Ontario's Wind Moratorium: Public Discontent Sends a Global Message to Government-Dependent Energy (and energy sprawl)
By Sherri Lange -- March 1, 2011“Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch, nay, you may kick it all about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening.”
~Oliver Wendell Holmes, The Professor at the Breakfast Table
Something big just happened in Ontario–something the Wind Lobby fears. Recently, Minister of the Environment John Wilkinson held fast to what had been a “for now” moratorium policy where tough talk about environment-before-wind was followed by turbine contracts and business-as-usual wind development.
It is about time for a change. Rural Ontarians are mad about wind development, as are Lakeside communities, fishermen, and boaters.
Indeed, Ontario is about as fed up as a province can be with a laundry list of discontent ranging from 1) increased hydro bills and announced electricity rate hikes of 40% in the next years; 2) a tax-grab ‘Harmonized Sales Tax’ and 3) a Green Energy Act, which took away Municipal rights to project planning and superseded other environmental legislation.…
Continue ReadingThe Case Against Section 1603 Grants ($5 billion easy pieces)
By John Droz, Jr. -- February 28, 2011Congress is rightfully concerned about closing the huge, systemic budget deficit. In this climate, eliminating Section 1603 grants for politically correct renewable energy should be considered an easy target.
By way of background, this particular subsidy came about due to persistent pressure from lobbying groups like American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Their main argument is that these grants will promote jobs and economic benefits. Of course, as lobbyists this is what they are paid to say. But in these times of more focused financial prudence, we need to critically look at such expenditures in a more objective light — especially since we are talking about some five billion dollars.
The 1603 Grants should be cancelled entirely. In my view the best way to see how ineffective these expenditures are is to consider what the alternatives are for this same money.…
Continue ReadingThe False Promise of Green Energy (new Cato book packs a punch)
By administrator -- February 25, 2011By Andrew P. Morriss, William T. Bogart, Roger E. Meiners, Andrew D. Dorchak
“This new work [289 pages] offers an outstanding, nearly unprecedented evaluation of claims by green energy and green jobs proponents that we can improve the economy and the environment, almost risk free, by spending billions of dollars on what are ultimately false promises.”
Energy affects everything we do. The late Julian Simon coined the term “the master resource” to describe energy’s crucial role in our economy. Nearly half of energy we use is used indirectly in the production of food, medicines, and consumer goods.
This is important because anything that increases the price of energy will also increase the prices of goods that use energy indirectly. Thus, if energy costs were to increase because of forced use of more expensive renewable energy, not only would the price of electricity rise, but so would the price of food, medicines, and consumer goods, such as cotton t-shirts.…
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