A Free-Market Energy Blog

Libertarian Party: Economic Freedom, Energy, and the Environment (Romney/Ryan, are you listening?)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 25, 2012

“While energy is needed to fuel a modern society, government should not be subsidizing any particular form of energy. We oppose all government control of energy pricing, allocation, and production.”

– Libertarian Party Platform (2012)

While Romney/Ryan haven taken a lead in many polls over Obama/Biden, Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson is polling well ahead of Green Party candidate Jill Stein for third place. If you add the Libertarians to the Republicans, the majority widens against the Democrats and Greens. Greater economic and energy freedom anyone?

Today’s post examines the Libertarian Party platform on economic liberty, energy, and the environment. Next week, the Green Party’s Green New Deal will be studied.

The LP platform begins with this statement on economic liberty:

Libertarians want all members of society to have abundant opportunities to achieve economic success.

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Twenty Bad Things About Wind Energy, and Three Reasons Why

By -- October 24, 2012

[Note this post is the most popular article ever published on Master Resource. It has been now been significantly updated. Go here to see the current version.]

Trying to pin down the arguments of wind promoters is a bit like trying to grab a greased balloon. Just when you think you’ve got a handle, it morphs into a different shape and escapes your grasp. Let’s take a quick highlight review of how things have evolved with wind merchandising.

1 – Wind energy was abandoned well over a hundred years ago, as even in the late 1800s it was totally inconsistent with our burgeoning, more modern needs for power. When we throw the switch, we expect that the lights will go on – 100% of the time. It’s not possible for wind energy, by itself, to EVER do this, which is one of the main reasons it was relegated to the dust bin of antiquated technologies (along with such other inadequate energy sources as horse and oxen power).…

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Heritage Foundation List of Failing or At-Risk Taxpayer Energy Ventures (34 companies, $7.5 billion, and counting)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 23, 2012

The Heritage Foundation (founded 1980) is a think-tank leader in the current debate over energy policy and related environmental issues. Heritage’s energy worldview is stated at their website:

Energy and environmental policy is a national priority. Lawmakers should implement a long-term plan that allows free markets to balance supply and demand, ensures reliable and competitively priced energy for the future, and creates incentives for responsible stewardship of the nation’s resources and environment.

A recent report, “President Obama’s Taxpayer-Based Green Energy Failures,” lists 34 examples of “faltering or bankrupt green-energy companies” (with * denoting companies that have filed for bankruptcy). The at-risk total is approximately $7.5 billion, of which $1.6  billion is in receivership.

The numbers will only get higher. Yesterday, it was reported that the Solyndra loss could be $849 million (not $535 million).

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Anti-Oil Sands: Perverse Ethics in the Name of the Environment

By -- October 22, 2012
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Presidential Advice: Sea-Level Rise a Yawner

By Chip Knappenberger -- October 19, 2012
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Thomas Edison and the Electric Vehicle (chapter 1 of EV's Chapter 11)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 18, 2012
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Winning vs. Losing Energy Policy

By -- October 17, 2012
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Energy Density is Key (Richard Fulmer gets back to the basics)

By Richard W. Fulmer -- October 16, 2012
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Climate-Change Exaggeration: Then and Now

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 15, 2012
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3Q: 2012 Update: MasterResource

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 12, 2012
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