A Free-Market Energy Blog

Reasons to Sell Enron Wind (October 1998 memo to Ken Lay)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- August 22, 2013

“Wind is almost a pure subsidy play, which means that Enron will be at odds with the market and must continually intervene into the political processes to extend subsides and/or create new ones. This is an expensive process and may trade away what we are lobbying for elsewhere.”

In my last seven (of 16) years at Enron, my title was Director of Public Policy Analysis. In this role, I was Enron’s libertarian, balancing, I suppose, Enron’s Left environmentalist John Palmisano, author of the infamous Kyoto memo of December 1997.

Enron had multiple profit centers around the global warming issue, which made my internal case for rejecting climate alarmism/policy activism an uphill one. But I got my licks in, including with some ‘e-mail wars’ with Palmisano. I have written numerous posts at MasterResource on Enron’s rent-seeking business strategy and will further set the historical record straight with a forthcoming book in Enron-inspired trilogy.

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Energy Strategy: Begin with Density

By Jerry Graf -- August 21, 2013

“In this century the bulk of humanity will live in large densely populated cities. If the citizens of of these cities are to attain a high quality of life they will require large centralised energy generation. This is not a matter of ideological preference, but of engineering reality.”

– Robert Wilson, The Future of Energy: Why Power Density Matters, Energy Collective, August 8, 2013.

“There is no doubt that we in the United States need to alter our energy strategy. The question is how we will change it. A rational energy strategy must be determined by scientific evaluation of fact and logical analysis of performance and economics–not by emotion, political considerations, and ‘feel good’ methodologies.”

– Jerry Graf (below)

Other than the damage to the economy from the waste itself, the real problem with mandating and subsidizing non-viable energy technology projects is that this distracts us and diverts resources from other efforts to improve our energy production strategy.…

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19th Century Frac Job: Oil Well Torpedoing (and a ‘grievous’ government monopoly)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- August 20, 2013

Today’s hydraulic fractionation (fracing) is considered injurious to the environment by its opponents who prefer a state-of-nature and less energy to industrialization and more energy in free market settings. As with so many other technologies, today’s methods are far less invasive and safer than earlier-generation technology. A case in point is the 19th century’s oil-well torpedoing.

In the first years of oil production flowing wells were sometimes hindered by a waxy substance, paraffin, left by crude oil in the well tubing and well bottom. Early efforts to remove residue involved injecting steam, boiling liquids, and air down a well’s tubing.  These mildly successful techniques were then replaced by a far superior alternative – oil well torpedoing.  [1]

Gun powder explosions in water wells had been documented as early as 1808, and between 1860 and 1864, the technique was in use with oil wells as well. 

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Fracing, Freedom to Trade, and Global Prosperity (George Mitchell’s Ultimate Contribution)

By Greg Conte -- August 19, 2013
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Citizens versus Lobbyists: How to Win the Big Wind War (Part II)

By -- August 16, 2013
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Citizens vs Lobbyists: The Big Wind War (Part I)

By -- August 15, 2013
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Windaction News Issue: August 14, 2013

By -- August 14, 2013
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Carbon Dioxide: The Green Greenhouse Gas of Life (and ‘miracle molecule’)

By -- August 13, 2013
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DOE Misdirection: 8/6/13 Press Release & Report on Wind Energy

By Glenn Schleede -- August 12, 2013
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Real Politic: Carbon Tax Pessimism (Part II)

By Kenneth P. Green -- August 9, 2013
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