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Posts from November 2011

Gerald North on Climate Modeling Revisited (re Climategate 2.0)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- November 30, 2011

 “If the models are as flawed as critics say … you have to ask yourself, ‘How come they work?’”

– Gavin Schmidt [NASA], quoted in David Fahrenhold, “Scientists’ Use of Computer Models to Predict Climate Change is Under Attack,” Washington Post, April 6, 2010.

 “[Model results] could also be sociological: getting the socially acceptable answer.”

 – Gerald North (Texas A&M) to Rob Bradley (Enron), June 20, 1998.

 The above quotation by NASA climate scientist Gavin Schmidt suggests that quite remarkable progress has been made with climate models in recent years. Such must be the case given the verdict by leading climate scientists that climate models were not nearly ready for prime time just a decade ago.

But what do climate scientists really believe behind closed doors? Will they no longer express their innermost thoughts in emails or in fear that ‘the cause’ of climate alarm/forced energy transformation will be compromised?

Climategate 1.0/2.0 Did Not Begin With Climate: Revisiting Neo-Malthusian Intolerance

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- November 29, 2011

Michael Mann: “I gave up on Judith Curry a while ago. I don’t know what she thinks she’s doing, but it’s not helping the cause.”

Phil Jones: “I’ve been told that IPCC is above national FOI Acts. One way to cover yourself and all those working in AR5 would be to delete all emails at the end of the process.”

The above emails are representative of the sickly fare of a group of physical scientists who set out to change the world from one of open-ended economic growth to one of economic constraint via international carbon planning. The good news is that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gatekeepers have once again been exposed by the e-mail release of last week, now known the world over as Climategate 2.0.…

Windpower's PTC: Secondary to State Mandates

By Lisa Linowes and Bill Short -- November 28, 2011

Major wind projects are being cancelled or put on hold with waning public and private support. In recent weeks,

  • Wind developer Terra-Gen terminated plans to build its Horseshoe Wind Farm in Illinois;
  • NextERA suspended the permitting process for a 150-megawatt project in South Dakota; and
  • Iberdrola announced its Desert Wind Energy Project in North Carolina was delayed and might be scrapped altogether.

In each case, company officials blamed current market conditions and the inability to secure a long-term power contract with area utilities.

PTC In Review

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) insists the industry is at risk of a slow-down if Congress does not act quickly to extend the Production Tax Credit (PTC), the federal incentive most often credited for market growth in the wind sector. The PTC expires at the end of 2012.…

Chevron CEO: "The Imperative of Affordable Energy" (Moral substance trumps 'green' form)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- November 25, 2011

Thanksgiving & Capitalism

By Richard Ebeling -- November 23, 2011

"No New Energy Subsidies: Oppose NAT GAS Act!" (free market voices rise up against tax-code politicking)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- November 22, 2011

Robert Bryce Challenges Energy Statism (real energy for real people)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- November 21, 2011

Letter to Premier of New Brunswick on behalf of North American Platform Against Wind Power (Wind opponents, argumentation in action)

By Sherri Lange --

Energy Subsidies vs. Energy Sense: What Have We Learned in the Past 3 Years?

By Donald Hertzmark -- November 18, 2011

Think, Want Competitive Renewables: Travis Bradford gets Spacy at THE ECONOMIST

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#m_lynch">Michael Lynch</a> -- November 17, 2011