A Free-Market Energy Blog

Windpower Noise vs. Farmers and Livestock: The View from Australia (Queensland)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 26, 2023

“AgForce is aware of excessive noise complaints at both Mt Emerald and Coopers Gap Wind Farm with a court case on noise nuisance still in progress against the Mt Emerald Wind Farm5…. Noise pollution can cause … fatigue, headaches, elevated blood pressure, irritability, digestive disorders and increased susceptibility to cold and other minor infections.”

“AgForce also has concerns about the impact of wind farms on livestock…. The British Horse Society Advisory Statement recommends a setback of at least 4 times the overall height away from the path of horses to minimise safety risk.”

MasterResource has long reported on the health and nuisance problems of industrial wind turbines on residents and wildlife. There is a reason why such turbines are built remotely and need so much transmission, adding more cost to the high costs of dilute, intermittent, uneconomic energy.…

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Fred Pearce on Margaret Thatcher: Misdirection at “Yale Environment 360”

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 25, 2023

“The doomsters’ favorite subject today is climate change. This has a number of attractions for them. First, the science is extremely obscure so they cannot easily be proved wrong. Second, we all have ideas about the weather: traditionally, the English on first acquaintance talk of little else. Third, since clearly no plan to alter climate could be considered on anything but a global scale, it provides a marvelous excuse for worldwide, supra-national socialism.” – Margaret Thatcher (2002)

Margaret Thatcher changed her mind on climate alarmism–against. Current UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, responding to “populist sentiment,” is backtracking on his country’s aggressive climate policies, a long overdue, pragmatic mid-course correction.

One could tie the two events together to explain why public policies making energy more expensive and less reliable are anathema for a country that produces only one percent of global emissions.…

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Review of Proposed Minimum Efficiency Standards for “Consumer Boilers”

By -- October 24, 2023

“DOE’s recent appliance efficiency ‘determinations’ are doing more harm than good for consumers and defy objectivity and transparency processes required by the Code of Federal Regulations (the Process Rule)….  Accordingly, this program should be dismantled as DOE has once again proven itself to be unworthy of objectively and transparently serving the best interests of American consumers.”

This post updates my September 19th analysis to examine just-filed comments in opposition to the U.S. Department of Energy’s hell-bent strategy of mandating less choice and higher costs for consumers in return for specious benefits.

Background

On August 13, 2023, DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) posted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for “consumer” boilers.  The comment period ended on October 13th, 2023.  This NOPR, if finalized, would ban common gas-fired hot water boilers by requiring an AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) of 95%.…

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Energy and Environmental Review: October 23, 2023

By -- October 23, 2023
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“The Techno-Optimist Manifesto” (Marc Andreessen in the energy debate)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 20, 2023
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“Buffer of Stability” (Beware price and allocation controls)

By Robert Bradley Jr. --
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Green Hydrogen Needs Vast Subsidies

By Steve Goreham -- October 19, 2023
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Ayn Rand on Energy Disruption (Arab Embargo Turns 50)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 18, 2023
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Nuclear Go-Round: NuScale, Vogtle, Palisades

By Kennedy Maize -- October 17, 2023
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Net Zero Not! Protest from the UK Grassroots

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 16, 2023
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