“Is” certainly does not equal “ought.” The market has not spoken. The senators do not have an intellectual case for agricultural rent-seeking and crony capitalism. The way forward, as Travis Fisher of the Cato Institute explains, is to abolish the mandate and let a free market determine the right (lower) amount of ethanol needed as an oxygenate.
Apologists for uneconomical, government-dependent energies (a federally mandated ethanol mandate in this case) must use the best arguments they can conjure up, especially any that might appear plausible to the short-attention-span reader. The half-truth can do this, with the truth part setting up the deception. Another ploy is the “is” as if it is “ought.”
Consider the letter published in the Wall Street Journal last month by five farm state senators [1], “The Market Has Spoken: E15 Is a Net Positive” (June 4, 2026).…
Continue Reading“In Europe’s air conditioning wars, the hoi polloi are beating the climate scolds. The public is putting comfort and public health above green dictates.” (- Wall Street Journal editorial, July 20, 2026).
The summer peak is climate alarmism time. To which it can be said: “don’t whine, chill.” That means enjoying air conditioning inside but also thinking about conditioned air outside and certainly mist machines. And witness the plethora of new products to handle the heat, from underwear to hats to shirts. From the AI summary:
… Continue ReadingMini-A/C units for clothing integrate seamlessly into your wardrobe to provide portable, on-the-go cooling. Ranging from wearable clip-on personal fans and thermoelectric neck plates (like the Sony Reon Pocket) to battery-powered cooling jackets, these systems circulate continuous airflow or actively chill your skin.
This post excerpts energy and climate material from the Media Balance Newsletter, a free fortnightly published by physicist John Droz Jr., founder of the Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions. Droz is also the author of the popular Substack Critically Thinking About Select Societal Issues.
Unreliables (General):
*** Wind Turbines and Solar Panels will be the Monuments of Our Folly
*** New York Court Refuses To Block State’s Plan For A “Renewables” Program
*** Green Policy is Deadlier Than Guns
Japan Chooses Reliable Energy Over Climate Nonsense
Wyoming Wind Turbines Killed More Than 23,000 Birds And Bats Last Year
Electric Vehicles (EVs):
The 4 California “waivers” keeping America’s EV mandate alive
Miscellaneous Energy News:
*** Geothermal Heats Up
*** Europe’s Crisis Is Energy Poverty, not a Heat Wave
*** Why China is outcompeting America
*** Heat Pump Rate Carveouts
The nine energy questions that could decide America’s future
Why both Republicans and Democrats should support aggressive permitting reform
Energy Realism: The Foundation and Future of Human Progress
Manmade Global Warming — Some Deceptions:
*** Oversight Project Report on biased NAS Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence
*** Canadian Wildfire Smoke Just Blew Up the Fantasy of Carbon Emission Trading
*** Canada Admits Justin Trudeau’s Climate Agenda Was a Scam
This Little-Known Climate Report Card Casts A Dark Cloud Over Home Sales
Why This CO2 Chart Doesn’t Scare Me
President Trump Grants Further Regulatory Relief from Burdensome EPA Restrictions to Promote American Security
Manmade Global Warming — The Science:
*** Dr.…