“The infant industry argument is a smoke screen,” wrote Milton and Rose Friedman in their 1979 classic, Free to Choose. “The so-called infants never grow up.” And several years later, the two wrote: “Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.” [1]
Previous posts have documented the “permanent subsidies” of industrial wind power (14 extensions) and of solar power (15 extensions). [2] Add nuclear liability protection to this list, although the technology has long been declared safe by the industry and its proponents.
The Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act of 1957 became law as Section 170 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. It was supposed to be a ten-year window to allow commercial nuclear power to prove its economy and safety. But the so-called Price-Anderson Act–capping damage claims “to protect the public and to encourage the development of the atomic energy industry”–is still with us, some two-thirds of a century later.…
Continue Reading“Because of greenhouse gas saturation in the atmosphere, methane regulations across the world will have no measurable effect on global temperatures.”
In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published new methane emissions regulations for the oil and gas industry. The European Union enacted new rules to reduce methane emissions from the energy sector in May. Agriculture is also being targeted regarding methane.
But methane regulations, even if established worldwide, won’t have a measurable effect on global temperatures. However, they will raise costs for energy and food, impacting consumers and businesses.
On March 8, EPA finalized its rule on methane emissions for the oil and gas sector. The rule is intended to “reduce wasteful methane emissions that endanger communities and fuel the climate crisis.” The new policy will require companies to pay a penalty of $900 for every ton of methane emitted above limits set by the EPA, starting this year.…
Continue ReadingEd. Note: 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. The complete Newsletter for this post can be found here.
Wind Energy:
Feds say “damn the whales” in the Gulf of Maine
*** Taking the Wind Out of Climate Change (referencing 60± studies)
*** Cooking the Books 2: Lazard’s Levelized Cost of Energy Estimates for Wind
*** Short video: Green Madness – The Waste and Destruction of One Industrial Wind Turbine Project
Video: The Problem with Wind Energy
Solar Energy:
NY Community Bans Solar Projects
Another NY Community Reconsiders Solar Projects
Solar Projects are Taking US Back to the Dark Ages
Nuclear Energy:
*** Nuclear Power 101: Safe, Reliable & Affordable Power Generation In-a-Nutshell
*** The stage is being set for an American nuclear power revolution
Fossil Fuel Energy:
225 Ways President Biden and the Democrats Have Made it Harder to Produce Oil & Gas
Electric Vehicles (EVs):
*** China Is The Big Winner Of North American EV Policies
*** Should Electric Vehicles be Illegal?…