A Free-Market Energy Blog

McCain Echoes Hansen: Waxman-Markey is a ‘Farce’ (The Civil War widens among climate alarmists)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- August 3, 2009

“[The Waxman-Markey] 1,400-page bill is a farce. They bought every industry off—steel mills, agriculture, utilities…. I would not only not vote for it. I am opposed to it entirely, because it does damage to those of us who believe that we need to act in a rational fashion about climate change.”

– Senator John McCain to Stephen Moore, Wall Street Journal, August 1-2, 2009, p. A9.

“The truth is, the climate course set by Waxman-Markey is a disaster course. It is an exceedingly inefficient way to get a small reduction of emissions. It is less than worthless….”

-James Hansen, “Strategies to Address Global Warming,” July 13, 2009.

The death of federal climate legislation in 2009 will not only be because traditional Republicans and conservative Democrats said “no”. It will also be because true believers like Senator John McCain realize that politicized cap-and-trade is all pain and no gain.…

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Worth Re-reading Weekend (MasterResource works for lazy summer days too)

By -- August 1, 2009

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Marlo Lewis: July 24, 2009: Is the Climate Science Debate Over? No, It’s Just Getting Very, Very Interesting (with welcome news for mankind)

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Is the Climate Science Debate Over?

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Out, Out, Damn Speculators! (The CFTC reverses, impressing few economists)

By -- July 31, 2009

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) plans to issue a “revised” report on the role of speculation in the recently concluded oil price boom, reversing last year’s conclusion that such betting was not a major factor relative to underlying physical fundamentals. The CFTC’s interim report concluded last year that “current oil prices and the increase in oil prices between January 2003 and June 2008 are largely due to fundamental supply and demand factors.”

The reversal is said to reflect better data on who was actually in the market, including evidence that some traders had massive positions. But clearly the political bent of the leadership has changed as well, especially after the credit derivatives fiasco last year.

Political Risk As a Fundamental

Without question, commodity indices and other similar funds have allowed a lot of capital to flow into the market, and the fundamentals would not seem to justify prices reaching $147 per barrel.…

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Waxman-Markey: Inconsequential for Sea-Level Rise, Too

By Chip Knappenberger -- July 30, 2009
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Windpower: Focusing the Criticism Away from NIMBYism and Aesthetics

By Michael Giberson -- July 29, 2009
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Interior Secretary Salazar on Wind: A Reality Check

By Robert Peltier -- July 28, 2009
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Environmentalists Questioning Windpower Should Scrutinize Climate Alarmism

By -- July 27, 2009
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150,000 and Counting –Thank You Viewers!

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- July 25, 2009
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Is the Climate Science Debate Over? No, It’s Just Getting Very Interesting (with welcome news for mankind)

By -- July 24, 2009
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Forced Coal-Plant Conversions to Natural Gas: False Hope for “Cheap” Climate Action

By Robert Peltier -- July 23, 2009
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