A Free-Market Energy Blog

Energy Mischief at the Rural Utilities Services (USDA): Climate Hubs, Efficiency Mandates, Fuel Switching Rules

By -- March 25, 2014

As stated at the website of the Rural Utilities Services (RUS), a division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), “the Federal government is the majority noteholder for approximately 700 electric systems borrowers in 46 states.” So many members of Congress represent districts with electric coops that are “regulated” by RUS. And as Public Choice economics might predict, there will be pork-fests in such situations.

This post reviews the little known “clean energy” and “climate action” activities of the USDA. More specifically, this article looks into the just-enacted Agricultural Act of 2014 (a.k.a. Farm Bill) as it pertains to the RUS’s energy efficiency programs. (RUS is USDA’s tributary to electricity issues.)

USDA’s ‘Climate Hubs’

On February 5, 2014, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the creation of seven new “climate hubs” as “part of the President’s Climate Action Plan to responsibly cut carbon pollution, slow the effects of climate change and put America on track to a cleaner environment.”…

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AWED Energy & Environmental Newsletter: March 24, 2014

By -- March 24, 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 3 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:

The Poverty of Renewables

Maine high court overrules state PUC approval of huge wind energy deal

NJ PUC rejects offshore wind project as uneconomical

Denmark ready to scrap offshore wind farms due to cost

Spanish Utility blames renewables for €2.0bn loss

German Utility blames renewables for €2.7bn loss

Wind Energy: German data shows what the Dutch found out years ago

European Governments ripping up renewable contracts

2015 US Budget Plan includes permanent PTC

Bloomberg: PTC Dead This Year

The Withering of Wind Power

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TexasWorld: Freedom, Room for All (a mental experiment)

By Greg Rehmke -- March 21, 2014

To illustrate that the world is not in any meaningful way overpopulated, Julian Simon noted that if everyone in the world moved to Texas, each person would still have about 1,800 square feet of living space. Enough room for a family of four to live in an average size house with a front and back yard.

Since Simon made these calculations in The Ultimate Resource 2, the world’s population has grown. Recalculating for a world of 6 billion is 1,500 square feet per person, which still leaves 6,000 square feet for a family of four (a still comfortable 60- by-100-foot lot, with plenty of space for multiple story living).

But what about the roads, parks, lakes, shopping malls, my students ask? If I say everyone in the world could live in Texas, they want to know about the amenities.

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“Killing Wildlife In the Name of Climate Change” (Part II: Gas, Nuclear, Little Else)

By Robert Bryce -- March 20, 2014
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“Killing Wildlife In the Name of Climate Change” (Part I: The Double Standard)

By Robert Bryce -- March 19, 2014
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James Hansen: Still More Good Energy Realism (just ignore his climate alarmism, world fee-and-dividend fix)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- March 18, 2014
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Curtailed Hydro from Wanapum Dam Crack: An ‘Unpredicted Change in the Wind’?

By -- March 17, 2014
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‘The Road to Serfdom’ at 70: Hayek’s Relevance in the Age of Obama

By Richard Ebeling -- March 14, 2014
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Game, Set, Match Fossil Fuels? James Hansen Sleepless in Ningbo

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- March 13, 2014
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Obama’s 2015 Budget: Wish List Climate Spending ($10.8 billion for what?)

By Megan Toombs -- March 12, 2014
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