A Free-Market Energy Blog

The Coal Train Steams Forward

By Robert Bryce -- May 6, 2014

“But for all of the jousting here at home over natural gas exports and the virtues (or lack thereof) of renewable energy, the global energy story of today is coal.”

The shale revolution has fundamentally changed the American energy scene. Over the last five years or so, domestic production of oil and gas have soared. And some analysts are claiming that the US oil production could soon surpass that of Saudi Arabia.

As the shale gale rumbles forward, the usual battles over renewable energy are continuing. At the state level, policymakers and lobby groups continue tussling over renewable portfolio standards. At the federal level, the White House continues its mindless support for the corn ethanol scam and Congress continues debating subsidies for wind and solar.

But for all of the jousting here at home over natural gas exports and the virtues (or lack thereof) of renewable energy, the global energy story of today is coal.

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AWED Energy & Environmental Newsletter: May 5, 2014

By -- May 5, 2014

The Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions (AWED) is an informal coalition of individuals and organizations interested in improving national, state, and local energy & environmental policies. Our basic position is that technical matters like these should be addressed by using Real Science. It’s all spelled out at WiseEnergy.org, which is a wealth of energy and environmental resources.

A key element of AWED’s efforts is public education. Towards that end, every three weeks we put together a newsletter to balance what is found in the mainstream media about energy and environmental matters. We appreciate MasterResource for their assistance in publishing this information.

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Greed Energy Economics:

Parasitic wind killing its host

The Economic Impact of New Jersey’s Renewable Portfolio Standard

US Electricity Price Surged to All-Time Record for March

AWEA spins price distortions to save PTC

Tax Extenders an Opportunity to Improve the Tax Code

Expert: Renewables Add Billions to N.C.

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The Green Benefits of Food Globalization: Markets at Work

By Pierre Desrochers -- May 2, 2014

“High-yield agriculture and long-distance trade have long delivered a similar outcome—more abundant and affordable food with reduced environmental impact—on a global scale…. So prepare your meal from the most affordable food you can find to do both your wallet and the planet a favor.”

The lessons of history can be very eloquent, if only we are willing to take the time to learn them. In a 2008 National Geographic article, journalist Charles Mann discusses how soil management policies in communist China led to the creation of terrace agriculture in unsuitable conditions, the cutting down of trees, and the planting of grain on steep slopes. The main results were increased soil erosion and soil depletion.

Daring to challenge official edicts, some villagers replanted the steepest and most erosion-prone third of their land with grass and trees, covered another third with harvestable orchards, and concentrated their crops on the remaining lower flat plots that had been enriched by the soil washed down from the hillsides.

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California Energy Policy: Elitist, Import-dependent, and a Tax on the Rest of Us

By -- May 1, 2014
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Rolling Blackouts from EPA’s Utility MACT? FERC Commissioner Says a “Possibility”

By William Yeatman -- April 30, 2014
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“Advanced Energy for Life”: Peabody Energy Puts Coal on High Moral Ground (energy poverty must end, CEO Boyce argues)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 29, 2014
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Al Gore Soldiers On (false alarmism, hypocrisy make for a rejected public message)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 28, 2014
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Carter-Obama Energy Policy: From Gasoline Lines to Pipeline Obstructionism

By -- April 25, 2014
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Stressing the Grid: From Interventionism to Blackouts

By Steve Goreham -- April 24, 2014
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California Wineries Don’t Need Pricey ‘Green’ Power (1.6 or 7.1 cent/kWh?)

By -- April 23, 2014
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