Blue States. High Rates ($0.55/gallon premium)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- August 19, 2026

Ed. Note: The post reproduces the introduction and conclusion of a new report by the Institute for Energy Research (IER), The Pacific Premium: Why Gasoline Costs More in Democratic-Controlled States. The bottom line: in Democratic-controlled states, state fuel taxes, carbon mandates, and regulations add on average 55 cents per gallon at the pump.

“For policymakers, that is the actionable point: the levers that explain the gap are specific and identifiable, and the largest of them, state fuel taxes and transportation carbon taxes, pass through to consumers nearly dollar for dollar.”

When gasoline prices climb, drivers everywhere start asking the same question: what’s really behind the pain at the pump? The answers are rarely simple. Shifting global oil markets, OPEC decisions, wars and sanctions disrupting supply, refinery outages, pipeline constraints, seasonal weather and demand swings can all play a role.…

Energy & Environmental Review: August 17, 2026

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- August 17, 2026

This post excerpts energy and climate material from the Media Balance Newsletter, a free fortnightly published by physicist John Droz Jr., founder of the Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions. Droz is also the author of the popular Substack Critically Thinking About Select Societal Issues.

Unreliables (General):
FMEA – Generation: Wind & Solar

Wind Energy:
*** A Renaissance Life – Jon E. Boone, Fighting Ill Wind
Atlantic Shores permit headed for BOEM review
World-first typhoon-resistant wind platform starts powering oil rigs in China

Nuclear Energy:
America is watching the world’s movement to nuclear power generation
Romania begins shutdown of nuclear plant’s 2nd reactor amid low water levels on Danube River

Miscellaneous Energy News:
*** We Need an Energy Explosion, Not an Energy Transition | Panel Discussion
Embodied energy – The first step in understanding eROI
Holtec’s Air-Cooled Condenser Technology is Poised to Solve the Growing Water Scarcity Challenge Faced by Power Plants Across the Globe

Manmade Global Warming:
*** When Will The Climate Liars Stop Lying?…

CO2 is Winning (Mitigation fail)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- August 14, 2026

“The future of rational climate policy is adaptation, not mitigation that works against adaptation. Social justice demands that climate policy not increase energy prices and restrict consumer sovereignty.”

Want to prosper in the energy/climate arena? Avoid wasteful, futile climate ‘mitigation’ policy. Want to ruin your economy for no effect on climate? Rush ahead with wind, solar, batteries, EVs, and forced conservation. The UK/EU experience speaks for itself.

Examine the graph below, and ask yourself which economies are prospering and which are retrogressing. The jumps between 2014 and 2024 would be magnified today.

The future of rational climate policy is adaptation, not mitigation that works against adaptation. Social justice demands that climate policy not increase energy prices and restrict consumer sovereignty.

Appendix: Prior Adaptation Articles

Adaptation Momentum, Mitigation Fatigue (August 5, 2026)

Global Air Conditioning: Adaptation in Action (July 21, 2026)

Adaptation: Think about It (July 2, 2026)

The Argument for Adaptation and Resilience (Part I: Theory) July 14, 2025

Examples of Adaptation and Resilience (Part II: Examples) July 15, 2025

Climate Adaptation vs.…