Ed. Note: Joseph Bast, founder and head of the Heartland Institute from 1984 until 2017, wrote an open letter to NYT writer John Cushman (to no avail), titled “The best public policies will not be adopted if we allow the loudest and most alarmist voices in the debate to drown out the voices of reason.” It is reprinted below after Bast’s introduction at the time. A short conclusion describes Joe Bast’s multi-decade contributions to climate realism and sound energy policies.
In each of the past two years, John Cushman, an environment reporter for The New York Times, has written articles so atrociously one-sided and factually wrong that I felt compelled to write to him with friendly advice. Each time, I reprinted my letter in The Heartlander. And each time, John ignored me.…
Continue ReadingThe Green New Deal Scam is exposed. The idea that dilute, intermittent, fragile energies could do anything but wound an electricity grid–long recognized by critics–is mainstream thought. Only outliers claim that renewables decrease rates, with esoteric studies and neglect of the taxpayer cost. James Hansen, the father of the climate alarm, said it well a long time ago.
Suggesting that renewables will let us phase rapidly off fossil fuels in the United States, China, India, or the world as a whole is almost the equivalent of believing in the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy.
Virtually all the news is that climate alarm is becoming unpopular and counterproductive (to the cause) and that wind, solar, and batteries are losing with less government support. But an ‘in denial’ counter-movement has sprung up in the face of growing defeat.…
Continue Reading“We are deeply concerned about the implications of this directive [for DOE to quantify the CO2-intensity of domestic versus foreign goods]. While framed as a study, the structure and scope closely mirror the foundational work required to implement a U.S. carbon tax. Given your well-known opposition to carbon taxes and related schemes, we wanted to ensure you were fully aware of this provision and its potential trajectory.” (AEA Coalition Letter to DOE Secretary Chris Wright, below)
Trump 2 has represented a new era of energy consumerism against the termite aspirations of the Progressive Left. A recent compilation by the Institute for Energy Research lists 263 executive actions in this regard.
But the CO2 tax crowd lurks and can occasionally sneak one through. This occurred recently with a backdoor inclusion of an opening gambit toward an U.S.-side…
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