Ed. Note: 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. The complete Newsletter for this post can be found here.

Greed Energy Economics:
*** “Green” Hydrogen Subsidies are 1,900x Larger Than What’s Given to Nuclear

Unreliables (General):
*** Coming Clean on Clean Energy: It’s a Dirty Business
(Alex Epstein) Summer Talking Points: Unreliable Power
Wholesale prices surge as wind and solar output falls to zero in South Australia

Wind Energy — Offshore:
*** Report: Offshore Wind Turbines May Kill You
Vineyard Wind turbine debris makes it to Cape Cod
Floating Offshore Wind – A Financial Catastrophe
Feds must rethink authorizing harassment of whales by offshore wind

Wind Energy — Other:
*** Taking the Wind Out of Climate Change (referencing 60± studies)
*** Report: Clearing the Air — Honest Truths About Clean Energy
Wind project shelved after landholders change their minds

Solar Energy:
State Regulations Force Bankruptcy of California Solar Company

Nuclear Energy:
*** Swedes Embrace Nuclear & Join Europe’s Grand Rejection of Wind & Solar Transition
*** Small modular nuclear reactors could be an affordable path to a carbon-free future
America’s oldest nuclear plants are in Upstate, and NY needs them.…

“The Climate Commitment Act will have a negligible effect on the climate, but if not repealed, it will continue to significantly raise fuel, food, and utility prices in Washington State.”

Washington State’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA) faces the possibility of repeal this fall. Governor Jay Inslee and others claim the CCA will reduce pollution and help stop climate change. But the CCA isn’t having the slightest effect on the climate, while boosting the cost of living for Washington residents.

Washington’s aggressive measure, passed in 2021, implements a cap-and-invest program designed to reduce state greenhouse gas emissions by 95 percent by 2050. Businesses with emissions of 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year must purchase allowances equal to their emissions and turn them in to state agencies. The act also established CO2 auctions, encouraging companies to trade allowances and reduce emissions.…

“Because of greenhouse gas saturation in the atmosphere, methane regulations across the world will have no measurable effect on global temperatures.” 

In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published new methane emissions regulations for the oil and gas industry. The European Union enacted new rules to reduce methane emissions from the energy sector in May. Agriculture is also being targeted regarding methane.

But methane regulations, even if established worldwide, won’t have a measurable effect on global temperatures. However, they will raise costs for energy and food, impacting consumers and businesses.

On March 8, EPA finalized its rule on methane emissions for the oil and gas sector. The rule is intended to “reduce wasteful methane emissions that endanger communities and fuel the climate crisis.” The new policy will require companies to pay a penalty of $900 for every ton of methane emitted above limits set by the EPA, starting this year.…

“In addition to the poor driving range and higher purchase price that comes with an EV, owners of cars in northern states will soon be forced to contend with poor performance in cold weather. Federal and state officials should reconsider their efforts to ban gasoline vehicles.”

January of this year brought near-zero temperatures to Chicago and other northern cites, producing an electric vehicle (EV) charging nightmare. National media showed images of owners pushing dead EVs around charging stations and waiting for hours to try to charge their vehicle. Drivers lucky enough to connect to a charger sat in their freezing-cold automobile, unable to run the heater while the car tried to charge. Nevertheless, the federal government and many states continue to push to eliminate gasoline vehicles.

On March 20, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a final rule, Multi-Pollution Emissions Standards for light vehicles sold in model years 2027 to 2032.…