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Exxon Mobil Rejects Crony Energy (Tillerson channels Lee Raymond)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 18, 2015

“We in the petroleum industry are not dismissing the global climate change issue. But I don’t believe anyone should have the moral authority to deny people the opportunity to improve their way in life by arbitrarily depriving them of the means…. I hope that the governments of this region will work with us to resist policies that could strangle economic growth.”

– Lee Raymond, CEO, ExxonMobil (2010)

ExxonMobil CEO mocks renewable energy in shareholder speech, the headline of Adam Lerner’s May 27th Politico article read. Lerner’s piece began:

“The CEO of one of the world’s largest oil companies downplayed the effects of climate change at his company’s annual meeting Wednesday, telling shareholders his firm hadn’t invested in renewable energy because ‘We choose not to lose money on purpose.'”

How refreshing!…

‘Scared Witless: Prophets and Profits of Climate Doom’ (Book Review)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 12, 2015

“[T]here are big differences between responsible stewardship ideals that most of us subscribe to, and ideologically moralistic, anti-development obstructionists who use fear and guilt to exert costly and unchecked influence over ever-expanding aspects of our liberties and lives.”

– Larry Bell, Scared Witless: Prophets and Profits of Climate Doom (Seattle: Stairway Press, 2015), p. 226.

Larry Bell is an intellectual arbitrager in the climate wars. Professor emeritus in space architecture at the University of Houston, Bell became intrigued about the physical science of climate change–and its downstream implications. What was found was a yawning gap between consensus science and what should have been the result of the scientific method. The result was determined self-study and prolific writing on the politicization, and even corruption, of climate science in academia, in government, and in pressure groups.…

Some of My Favorite Quotations–and Yours?

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 5, 2015

Here are some of my favorite quotations for a happy summer Friday.

Sustainability

“The problem is not too many people, but a lack of political and economic freedom.”

– Julian Simon, The Ultimate Resource 2 (Princeton, N.Y.: Princeton University Press, 1996), p. 11.

“Discoveries, like resources, may well be infinite: the more we discover, the more we are able to discover.”

– Ibid., p. 82.

Energy

“Energy is the master resource, because energy enables us to convert one material into another. As natural scientists continue to learn more about the transformation of materials from one form to another with the aid of energy, energy will be even more important.”

– Julian Simon, The Ultimate Resource 2 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996), p. 162.

Energy & the Environment

“The greenest fuels are the ones that contain the most energy per pound of material that must be mined, trucked, pumped, piped, and burnt.

John Christy, Climate Scientist, to President’s Council on Environmental Quality (May 13, 2015, testimony)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 2, 2015

Self-Service Becomes Institutionalized: 1971–84 (Part 4 of 4)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 29, 2015

Self-Service Takes Hold: 1950–70 (Part 3 of 4)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 28, 2015

Self-Service Erupts — and Established Dealers Go Political (1947–51)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 27, 2015

Self-Service Gasoline: Legalizing Freedom (New Jersey, Oregon hold out)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 26, 2015

Memorial Weekend and Driving Season: Motor to a Better Environment!

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 22, 2015

“No Regrets” Climate Policy: Doing Much by Doing Little

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 19, 2015