“Vanderbilt forest management set the stage for the U.S. Forest Service and the way it manages timber. Whether that was good remains in doubt.”

It makes a good story. In the late 1800s demand for wood was insatiable—for houses, for ships, for railroad ties. Americans were logging trees all over the country, then moving on to another forest, leaving ugly cutover land behind them. President Theodore Roosevelt expressed fear of a “timber famine.” Trees are being destroyed, he said, “far more rapidly than they are being replaced.” [1] Peak Trees? Peak Forestry? The same was being said for petroleum and other resources.

George Vanderbilt (grandson of “robber baron” Cornelius Vanderbilt) came to the rescue. Vanderbilt’s mansion near Asheville, North Carolina, was built on forest land, much of it already logged.  Vanderbilt hired a young man, Gifford Pinchot, to manage about 125,000 acres around the Biltmore estate, with the goals of making money while restoring and protecting the forest.…

“In all, a New York Times analysis … counts nearly 100 environmental rules officially reversed, revoked or otherwise rolled back under Mr. Trump. More than a dozen other potential rollbacks remained in progress by the end but were not finalized by the end of the administration’s term.” (- Coral Davenport. NYT)

With Trump 47 just ahead, a look back at Trump 45 energy and environmental policies is timely. This stocktaking by the New York Times (Coral Davenport, “The Trump Administration Rolled Back More than 100 Environmental Rules,” January 22, 2021) counted 98 rollbacks that were completed, with 14 in process.

“Over four years, the Trump administration dismantled major climate policies and rolled back many more rules governing clean air, water, wildlife and toxic chemicals,” Davenport began.

In all, a New York Times analysis, based on research from Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School and other sources, counts nearly 100 environmental rules officially reversed, revoked or otherwise rolled back under Mr.

“Resolution 12, noted DeSmog, ‘harkens back to the 1990s fossil fuel industry playbook.’ Yes it does and should. Long Live the Greening Earth Society, which refuted (via CO2 science) the notion that carbon dioxide is a pollutant.”

“Alberta Conservatives Pass Climate Denial Resolution 12 to Celebrate CO2 Pollution,” DeSmog reported. “UCP pledges to abandon the province’s net zero targets, and remove the designation of CO2 as a pollutant.”

Denial? Pollution? Not so fast! The resolution from Alberta’s United Conservative Party recognizes the positive, settled-science side of CO2 and calls for a new debate predicated on

i. Abandoning “Net-Zero” targets,

ii. Removing the designation of CO2 as a pollutant, and

iii. Recognize that CO2 is a foundational nutrient for all life on Earth.”

Fantastic! And consonant with Trump energy policy, as well as the about-face by Argentina on alarmist climate policy.…

“Whether it is the unprecedented subsidies for renewable energy or the unprecedented war on American energy, the Biden administration’s policies are behind the increase in America’s electricity prices.”

During the first three years under Biden vs. last three under Trump, average wholesale electric prices in the seven U.S. independent or regional service areas have increased by 72%. Retail prices are also higher. The average 2024 U.S. residential rate to date is 24% higher than in 2020. For all end users—residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors—prices are up 23%.

This rate surge reflects the massive renewable energy subsidies authorized in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, signed by President Biden, that tripled the outlay of such federal largesse. Another factor is the administration’s natural gas policies, which banned imports of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal; joined with the European Commission to reduce Europe’s dependance on Russian oil; and put a pause on LNG permits.…