A Free-Market Energy Blog

Gas Furnaces and Big Brother Revisited

By -- November 3, 2022

“The fantasy, the shared narrative, is that replacing natural gas with electricity addresses the ‘climate crisis’ … Coupled with smart meters and digital currency, the home and business are subject to social monitoring and control. This is a high-tech version of F. A. Hayek’s the road to serfdom.”

On October 11, 2022, Gas Furnaces: Big Brother Says No highlighted the joint comments filed by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) et al. [1] These comments were in opposition to the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE)  and their (severely overreaching) “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” (NOPR) to ban the manufacturing of gas-fueled residential furnaces: “Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products.”

CEI et al.’s comments primarily highlighted how DOE/EERE is attempting to justify its proposed ban based upon improper use of the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC): “2022-10-05 Joint Comment response to the published NOPR.”

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Massachusetts’ 1,200 MW Offshore Wind Project ‘no longer viable’ (rough waters ahead?)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- November 2, 2022

“… global commodity price increases … sharp and sudden increases in interest rates, prolonged supply chain constraints, and persistent inflation have significantly increased the expected cost of constructing the project.”

Electricity rates are going up because of wind, solar, and batteries being forced upon, and duplicating, the grid. Reliability is going down because of wind and solar intermittency. And higher interest rates are (further) ruining the economics of the infrastructure-heavy, up-front capital necessary to turn “free” wind and solar into electricity.

It’s a perfect storm that might just overcome the taxpayer largesse of the federal subsidies (DOE and IRS) and rate averaging for captive ratepayers. With offshore wind experimental and extra-uneconomic, the worst can be assumed.

An October 30, 2022, article by Colin Young, “Major Massachusetts offshore wind project no longer viable,” explains the fluid situation.…

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The Dangers of Low Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations

By -- November 1, 2022

Thus, CO2 literally is the “food” that sustains essentially all plants (and animals who consume plants, including humans) on the face of the Earth. And when that food supply is diminished, nature begins to diminish.

In my last post I shared the results of research findings demonstrating that rising atmospheric CO2 levels represent no current direct threat to human health and/or cognitive performance and decision making. Further, I explained that they present no realistic future threat either; for CO2 levels would need to increase some 36 times above the present concentration before they would even begin to pose a mild health concern.

That value (i.e., 15,000 ppm) will never occur, given it is a factor of ten above the approximate 1500 ppm atmospheric CO2 limit that scientists think is possible if society utilized all of the currently-known fossil fuel reserves on the planet.…

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David Suzuki: Halloween Scary

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 31, 2022
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Doug Sheridan on the Growing Recognition of Fossil Fuel Morality

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 28, 2022
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Big Climate Brother Coming Your Way (voluntary now, mandatory later)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 27, 2022
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What Environmentalists Don’t Know About Petroleum (that last 30 percent)

By -- October 26, 2022
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A Typical Exchange with a Climate Alarmist/Forced Energy Transformationist

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 25, 2022
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Energy and Environmental Review: October 24, 2022

By -- October 24, 2022
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Alex Epstein is Winning (humanism, progress = mineral energies)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 21, 2022
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