A Free-Market Energy Blog

Extinction Rebellion vs. African Energy Alliance (affordable, reliable energy at stake)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 19, 2022

“It is unconscionable for the [UK] media to create chaos around a good energy dialogue by depicting the actions of latte Liberators as representing either the actions or the views of the British people, the black community in the diaspora, or Africans.”

“The Africans, energy workers, and investors in the London conference are good people and emphasize self-help and personal responsibility … as the best strategy to combat energy poverty and climate change.” – NJ Ayuk

At best, committing outrageous acts of inconvenience to innocents who are busy living their own lives. At worst, law breaking. And all in a false cause. Theirs is a war against human betterment, modern living, happiness. Meet the nut cases of Extinction Rebellion, “a decentralised, international, and politically non-partisan movement using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency.”…

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‘The $287 Million Pipeline No One Needed’: Deconstructing an Anti-Natural Gas Argument

By -- May 18, 2022

Ed Note: A 65-mile, 400 MMCf/d pipeline approved by FERC and in service since late 2019 has been challenged in court by environmental groups that want to wean St. Louis residents off natural gas to force electrification. With successful court decisions, FERC has issued an emergency order for Spire STL to continue operation rather than shut down.

“The moral of this story? In an increasingly politicized economy, it is easier to get the business through government largess than to earn the business through healthy competition.”

Media bias…. “‘The $287 Million Pipeline No One Needed'” is the title of an article published on April 27, 2022, by Mario Ariza in The Intercept; “an award-winning news organization dedicated to holding the powerful accountable through fearless, adversarial journalism.”

Behind the article was Floodlight News, “a nonprofit climate newsroom that investigates the powerful interests stalling climate action,” syndicated and picked up by similar “news” web sites.…

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“Negative Electricity Prices and the Production Tax Credit” (2012 warning for Texas went unheeded)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 17, 2022

[Editor note: The current (May) problems of the Texas Grid reflect a socialized wholesale market (ERCOT) in light of the wind/solar cancer that has wounded the ‘reliables.’ Specifically, negative pricing of windpower, a decade-old phenomenon, has ruined margins for natural gas and coal plants, causing premature retirements, decisions against new capacity, and less maintenance.]

History matters to understand the wounded Texas electricity grid of today. There were warnings time and again that the distorted market would have reliability issues, and reliability issues would cause price spikes for the worst of all worlds.

Consider the study Negative Electricity Prices and the Production Tax Credit” by Frank Huntowski, Aaron Patterson, and Michael Schnitzer (The NorthBridge Group: September 10, 2012), which was commissioned by Exelon, whose nuclear-plant margins were badly compromised by wind’s “predatory” pricing.…

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Watchman on ‘Greenwashing’

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 16, 2022
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‘Hot’ Climate Models: Soft Criticism from the Mainstream

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 15, 2022
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Bird Migration Day: Dim the Lights … or Turn Off the Turbines?

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 13, 2022
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Vaclav Smil: Antidote to Magical Thinking

By Richard W. Fulmer -- May 12, 2022
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“Gasoline Prices: Still Good News” (a 20-year-old op-ed for today)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 11, 2022
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In Defense of Price ‘Gouging’ (lines, shortages are uneconomic, discriminatory)

By Michael Giberson -- May 10, 2022
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Energy and Environmental Review: May 9, 2022

By -- May 9, 2022
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