Energy Archives - Page 7 of 88

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Biden Admin Doubles Down On Climate Cooperation With China As Xi’s Economy Goes On Coal Binge

November 17, 2023/in Elections, Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by The Daily Caller

The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it is doubling down on efforts to work with China on climate change.

The State Department unveiled a comprehensive strategy reaffirming the administration’s commitment to taking on climate change as a global problem alongside China, even during a time of rocky relations between the two nations and clear signs that China may not be inclined to ditch fossil fuels anytime soon. The countries are on the same page regarding emissions reduction targets and strategies, cooperation through international institutions, subnational agreements and numerous other specific topics, according to the State Department.

China permitted an average of two coal-fired power plants per week in 2022, according to NPR, and their climate envoy said in September that the complete elimination of fossil fuel energy is an “unrealistic” goal. Nevertheless, the Biden administration is committed to working with China to reduce numerous classes of emissions, including methane and nitrogen oxides, both of which are associated with coal.

Biden And Democrats Are Walking Right Into China's High-Stakes Traphttps://t.co/4EOrg1usMq

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 15, 2023

Both countries welcome subnational agreements focused on climate, such as those reached by Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom and representatives of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to the State Department. Additionally, the countries are jointly committed to turning back forest loss, reducing plastic pollution and rapidly developing green energy generation sources.

Tuesday’s agreement on climate stands as one of several tentative deals reached this week between the two countries. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to halt the production of illicit fentanyl and resume inter-military communications in California during their first meeting in a year.

Notably, the State Department announcement also alludes to a joint plan to hold “a high-level event on subnational climate action” at some point in the first half of next year.

The two countries also committed to working together to keep United Nations average temperature targets in reach in ways that “[reflect] equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances,” according to the announcement. China is technically a developing nation in the eyes of the United Nations, despite being by far the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gases and its status as the world’s second-largest economy, and it appears unwilling to pay into the so-called “loss and damages” fund, a de facto international climate reparations program by which rich countries would pay developing, poorer countries for the impacts of climate change.

The “loss and damages” program is poised to be a major topic of discussion at the upcoming United Nations climate conference, which itself is another point of collaboration between Washington and Beijing, according to the announcement.

The State Department did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

AUTHOR

NICK POPE

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Biden Admin Approved Huge Loan To Green Company As It Was Allegedly Defrauding Investors. Now Its Stock Is Tanking

Biden’s Energy Secretary Says ‘We Can All Learn From China’ On Climate Policy

‘Obvious Violation Of Federal Law’: Forthcoming Litigation Could Gum Up America’s Largest-Ever Offshore Wind Farm

Organizer With Deep CCP Ties Helped Bus Hundreds Into San Francisco To Welcome Chinese Dictator

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

‘Obvious Violation Of Federal Law’: Forthcoming Litigation Could Gum Up America’s Largest-Ever Offshore Wind Farm

November 17, 2023/in Courts & Law, Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Regulation, Science/by The Daily Caller

Legal proceedings against the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) could threaten to disrupt the timelines for the construction of the largest offshore wind farm in U.S. waters to date, Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project.
The Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) and The Heartland Institute requested that BOEM and the NMFS begin to revise an allegedly inadequate environmental review and associated North Atlantic Right Whale harassment authorizations within the next 60 days, or the organizations will go to court to challenge the agencies’ actions, an outcome which could possibly disrupt CVOW’s timeline.
“This letter officially puts BOEM on notice that CFACT is prepared to file suit in order to expose the agency’s clear violation of federal law in failing to protect the North Atlantic right whale,” Craig Rucker, CFACT’s president, said of his organization’s filing and its implications.

Pending legal challenges against the Biden administration could disrupt the timeline for construction of a Virginia offshore wind farm poised to be the largest in the U.S.

The Heartland Institute and the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) filed a 60 day notice of intent to sue the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), a subagency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on Monday, citing an allegedly deficient biological review underlying the agencies’ authorizations for construction teams to legally harass a number critically-endangered North Atlantic Right Whales. The two groups request that the agencies rescind the allegedly deficient review, known as a “biological opinion,” within 60 days and issue a revised number of harassment authorizations.

If the agencies choose to disregard the request and do not rework the number of authorized whale disturbances to align with a new assessment, the organizations will take to the courts to challenge the biological opinion, according to the notice’s text. The notice and the possibility of expensive, time-consuming litigation adds to the risks that Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project faces, according to CFACT.

“This letter officially puts BOEM on notice that CFACT is prepared to file suit in order to expose the agency’s clear violation of federal law in failing to protect the North Atlantic right whale. By refusing to consider the cumulative impact of the dozens of industrial offshore wind facilities, consisting of several thousand individual turbines planned for the East Coast, it adopted a piecemeal approach, which only considered each individual offshore wind project in isolation,” Craig Rucker, CFACT’s president, said of his organization’s filing and its implications. “This is clearly a ploy to artificially reduce the total impact of these projects on the North Atlantic Right Whale. This obvious violation of federal law was ignored by the oversight agencies but will not be tolerated by the courts.”

Marine Conservation Orgs Took Funds From Offshore Wind Backers, Including One Potentially Linked To Whale Deaths: REPORT https://t.co/H1WfxQExOn

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 16, 2023

The notice asserts that the CVOW project’s biological opinion, issued by NMFS and adopted by BOEM, runs afoul of the Endangered Species Act primarily because the assessment does not adequately consider the cumulative impacts that other East Coast offshore wind projects will have on migrating North Atlantic Right Whales that travel near the other developments in addition to CVOW, according to its text.

The Biden administration announced that it had greenlit CVOW development on Oct. 31, setting the project on course to become the largest offshore wind farm in U.S. waters. The administration’s approval followed months of speculation that the offshore wind industry is driving a massive spike in North Atlantic Right Whale deaths along the East Coast.

A considerable uptick in baleen whale deaths has coincided with the 2016 beginning of East Coast developments, a timeline which generally aligns with NOAA’s declarations of “unusual mortality events” for North Atlantic Right and Humpback Whales in 2017 and 2016, respectively, according to its website.

While critics of offshore wind have suggested that offshore wind-related sonar activity could be disorienting the whales and their sensitive hearing, which in turn makes them far more likely to transit dangerous areas or struggle to find food in ways they otherwise would not, government agencies and several major eco-activism organizations maintain that there is no available science demonstrating that there is a link between offshore wind and whale mortality. The government’s current position is that climate change and vessel strikes are primarily responsible for the increase in mortalities rather than ocean industrialization.

Offshore wind is a key aspect of the Biden administration’s overall green energy agenda, which aims to have the U.S. power sector reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2035 and net-zero for the entire U.S. economy by 2050. The administration is striving to have offshore wind generate enough power to satisfy the demand of 10 million American homes by 2030, but concerns over the industry’s ecological impact and its substantial economic struggles have put that target in jeopardy.

Representatives for BOEM and NMFS declined to comment, stating that they are unable to comment on matters of litigation. Dominion Energy and the White House did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

AUTHOR

NICK POPE

Contributor.

CFACT Issues ‘intent to sue’ over offshore wind, releases new study…

November 16, 2023/in Courts & Law, Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Regulation, Science/by Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow

CFACT is not just talking about the tragic mistake of offshore wind, we are taking action.

This week CFACT, partnering with The Heartland Institute, filed their joint intent to bring a lawsuit against the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for abrogating their responsibility to protect the endangered Right Whale from the rush to construct wind turbines.

As we state in our press release,

“The North Atlantic right whale is listed as ‘critically endangered’ by the governments of both the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States. Numerous studies by federal and environmental organizations have found that only about 350 North Atlantic right whales remain in existence.”

Unprecedented numbers of whales have been found dead along our coasts as wind turbine construction proceeds. BOEM released its “biological opinion” giving Dominion Energy a green light to proceed with building its 2,600 MW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project 27 miles off Virginia Beach. This biological opinion has numerous pitfalls, including a failure to rely upon the “best available science” and employing a piecemeal approach to assessing risk to marine mammals that minimizes their actual lethality.

If bureaucrats refuse to do their jobs, we aim to force them!

To make matters worse, the Biden Administration energy strategy is terribly misguided in claiming offshore wind will meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CFACT released a study this week which concludes, among other things, that “the net ‘carbon’ (carbon dioxide) reduction effects of offshore wind development are hugely negative and cannot justify further investments in this industry.”

You can read the entire study by David Wojick, Ph.D. and CFACT senior policy advisor Paul Driessen at CFACT.org.

The verdict is in regarding offshore wind. When one considers the incredible costs, its threat to the power grid, and the potentially severe threat to marine life, the way forward is simple…

Stop building offshore wind.

Read CFACT’s wind turbine study here

Senior Ukrainian Military Officer Behind Nord Stream Pipeline Attack: REPORT

November 12, 2023/in Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, National Security, News/by The Daily Caller

A Ukrainian military officer involved with the country’s intelligence services allegedly played a leading role in the bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022, sources familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

Roman Chervinsky, a 48-year-old colonel who served in Ukrainian Special Forces, was the “coordinator” of the operation to blow up the pipeline, according to the Post. Chervinsky’s role allegedly involved managing logistics for the team that rented a sailboat and used diving equipment to plant explosives on the pipelines.

Chervinsky allegedly took orders from senior Ukrainian officials who reported to the Ukrainian Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, sources familiar with the matter told the Post. Chervinsky denied being involved in sabotaging the pipeline.

“All speculations about my involvement in the attack on Nord Stream are being spread by Russian propaganda without any basis,” Chervinsky told the Post.

Chervinsky served in a unit of the Ukrainian Special Forces focused on resistance in Russian-occupied areas earlier in the conflict, sources familiar with the matter told the Post. He reported to Maj. Gen. Viktor Hanushchak who communicated with Zaluzhny.

Chervinsky previously served in the Ukraine’s military intelligence agency as well as Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU, according to the Post.

Authorities allege that Chervinsky, who was arrested in April, acted without permission and that the operation gave away the coordinates of a Ukrainian airfield, prompting a Russian rocket attack that killed a soldier and injured 17 others. Chervinsky is being held in a Kyiv jail on charges that he abused his power stemming from a plot to lure a Russian pilot to defect to Ukraine in July 2022.

“All of those involved in planning and execution reported directly to [chief of defense] Zaluzhnyy, so Zelensky wouldn’t have known about it,” according to intelligence obtained by the CIA allegedly shared by Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. Officials in multiple countries privately said they did not believe Zelensky approved the Nord Stream attack, according to the Post.

Accusations flew following the pipeline explosion, with world leaders blaming a multitude of different actors. Former President Donald Trump hinted that it might have been done by the U.S. and European Parliament representative for Poland Radek Sikorski appeared to cheer on the pipeline explosion. Some pointed to Russia and Vladimir Putin for the bombings, according to The Hill.

Chervinsky could not be reached for comment.

AUTHOR

BRANDON POULTER

Contributor.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

A Massive Carveout In Dems’ Climate Law Is Boosting Foreign-Made EVs

November 12, 2023/in Economy, Elections, Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, News, Science/by The Daily Caller

A key carveout in President Joe Biden’s signature climate bill is allowing companies to take advantage of federal tax credits to lease foreign-made electric vehicles (EVs).

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) features a $7,500 tax credit to incentivize Americans to purchase EVs that meet certain “made in America” sourcing and manufacturing standards, but the tax credit is still available to some foreign-made EVs if they are leased rather than sold. EV leases appear to have become more popular in recent months as dealers try to move growing backlogs of EVs off their lots, as consumer demand has cooled off and manufacturers have cut prices.

“Anecdotal information is that leases are going up, in some cases dramatically, due to the applicability of federal tax credits to commercial tax credits,” Brian Maas, president of the California New Car Dealers Association, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We have heard reports that, for some brands, leasing is exceeding 50% of all EVs sold by the dealer, especially for brands that cannot qualify with the domestic content and manufacturing requirements.”

Jaguar EVs aren't moving.

At this pace they're going to start giving them away.

327 days' supply is CRAZY.

Nearly 5X higher than industry average.

(via CDG Data Partner: https://t.co/aKUJg6HCfI) pic.twitter.com/iJ7YddV591

— Car Dealership Guy (@GuyDealership) November 9, 2023

The dynamic could complicate the White House’s goal to have 50% of all new car sales be EVs by 2030, a target which it has already spent billions and regulated aggressively to reach.

The Biden administration announced that leased EVs not assembled in North America were eligible for the tax credit in December 2022; between then and July 2023, the share of retail EV sales that were lease sales jumped by almost 15%, according to Cox Automotive. Given the shorter-term and temporary nature of leasing an EV compared to buying one, leasing may be the better deal for consumers who want to access the value of federal tax credits while also hedging against the possibility that the EV they buy today will become obsolete in short order as battery technology improves or charging standards change, according to Consumer Reports.

The lessor, or financial institution that mediates the lease agreement with the lessee, can claim the tax credit on the vehicle, Mass told the DCNF. However, the lessor is not obligated to pass that value on to the consumer, and can instead keep the credit’s value for themselves.

One potential outcome is that the lessor could keep the tax credit, meant to incentivize the purchase of domestically-sourced and manufactured EVs, for themselves by leasing foreign-made EVs that would not qualify for the tax credit if purchased outright.

Lessors may be inclined to pass on most of the value to the lessee by offering a discounted lease offer, which makes their deal more competitive or appealing, according to Kiplinger. However, they could still hold on to part of the tax credit’s value for themselves given their ability to set the terms of the lease agreement, and the carveout allows foreign manufacturers to capture the value of tax credits ostensibly designed to favor their American competitors, even if they pass on the full value to a lessee.

The White House did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

AUTHOR

NICK POPE

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Toyota Is Right: We Need More Hybrid Cars and Fewer EVs. Here’s Why

Plans for one of the largest EV battery manufacturing plants have fallen through — here’s how this may affect the future of EVs

Biden Poses In Electric Car That Has A Higher Carbon Footprint Than A Gas-Powered SUV

POST ON X:

"I would make the case to you that the worst thing that ever happened to the electric vehicle industry is Joe Biden, because he's totally politicized it."

— Stephen Moore, former Trump senior economic advisor@StephenMoore @EmmaRechenberg @ShaunKraisman pic.twitter.com/WsnDIH9i1f

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) April 3, 2024

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Biden Admin’s Regulatory Overhaul Is Poised To Burden Americans In The Name Of Fighting Climate Change

November 10, 2023/in Elections, Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Regulation, Science, Social Issues, Taxes, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by The Daily Caller

President Joe Biden’s administration finalized guidance Thursday likely to burden Americans with costlier regulations to fulfill administration priorities such as combating climate change.

Biden’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is enacting new guidance that would require regulators to consider priorities like inequality and climate change when analyzing the costs and benefits of regulation. The White House argued the guidance is necessary so that regulations are issued with up-to-date analysis and information.Critics, however, argue the new guidance would lead to costlier regulations in the name of the Biden administration’s agenda.

“Adjusting how cost-benefit analysis is conducted in a way to make it easier to issue heavy-handed and costly regulations is unwise at anytime, particularly when Americans continue to suffer under punishingly high inflation,” Republican Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford stated, according to The New York Times.

The new regulations will in practice allow for stronger climate regulations by factoring in the projected economic costs of climate change and global warming, according to the NYT.

The regulations are based on Biden’s January 2021 “Memorandum on Modernizing Regulatory Review,” which accounts for contributions to progressive policies when considering proposed rules.

“We write to express our opposition to the proposed revisions, which are seemingly designed to fast-track progressive policies that do not have a majority of votes in Congress necessary for passage into law,” Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and a coalition of Senate Republican committee ranking members wrote in a letter pushing back on the memorandum.”

The rules are also based on an April “Executive Order on Modernizing Regulatory Review,” according to the White House fact sheet on the final guidance, which the OMB pointed the Daily Caller News Foundation toward.

The order references regulatory moves that likely would lead to “adversely affect[ing] in a material way the economy, a sector of the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, or State, local, territorial, or tribal governments or communities” and takes “equity” into account.

Americans may also bear the regulatory cost for other nations because “effects occurring beyond the borders of the United States can result in benefits and costs that accrue to U.S. citizens and residents,” according to the fact sheet.

The OMB’s White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) finalized the regulations.

“This updated guidance will help agencies more accurately estimate the impacts of their regulations and thereby enable them to craft better regulations which, in turn, means lower costs for consumers; cleaner food, air, and water; less fraud and exploitation; increased workplace safety; more innovation; and a stronger economy,” the White House OIRA fact sheet asserts.

The White House did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

AUTHOR

JASON COHEN

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Biden Admin Proposes Nearly $15 Billion In New Regulations Over Just One Week

Grassroots activists winning battles against powerful Greens

Watch Morano on Watters on Green New Deal collapse

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

The Green Energy Industry Just Had An Absolutely Brutal Week

November 6, 2023/in Elections, Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Regulation, Science/by The Daily Caller

The past week has been marked by worrying developments for the state of the green energy industry, suggesting that President Joe Biden’s sweeping climate agenda could be imperiled.

Offshore wind companies are cancelling projects and executives are sounding the alarm on the state of the industry, while solar companies and indexes have seen their value continue a months-long slide that has resulted in diminished earnings forecasts and a solar-oriented loan provider’s bankruptcy. These developments suggest that Biden’s sweeping green energy plans could be in trouble, especially given the intractable nature of some of the crucial economic problems plaguing the industries.

“Boosters for this energy transition bet the farm on three rent-seeking industries: wind, solar and electric vehicles. Two legs of that three-legged stool are now showing signs of financial distress despite massive subsidies they’ve already received from multiple levels of government,” David Blackmon, a 40-year veteran of the oil and gas industry who now writes and consults extensively on energy, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “American consumers, who are paying the price for this in the form of skyrocketing costs of all forms of energy, should demand their representatives hang up the phone when the calls come in from wind and automaker executives asking for even more.”

.@larry_kudlow: "The Green New Deal is destroying jobs." pic.twitter.com/5GzLTdVvKH

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 26, 2023

Orsted, a Danish offshore wind company, announced on Tuesday that it cancelled two major developments off the coast of New Jersey. Company executives blamed factors like inflation, interest rates and supply chain woes, saying that the problems had left the firm little choice but to walk away from the major projects.

Since the cancellations, the company’s stock price has fallen even further and S&P has indicated that it is considering downgrading the company’s credit rating. But Orsted is not the only offshore wind company showing signs that the industry may be in an extremely precarious position.

The U.S. offshore wind industry appears to be “fundamentally broken” due to problems with permitting and rising costs, Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, the head of gas and low carbon energy for British Petroleum (BP), said at a conference on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg News. “There’s a fundamental reset needed,” she said, suggesting that there could be solutions and that her company is working with its partner to assess “options for their U.S. offshore wind projects to mitigate the effect of inflationary pressures and permitting delays.”

Under Biden’s leadership, the federal government has heavily subsidized the offshore wind developments, primarily via the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), in a bid to have the industry provide enough power to source electricity for 10 million American homes by 2030. The state of the industry is so dire that numerous energy market experts told the DCNF that a government bailout for the industry may be just around the corner.

Fox News’ Peter Doocy presses @PressSec about where laid off energy workers would go to get “green” jobs:

President Biden “laid out a plan that will not only create millions of good union jobs but also help tackle the climate crisis.”
pic.twitter.com/MNJauWzYoB

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 8, 2021

The offshore wind goal is just one slice of the administration’s efforts to decarbonize the American energy sector by 2035 and then have the entire U.S. economy reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

Like offshore wind, the administration is counting on solar power to emerge in the coming years as a replacement for the energy generated by fossil fuel infrastructure. Solar power is also similar to wind power in that it is intermittent and currently more expensive than power sourced by natural gas and other fossil fuels, according to Peter Grossman, an emeritus professor of economics for Butler University.

Solar companies have generally had a rough 2023 so far, and this past week has been no different: while stocks are down for several leading solar producers, Sunlight Financing, a company which provided loans to consumers to buy residential solar systems, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday. Several leading home system installers pared back their outlooks for the year this week as well, as higher interest rates and inflation have cooled consumer demand, according to Bloomberg News.

“The green industry makes products that are both very expensive and mostly ineffective,” Larry Behrens, the communications director for Power The Future, told the DCNF. “Yet, instead of admitting reality, we have an administration in Washington that is doubling-down and working overtime to force these terrible products into our lives,” he continued, adding that “thanks to the laughably-named Inflation Reduction Act, Joe Biden has a $369 billion dollar green slush fund and he’s put a political operative in charge of it… Joe Biden knows that when the green agenda fails, his legacy will sink even further, so there will be no dollar amount too high to keep green boondoggles afloat for as long as possible.”

The White House, Orsted, BP and Sunlight Financing all did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

AUTHOR

NICK POPE

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Blue State Taxpayers May Pay The Price For Dems’ Wind Power Gamble

Dems’ Own Banking Rules Could Strangle Green Energy Investment

Berkshire Hathaway Reports $12.8 Billion Loss Amid Falling Investments

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

AWED MEDIA BALANCED NEWS: We cover COVID to Climate, as well as Energy to Elections.

November 6, 2023/in Elections, Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Science, Social Issues/by John Droz, Jr.

Welcome! We cover COVID to Climate, as well as Energy to Elections.

Here is the link for this issue, so please share it on social media.

Checkout the 2023, 2022, 2021 & 2020 archives, plus asterisked items below.

If you like the Newsletter, signup for my free Critical Thinking substack.

— This Newsletter’s Articles, by Topic —

If You Only Have Time to Read a Few Select Articles:

*** Scientific Method restored to science education in North Carolina

*** Our public schools are a national disaster

*** What our Children are Being Taught

*** Oregon suspends basic skills graduation requirement, citing harm to students of color

*** Let’s End the Deception About the Cost of College

*** Sidney Powell Didn’t Flip on Trump or MAGA

*** In God We Trust: Speaker Mike Johnson

*** General Flynn: A Journey of Truth & Prayer

*** Disappearing Motherhood: Who’s to Blame?

*** Developer walks away from New Jersey offshore wind farms

*** Wind industry confirms Great Green Lie

*** Collapse of projects shows again that wind power is not affordable

*** Beware the offshore wind oligarchy

*** Report: Green Energy and Economic Fabulist

*** Kansas Energy Freedom Now!

*** Five years later, evidence of fracking’s safety is stronger than ever

*** History: Cold is Horrifically Bad for Humanity

*** Will the World Bank Choose Climate Change Over Poverty?

*** Net Zero Is A “Suicide Pact”

*** Why the Jews: History of Antisemitism

*** Victor Davis Hanson: The Real Story Behind the Hamas Terror Attack on Israel

*** Ackman on COVID vaccines, Kennedy, etc.

*** ObamaCare Turns Out to Be Affordable Only for the Healthy

*** “Vaccine” killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus

*** How Pfizer Hid Nearly 80% of COVID Vaccine Trial Deaths from Regulators

Secondary Education Related:

*** Report: The Key to Fixing the US Education System

*** Scientific Method restored to science education in North Carolina

*** Our public schools are a national disaster

*** What our Children are Being Taught

*** Study: Large Percentage of Campus Radicals Go on to Work in Education

*** NC House Bill 187: Equality in Education (good — waiting for Senate approval!)

*** Oregon suspends basic skills graduation requirement, citing harm to students of color

Teachers Across the Country Warn That Students are Not Performing at Grade Level

What School Boards Need to Know About Title IX

Short video: George Carlin on Critical Thinking

Higher Education Related:

*** Let’s End the Deception About the Cost of College

*** Students at Notre Dame protest planned drag queen show

Colleges today: Indoctrination, not education?

University Students’ Support For Terrorism Isn’t Ideology, It’s Conditioning

Paying for Hate on College Campuses

Artificial Intelligence:

*** AI Is Learning ‘Superhuman Persuasion’

Biden Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence

AI Oligarchs Plans: Team With China, ‘Break’ Capitalism

Greed Energy Economics:

*** Wind industry confirms Great Green Lie

*** Collapse of projects shows again that wind power is not affordable

Profit At China’s Top Wind Firm Slumps 98%

Wind Unaffordable, Costs Common Sense

Unreliables (General):

*** Report: Green Energy and Economic Fabulist

*** Green Dreams Going Up in Smoke

*** Unplug the Green Boondoggle

Wind Energy — Offshore:

*** Beware the offshore wind oligarchy

*** Developer walks away from New Jersey offshore wind farms

Offshore wind farm proposal is ‘absolute madness’

Wind Energy — Other:

*** Taking the Wind Out of Climate Change (referencing 60± studies)

*** The Wind is Always Blowing Somewhere Fallacy

*** The case for wind power was built upon a myth

Nuclear Energy:

*** Clean energy breakthrough: eVinci nuclear microreactor from Westinghouse receives DOE contract

*** Nuclear Power Gains Momentum as Global Energy Concerns Resurface Amidst Geopolitical Tensions

The miraculous technology that could solve our energy problems and works now

Fossil Fuel Energy:

*** Five years later, evidence of fracking’s safety is stronger than ever

Anti-oil, but Definitely Pro-Products from Oil

Why ‘dirty’ coal is vital to a ‘clean’ green future

China continues to build large numbers of coal plants

What if we went back to a fossil-free society like the 1800’s?

Electric Vehicles (EVs):

*** First-of-kind analysis reveals true cost of owning, operating EVs without govt. subsidies

*** Mega-Jolt: The Costs and Logistics of Plugging-in EVs are about to Become Supercharged

Inflated EV Assessments Deflate Production Incentives

Ford, GM, Mercedes come clean on EV demand weakness

The United Auto Workers vs. EVs

Misc Energy:

*** Kansas Energy Freedom Now!

Women, Electrified

Green, Powerless and Defenseless

Manmade Global Warming — Some Deceptions:

*** Net Zero Is A “Suicide Pact”

Climate Change Hurts The Poor: But Not The Way You Think It Does

Report: Solving the Climate Puzzle. The Sun’s Surprising Role

Hot summer in the city or global boiling?

Why Everything They Said About The Environment Was Wrong

Greenland’s Tipping Point Claims of a Runaway Melt are Overblown

Manmade Global Warming — Misc:

*** History: Cold is Horrifically Bad for Humanity

*** Will the World Bank Choose Climate Change Over Poverty?

*** Arctic sea ice: the canary in the coal mine

Policies Meant to Address Climate Change Can Worsen Human Suffering

Indonesia Shelves Decarbonization for Prosperity and Security

Carbon Footprint And Fine Dining In London: Nudged To Fight Climate Change

The Climate War Is Over: China Won

RGGI Halted in Pennsylvania

House Passes EPA Spending Bill That Defunds Several Biden Climate Initiatives

Carbon Dioxide: Vital Plant Food

US Election:

Election-Integrity.info (10 major election reports by our team of experts, plus much more!)

*** Sidney Powell Didn’t Flip on Trump or MAGA

*** Democrats’ Campaign to Disbar John Eastman is Designed to Criminalize Republican Election Challenges

RFK jr praises Clinton and Sanders

House Chairman Demands Answers for ActBlue Money Funneling

House Republicans Dig Into Democrat Fundraising Platform’s Shady Donor Verification Process

Judges Have No Legal Authority to Bar Trump From 2024 Ballots

US Election — State Issues:

*** Election Integrity Wins in Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, but Trouble Brews in Pennsylvania

NC conservatives should embrace, trust state’s improved election laws

Judge McBurney’s Alleged Delay Tactics on VoterGA Election Lawsuit

Former Utah County Clerk Facing Charges For Mishandling Election Ballots

Misc US Politics:

*** In God We Trust: Speaker Mike Johnson

*** General Flynn: A Journey of Truth & Prayer

Sorry, Republicans: Joe Biden Will Not Be the Democratic Nominee

Truth Will Prevail

Untested Legal Imagination’s the Mother of Trump and Jan. 6 Prosecutions

Censorship US:

The Big Lie of Censorship

FBI And DHS Directors Mislead Congress About Censorship

Societally US:

*** Disappearing Motherhood: Who’s to Blame?

Why Are We Flooded With Outrage-Producing News Stories?

Realtors liable for $1.8 billion in damages for commission inflation

Gen Z wants less sex in movies and television

US Politics and Socialism

*** Anatomy of a Philanthropath

Religion Related:

Multi-Faith Australian Religious Leaders Demand ‘Climate Justice’ … to the Disservice of God, Human Flourishing and Science

Pope’s Climate Harangue Shows that He Should Stick to Theology and Leave Climate Policy to Those Who Follow Facts

Jordan Peterson says he fully supports his wife’s conversion to Catholicism

Health:

*** ObamaCare Turns Out to Be Affordable Only for the Healthy

Israel:

*** Why the Jews: History of Antisemitism

*** Victor Davis Hanson: The Real Story Behind the Hamas Terror Attack on Israel

Reaction to Hamas massacre shows it’s time to decolonize the campu

Ukraine:

Pray for the safety of the Ukrainian people

A well-rated source to make a Ukraine donation

Latest Developments in Ukraine: November 5th

COVID-19 — Misc:

*** Ackman on COVID vaccines, Kennedy, etc.

*** “Vaccine” killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus

*** How Pfizer Hid Nearly 80% of COVID Vaccine Trial Deaths from Regulators

*** The UNC Covid Lawsuit Is Valid

Biden White House Orchestrated Cover-Up of COVID Vaccine Heart Damage

On civil suits against Pfizer for “contamination” of Covid-19 biochemical weapons

Pfizer Recorded 5 Million Harmful Outcomes Across 1.5 Million mRNA Injected Victims

COVID-19 — Repeated Important Information:

My webpage (C19Science.info) with dozens of Science-based COVID-19 reports

*** Free, At-Home COVID Tests (from US Govt)

*** World Council of Health: Early COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines

*** FLCCC Long COVID Treatment Protocol

*** COVID-19: What You Need To Know (Physicians for Informed Consent)

*** If you have received a COVID-19 injection, here’s how to Detox

Please use social media, etc. to pass on this Newsletter to other open-minded citizens…If you’d like to be added to the distribution of our popular, free, worldwide Media Balance Newsletter, simply send me an email saying that.

Note 1: We recommend reading the Newsletter on your computer, not your phone, as some documents (e.g., PDFs) are much easier to read on a large computer screen… We’ve tried to use common fonts, etc. to minimize display issues.

Note 2: For past Newsletter issues see the archives from: 2020 & 2021 & 2022 & 2023. To accommodate numerous requests received about prior articles over all thirteen plus years of the Newsletter, we’ve put this together — where you can search ALL prior issues, by year. For a background about how the Newsletter is put together, etc., please read this.

Note 3: See this extensive list of reasonable books on climate change. As a parallel effort, we have also put together a list of some good books related to industrial wind energy. Both topics are also extensively covered on my website: WiseEnergy.org.

Note 4: I am not an attorney or a physician, so no material appearing in any of the Newsletters (or any of my websites) should be construed as giving legal or medical advice. My recommendation has always been: consult a competent, licensed attorney when you are involved with legal issues, and consult a competent physician regarding medical matters.

House Passes EPA Spending Bill That Defunds Several Biden Climate Initiatives

November 4, 2023/in Elections, Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Science, Taxes, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by The Daily Caller

The House of Representatives passed its sixth appropriations bill to fund certain government agencies related to the environment on Friday that would defund many of the Biden administration’s climate-change-focused initiatives.

The Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 allocates over $25 billion to fund conservation programs, agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management(BLM) and Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) as well as cultural promotion agencies such as the national endowments for the arts and humanities. After spending over 12 hours considering amendments to the bill on Thursday and Friday morning, the House passed the bill by a vote of 213 yeas to 203 nays, with all Democrats but one voting against the bill.

“In drafting this bill, we worked very hard to rein in federal spending while prioritizing critical needs within our Subcommittee’s allocation,” said Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho’s 2nd District, who introduced the bill, at a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee in July to consider the bill. “Cutting funding is never easy and it can often be an ugly, arduous process. But with the national debt in excess of $32 trillion and inflation at an unacceptable level, we must make tough choices to ensure we do not saddle our children and grandchildren with overwhelming debt.”

🚨NOW: I’m leading the FY24 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations debate.

Tune in! https://t.co/aEYhT2auJu pic.twitter.com/fVnOWFr4TW

— Cong. Mike Simpson (@CongMikeSimpson) November 2, 2023

Amid widespread Republican opposition to the many climate change initiatives of the Biden administration, the House considered over 130 amendments on the floor to the bill, mostly from Republican members seeking to deny funds for these initiatives. Many of their amendments failed to pass due to bipartisan opposition.

Among the amendments passed by the House was a provision to deny funds for enforcing prohibitions on plastic straws, which was offered by Republican Rep. John Rose of Tennessee. Another such amendment, offered by Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, denies the government funds to prevent domestic pollutants from adversely affecting foreign countries.

One amendment, by Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, denies funds to implement a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act(IRA) that raises minimum rents and royalties for oil and gas projects. Perhaps the most narrowly passed amendment was one advanced by Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, which denies funds to implement any of President Joe Biden’s climate-change-focused executive orders, which was approved by one vote.

The bill has been opposed by Biden, whose administration released a statement indicating that he would veto it. “These levels would result in deep cuts to clean energy programs and other programs that work to combat climate change, essential nutrition services, law enforcement, consumer safety, education, and healthcare,” wrote the Office of Management and Budget about the bill’s funding levels, adding that it “include[s] billions in additional rescissions from the [Inflation Reduction Act] and other vital legislation.”

In parallel, the Senate has proposed a separate appropriations bill for these departments and agencies, which provides $19 billion more than the House bill and largely supports Biden’s environmental agenda, including $100 million for environmental justice programs, according to a press release from the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

AUTHOR

ARJUN SINGH

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICLES:

GOP Rep Introduces Bill To Defang Two Of Biden’s Signature Climate Programs

The Religion of Global Climate Change

Even Bill Gates [!] is Backtracking on Climate Change

Fear-Mongering UN Chief Wants $100B to Combat ‘Climate Chaos’

House Passes Israel Aid Bill Funded By IRS Cuts

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Article In Qatari Daily ‘Al-Sharq’: Arabs Must Punish West For Supporting Israel By Imposing Oil Embargo On It

November 2, 2023/in Culture War, Economy, Elections, Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Religion, Social Issues/by Middle East Media Research Institute

Qatar | Special Dispatch No. 10926

In an October 31, 2023 article in the Qatari daily Al-Sharq, journalist Rabi’a bin Sabbah Al-Kuwari called to punish the U.S. and Europe for supporting Israel by imposing an oil embargo on them, stating that oil a weapon “more powerful than military weapons.” It should be mentioned that, in the same issue, Al-Sharq published an interview with Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouq, who likewise called to withhold oil from the West. He enjoined the Arabs to “pressure the U.S. and its interests in the region the way [Saudi] King Faisal did in 1973 [i.e., by means of an oil embargo],” and added that “if the U.S. feels that its interests in the region are threatened, it will consider restraining the Israeli enemy.”[1]

The following are translated excerpts from Al-Kuwari’s article: [2]

“If the Arab countries stop supplying oil to Europe and the U.S., it may teach the governments and the people of these countries many lessons and cause them to rethink their unreserved support for the Zionist enemy. The martyred Saudi king Faisal [bin Abd Al-Aziz Aal Sa’ud, 1906-1975] used this weapon during the 1973 war, when the world sided with Israel, and it proved to be the best decision [and the best] way to subdue the countries that are hostile to the Palestinian cause at every juncture and in every place.

“When Russia’s war with Ukraine broke out, the prices of oil and gas rose, and the Western countries began to suffer an economic downturn. These countries learned their lesson and the true scope [of their influence] in times of crises and wars. The Arabs must [now again] take such a collective decision to punish the West and cause it to recognize the value of human [life], regardless of nationality. On October 16, 1973 OPEC decided to cut oil production and ban the export of crude to the Western countries, especially to the U.S. but also to Holland, which at the time was arming the Zionist entity and allowing the U.S. to use its airports to aid Israel.

“Sadly, the Arab governments are still divided today, and, moreover, normalization with the Zionist entity has become widespread…

“We need a brave decision to formulate a joint Arab policy in order to defend our causes, especially since we have the strongest weapon at our disposal, namely the weapon of oil, which is undoubtedly more powerful than military weapons.”

Sources.

[1] Al-Sharq (Qatar), October 31, 2023.

[2] Al-Sharq (Qatar), October 31, 2023.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Qatar-Based And -Funded International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Issues Fatwa Calling For Military Intervention By Arab And Muslim Countries Against Israel And For Gaza

Qatar-Based And Funded International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Publishes Old Article By Senior Hamas Official Describing Takeover Of Gaza Border Region, Israeli City Of Ashkelon, In Preparation For Liberation Of Palestine And Realization Of Prophetic Promise

Time For ‘Uniting the Fronts?’ Or Not Yet?

Hizb ut-Tahrir in Los Angeles: ‘Muslim Armies Rise Up, Fight the Jews, Establish the Islamic State, White Flag Will Fly High Above the White House’

STEPHEN MOORE: The Left’s Green Dreams Are Going Up In Smoke

October 30, 2023/in Elections, Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Science, Social Issues/by The Daily Caller

One of the textbook marketing flops of all time was the Ford Edsel sedan, which was heralded as the hot new car in the late 1950s.

All the automotive experts and Ford executives said it was a can’t miss. Henry Ford (the car was named after his son) guaranteed hundreds of thousands of sales. But one big thing went wrong. Nobody ever bothered to ask car buyers what THEY thought of the new car.

Turns out: they hated it. So instead of sales of 400,000 Americans bought 10,000 and the model was embarrassingly discontinued.

The obvious lesson for the industry: you can’t bribe Americans to buy cars they don’t want. Given the all-in approach mentality for EVs at Ford and GM, it’s clear that Detroit never got this message.

Last week, Honda and General Motors announced an end to their two-year collaboration in building a platform for lower-cost EVs. Honda execs said it was “too hard.”

Amazingly, less than 10% of all new car sales are EVs over the last two years. This despite the fact that the U.S. government is writing a $7,500 check to people for buying an EV and some states are kicking in $5,000 more.

The Texas Policy Foundation calculates that all-in EV subsidies can reach $40,000 per vehicle. It would practically be cheaper for the government to purchase a new gas vehicle for every American car-buyer.

Meanwhile, the news is even worse for wind and solar power. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that “clean energy” investment funds are tanking with some down as much as 70% in recent months. Solar has been one of the worst performing industry stocks this year.

This collapse is happening right when Exxon and Chevron have engineered a combined $110 mega — acquisitions to expand oil and gas drilling in the Permian Basin in Texas — one of the biggest oil fields in the world. They both just reported their largest profits ever.

They and their investors are looking at the real world data not green energy propaganda. In 2023 the world has used more fossil fuels than any time in human history even as the developed countries spend hundreds of billions of dollars trying to stop oil, gas and coal.

All of this is to say that there in NO “global energy transition” going on. If there is one, it’s away from green energy, not toward it.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

AUTHOR

STEPHEN MOORE

Stephen Moore is a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and chief economist at Freedom Works.

RELATED ARTICLES:

DAVID BLACKMON: Energy Companies Are Laughing At Predictions Of ‘Peak Oil’

‘Global Shakedown’: Experts Throw Cold Water On International ‘Climate Reparations’ Fund

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

The Religion of Global Climate Change

October 27, 2023/in Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Religion, Science/by The Catholic Thing

Michael Pakaluk: Laudate Deum consistently turns qualified statements about the world into certainties appropriate only for articles of faith. Unlike a truly scientific discussion, it does not review counter-objections or conflicting evidence.

My worry about Laudate Deum (“all you praise God”), the recent Apostolic Exhortation “to all people of good will on the climate crisis,” is that because it represents an incursion into the domain of the laity, it implicitly converts a matter of prudence, which always involves an awareness of trade-offs, into a matter of faith.

I take my doctrine on the laity from Vatican II. In Lumen gentium, bishops are accorded the role of defining doctrine in faith and morals. Their specific competence in this task “extends as far as the deposit of Revelation extends.” (n. 25) The laity in contrast are tasked with applying these principles to the world: “laity, by their very vocation, seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God.” (n. 31) “By divine institution Holy Church is ordered and governed with a wonderful diversity,” the Council Fathers exclaim. (n. 32)

One would think that this genuine diversity, in the matter of the climate, would imply a division of labor: the bishops set down general principles drawn from the deposit of faith; and the laity, using their specific competencies, consider how most prudently to apply them. Lumen gentium imagines teamwork in the Church, in outline working like this.

But in Laudate Deum the Catholic laity do not make an appearance. What one finds instead is teamwork between the Holy See and an association of scientists, the “Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change” (IPCC), with a short-circuiting of the laity. (Perhaps teamwork is not propitious in the face of emergencies.)

At the same time, the relatively cautious statements of that quasi-scientific body are converted into certainties. Consider the contrasts. The Exhortation at one place asserts this:

we know that every time the global temperature increases by 0.5° C, the intensity and frequency of great rains and floods increase in some areas and severe droughts in others, extreme heat waves in some places and heavy snowfall in others.

“We know.” What I know, I cannot be wrong about. It makes no sense to say, “I know that my keys are on the nightstand, but I may be wrong.” Rather, one should say, “I believe.” Thus, “we know” implies certainty and the exclusion of doubt.

So on what basis do we “know” this? The Exhortation cites the 2021 IPPC report (B.2.2), which reads:

every additional 0.5° C of global warming causes clearly discernible increases in the intensity and frequency of hot extremes, including heatwaves (very likely), and heavy precipitation (high confidence), as well as agricultural and ecological droughts in some regions (high confidence). Discernible changes in intensity and frequency of meteorological droughts, with more regions showing increases than decreases, are seen in some regions for every additional 0.5°C of global warming (medium confidence). Increases in frequency and intensity of hydrological droughts become larger with increasing global warming in some regions (medium confidence). There will be an increasing occurrence of some extreme events unprecedented in the observational record with additional global warming, even at 1.5°C of global warming. Projected percentage changes in frequency are larger for rarer events (high confidence).

In IPCC lingo, “very likely” means a probability of at least 90 percent based on their models. The number has no validity beyond the validity of their models. We do not know the probability that their models are correct. While “medium confidence” is a qualitative term meaning some (but not all) experts agree, and there is moderately strong evidence in favor. Thus, we see that a measured statement in the IPCC report, which certainly leaves room for doubt, is converted by Laudate Deum into a certainty. And the IPCC paragraph says nothing about snow, and it says that heat waves might be more frequent, not more extreme.

Quibbles, these last, perhaps – but why cite an authority to support you, if it doesn’t support you?

The tone of impending crisis in Laudate Deum is driven by an anticipation of tipping points, that is, approaching boundaries of irreversible loss. It declares without any qualification that if global temperatures “should rise above 2 degrees, the icecaps of Greenland and a large part of Antarctica will melt completely, with immensely grave consequences for everyone.”

It again cites the IPCC, this time their 2023 report (B.3.2). In the report one indeed finds the claim that “At sustained warming levels between 2°C and 3°C, the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets will be lost almost completely and irreversibly over multiple millennia.” That is, irreversible, if lost over multiple millennia. But the IPCC qualifies and says there is only “limited evidence” to support even this claim. “Limited evidence” is their lowest level of support.

One can go on and on. Laudate Deum consistently turns qualified statements about the world into certainties appropriate only for articles of faith. Unlike a truly scientific discussion, it does not review counter-objections or conflicting evidence. Apparently, in the face of an emergency, one difficulty would indeed make one doubt. Doubts must be avoided, like vaccine hesitancy.

At the same time it speaks derisively of anyone who would disagree with its assertions. Such people are attempting “to deny, conceal, gloss over or relativize the issue.” Scientists, too, who disagree only “seek to deny the evidence.” (n. 13)

That global warming would be a net harm is also taken for granted: “it is indubitable that the impact of climate change will increasingly prejudice the lives and families of many persons.” Perhaps, but what is the net effect? And are proposed remedies, all things considered, prudent? Who can say? We face an emergency; apparently trade-offs are excluded.

In a concluding section on “Spiritual Motivations,” the Exhortation cites a book by a particularly disturbed feminist and anti-natalist professor, Donna Haraway, as the source of the idea of “contact zones” where diverse living things meet. Ah, but it was Mary Louise Pratt who famously came up with that concept, not Donna Haraway. But why worry about footnotes? Or sources?

Michael Pakaluk

Michael Pakaluk, an Aristotle scholar and Ordinarius of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, is a professor in the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America. He lives in Hyattsville, MD with his wife Catherine, also a professor at the Busch School, and their eight children. His acclaimed book on the Gospel of Mark is The Memoirs of St Peter. His most recent book, Mary’s Voice in the Gospel of John: A New Translation with Commentary, is now available. His new book, Be Good Bankers: The Divine Economy in the Gospel of Matthew, is forthcoming from Regnery Gateway in the spring. Prof. Pakaluk was appointed to the Pontifical Academy of St Thomas Aquinas by Pope Benedict XVI.

EDITORS NOTE: This Catholic Thing column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. © 2023 The Catholic Thing. All rights reserved. For reprint rights, write to: info@frinstitute.org. The Catholic Thing is a forum for intelligent Catholic commentary. Opinions expressed by writers are solely their own.

Outsmarting Wind & Solar Lobbyists

October 25, 2023/in Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Science, Social Issues, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by John Droz, Jr.

Most people know that lobbyists are paid shills (for a product, industry, or cause). However, few citizens are aware that almost all state and federal laws are written by lobbyists. That said, this commentary is just on one subject area: wind and solar energy. Since lobbyists’ objectives (e.g., their client’s financial gain) are in direct conflict with what is in the best interests of citizens, this is a deplorable situation.

This travesty will continue until lawsuits expose how such laws contradict other statutes on the books. For example, most states require that state utility boards approve energy projects based on two paramount criteria: cost and reliability.

But wind and solar projects are high cost and low reliability — so how could any of them ever be approved? Because: 1) of the undue influence of lobbyists, 2) state utility boards are acting to support political agendas (instead of their own statutes), and 3) no one is suing them for their lack of adherence to state laws, etc..

One way around this has been citizens getting their community to impose reasonable (science-based) rules and regulations on local wind or solar projects (e.g., regarding setbacks, etc.). Of course, lobbyists and political virtue signalers find that citizens restricting non-sensical industrialization in their own community, to be unacceptable.

In response lobbyists got state legislators to pass state laws that limited what local legislators could do regarding the regulation of such projects in their community. For example, local communities are not allowed to make setbacks more than a “state approved” amount — regardless of what scientific information they have.

A major problem here is that in some cases, these new state restrictions are a violation of Home Rule rights. See here for a basic definition of what this means, and the numerous states that have Home Rule. Again, they get away with this extraction of citizens’ rights, because no one is properly suing them for this infringement.

The choice for citizens here is very simple: a) roll over and continue to be beaten down, or b) decide that they have had enough and then take meaningful action.

The good news is: if citizens are finally ready to pay hardball, they have several effective options. I’ve mentioned one already: sue state agencies for not complying with their statutory obligations. The most powerful lawsuit is to sue state agency members individually using the Federal 1983 Statute. This is to sue them personally for violating your civil rights, but it requires a sympathetic, aggressive attorney.

Note: I am not an attorney, so I am not giving legal advice here. Instead, I am simply letting you know some options available. Consult with a competent lawyer.

Another effective strategy against lobbyist influence is to outsmart them. For example, state laws that restrict how communities can regulate wind and solar are almost always about not allowing stricter setbacks, etc. than the state specifies. (Of course, the state has no scientific basis for the setbacks they allow — and, again, a proper lawsuit would expose that major deficiency.)

To effectively fight lobbyists it is essential to know the key factors needed to be properly regulated for industrial wind projects or solar projects. A clever way to outsmart them is to pass local regulations that are not specifically identified (limited) in a state law.

For example, pass a Property Value Guarantee. My energy website has a document about PVG, which also shows the scientific justification for it. PVGs are also incorporated into our model local wind and solar ordinances.

Some other clever tactics are:

Pass zoning laws that limit where wind or solar projects are allowed,
Pass an ordinance prohibiting any wind energy-related PILOT program,
Assess wind or solar projects at their FULL value,
Pass a General Zoning Ordinance listing a wide variety of things (including industrial wind energy) that would be inconsistent with your Town’s character, objectives, etc. [e.g., what the Town of Dryden did, which was upheld in court],
Require that the wind or solar facility developer not impose any confidentiality clauses on any landowners, in their lease or easement agreements, and
Declare your community to be a Sanctuary Community (opting out of certain regulations imposed on it by the State). [Note: to date, this has been done regarding immigration, gun laws, etc., so no good reason why not a renewable sanctuary!]

The bottom line is that if citizens are determined and creative (i.e., use critical thinking), they can outsmart lobbyists and lapdog politicians.

Here is a 100% guarantee: if you don’t properly defend your rights, they will take more of them away!

Eat Meat and You Will Kill the Planet

October 24, 2023/in Elections, Energy, Environment, Hot Topics, News, Policy, Politics, Science, Social Issues/by Karen Schoen

C40 Cities – A global network of mayors taking urgent climate action is group of mayors that are united in action to address the Climate Crisis. There is no climate crisis. It is a hoax devised to control all land and food. Through years of clever marketing in schools the Globalists have indoctrinated the Affirmative Action graduates that if they give up their rights and ownership of private property they will save the planet. Using food as a weapon they have convinced the students to live in a world without CO2 and any other “greenhouse gas” in order to benefit the common good. A world without CO2 and greenhouse gases will have no life. Basically graduates now in government and bureaucratic positions are being coached to kill off the human race. The Globalist goal is always depopulation.

Globalists have convinced the masses that living a sustainable lifestyle, a life under strict control of elites will save the planet from extreme weather (a lie). What easier way to force farmers off their land than to condemn cows as the culprit claiming cows are destroying the planet by expelling greenhouse gases. Of course they never mention that 95% of greenhouse gas is water vapor. 5% of the rest of the gases left can not affect anything but students without a math or science background will never understand that.

Picking on the very food, meat, that supplies much needed protein to the human race is the problem globalists claim. More than 1,600 scientists and other scholars sign ‘No Climate Emergency’ declaration | The College Fix. Eliminating protein from the diet weakens the body. You have less energy, ambition, confidence and patience. You will comply which is the goal. The purpose of the Climate Hoax is nothing more than to convince you to do more for less, redistribute wealth out of the hands of the middle class into the hands of the elite and to make sure you will own nothing and they will be happy.

Because of the American focus on the god of money, mayors of 14 American cities have jumped on the bandwagon and will follow the restrictions of UN Agenda 2030 and ban meat. Mayor of NYC, Eric Adams, has already started banning meat in public governed agencies like schools and prisons.

These 14 US Cities Have A ‘Target’ Of Banning Meat By 2030

Today foreign countries own and control much of the food source in America. Who knows what we are eating or how it is made? China controls the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer, Smithfield Foods. After China knowingly gave us Covid, how do we know what is in our bacon? However some states are waking up to the dangers of foreign countries with the destruction of Americans as their goal, owning American farmland. It is a bad idea all around. George Bush 41, allowed foreign countries to “buy” America with Executive Order 12803. An Executive Order IS NOT a law. Time to repeal that one.

Governor Sanders is the first to sign such a bill. The bill tells China they have 2 years to divest of the farmland of Arkansas.

Arizona Governor Hobbs just blocked Saudi Arabia from pumping water for their farmland while Arizona suffered a 15 year drought. The problem I have is with the lies in the last paragraph of the article which guides the reader into thinking they can fix the drought by giving up fossil fuel and meat.

“Human-related air pollution is one of the key drivers of global heating, so moving away from dirty fuel, cutting meat consumption, and recycling are small but helpful ways to prevent the volumes of harmful, planet-warming gases we produce annually.”

Scientist need grants to survive so they publish articles that leave out facts in order to tow the line of the Globalists narrative. The media then carries the false narrative. Lying about meat is one of those lies. Once farmers are restricted enough their land becomes useless and the Globalists get to buy the land for pennies on the dollar.

Control the food, control the people. Hungry people are not interested and have no energy for fighting the very government who will feed them.

Learn the truth. Sustainability means control.

Will you comply?