A Free-Market Energy Blog

Enron Romm: History Should Not Forget

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- December 19, 2011

It is a common refrain in headlines at Joe Romm’s Climate Progress:

Smearing and innuendo is hardly fair play. But in this case, Joe Romm has something embarrassing to hide. Just as Koch Industries might be his least favorite company, Enron was his darling company.

Specifically, Romm was not only a cheerleader of Enron (Enron is “a company I greatly respect,” Romm would say). He was also an unpaid consultant and collaborator with the infamously fraudulent division, Enron Energy Services (EES), purveyor of energy efficiency service in (gamed) long-term contracts.…

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Scientific Communication: Preach or Engage? (Judith Curry vs. AGU climate bias)

By Chip Knappenberger -- December 16, 2011

“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is going to cost a lot (both in terms of dollars and effort), and it is going to produce few if any demonstrable climate results for decades to come (if ever).” 

The scientific community—or especially that part of it which holds the opinion that not enough is being done to mitigate potential climate change—is struggling with why the general public (and hence policymakers) are not heeding their call to action on global warming.

In a recent post, I pointed to one reason: the fast diminishing role that any U.S.-side mitigation would have in curbing greenhouse gas emissions enough to measurably affect global climate. This is a classic bang-for-the-buck evaluation. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is going to cost a lot (both in terms of dollars and effort), and it is going to produce few if any demonstrable climate results for decades to come (if ever).…

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Solar Subsidies: Misdirecting Industry and Consumers

By David Bergeron -- December 15, 2011

“Solar subsidies are a placebo which is giving the general public a sense of security about our energy future and is robbing the motivation of those entrepreneurs that could actually address our energy problems.”

“In the near term, perhaps our bigger concern than climate change is anthropogenic energy policy.”

In a recent Economist on-line debate, the affirmative motion “This house believes that subsidizing renewable energy is a good way to wean the world off fossil fuels” was surprisingly defeated.

In his closing remarks, the moderator softened his strident opposition to the negative case, even admitting that “subsidizing renewable energy, is wasteful and perhaps inadequate [to address
climate-change concerns].”

Beyond the Climate Debate

The debate, indeed, reopened the question whether anthropogenic greenhouse-gas forcing was a serious planetary environmental concern. But such focus short-changed what I think is the more important question for the Economist.…

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Anatomy of a Debate: Rejecting Renewable Energy at THE ECONOMIST (Part II)

By Jon Boone -- December 14, 2011
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Anatomy of a Debate: Rejecting Renewable Energy at ECONOMIST Magazine (Part I)

By Jon Boone -- December 13, 2011
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"THIS AGREEMENT WILL BE GOOD FOR ENRON STOCK!!" (Enron's infamous Kyoto memo 14 years ago)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- December 12, 2011
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The Perils of the Mixed Economy: Rejecting 'Starter Regulation'

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- December 9, 2011
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U.S. Rejection of CO2 Emission Cuts: Just Do the Math (16% and falling ….)

By Chip Knappenberger -- December 8, 2011
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North America's Incredibly Expanding Resources (New study puts 'peak' oil, gas, and coal in some future century)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- December 7, 2011
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T. M. L. Wigley (NCAR): 'Personality Failure' to 'Intellectual Failure'?

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- December 6, 2011
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