules Offshore. This devastating decision was the culmination of a long period in which we found our customers unable to secure permits for work in the Gulf of Mexico despite the fact that both our industry and our company have...
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Chu said wind and solar will be cost competitive with oil by end of the decade, which makes sense because under the plan they promised,  the cost of energy would necessarily skyrocket Yahoo (3/24/11) reports: Clean sources of energy such as wind and solar will be no more expensive than oil and gas projects by the end of the decade, US Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Wednesday…President Barack Obama's administration has been encouraging companies to invest in green growth, calling...
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It’s sad that a new coal permit is newsworthy — Sec. Salazar relishes the pomp and circumstance as he conducts what should be routine business Tribune (3/23/11) reports: Nearly 758 million tons of Wyoming coal will go up for sale in the coming months, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday… The sale of the leases announced Tuesday could produce up to $21.3 billion when factoring in bonus bids and royalty payments, Salazar said. Just more than half of the total would go to the...
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