“Vineyard Wind has withdrawn its construction and operation plans from the federal permitting process, suddenly throwing the future into limbo for the international consortium that has been at the front of the pack in the race to build offshore wind farms off the American eastern seaboard.”

–  Noah Asimow | The Vineyard Gazette, December 14, 2020.

Part I yesterday reviewed the history and current status on three (of four) U.S. offshore wind projects: one proposed, one defunct, and one (barely) operational. They are:

• Icebreaker (Ohio), a proposed six-turbine project eight miles offshore, that is currently dealing with significant and perhaps fatal environmental permitting requirements.
• Block Island (Rhode Island), which has encountered significant operational problems, producing very low output and adding new costs.
• Cape Wind (Massachusetts), a defunct proposal to erect 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound.

The father of global warming alarm, James Hansen, has been very good about speaking truth to power in many aspects of the climate debate. But his message is changing now that his earlier warnings and deadlines have come and gone.

December 2021

The climate crisis cannot be solved in a decade, but it can be solved during your lifetime.  This next decade, the fourth decade since the 1992 Framework Convention, is crucial for getting the climate story pointed in the right direction.  This must be done in the context of fixing the urgent political crisis.  If we do not fix the problem of political polarization, there is a danger that the climate situation really could go haywire.

At a November 13, 2021, rally (entire speech here), he stated some notable things worth commenting on.…

“When speaking to climate activists, young people, and Bernie Sanders supporters, all constituencies whose votes they need to win the election, Biden/Harris openly admit to ending fossil fuel use and fracking.”

“Biden/Harris’s climate/energy plans would put the hundreds of millions of workers in chemical and concrete manufacturing, coal, gas, mining, oil, refining, steel manufacturing, and associated industries out of work.”

Pundits have regularly opined about the possibility of an “October Surprise,” in the 2020 election race, a Hallowe’en trick that could change Presidential fortunes for one candidate or the other in the 2020 election.

Instead of an October surprise, I want to discuss an October non-surprise. The fact that the energy and climate plan put forward by Democratic Presidential hopeful Joe Biden, and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Ca), will shut down the oil and gas industry, in the process dampening American’s economic prosperity and making our country’s energy system beholden to China.…

“No fracking, no fracking, no fracking. All of a sudden [Biden] gets a nomination, he says, ‘There’s got to be fracking.’ For Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota … your energy jobs are gone if they get in. Just remember I said it.”

– Donald Trump, “Donald Trump White House Rally Speech Transcript October 10: First Event Since COVID Diagnosis.”

Consistency applies to Donald Trump and his energy positions unlike his rival. As such, the American Energy Alliance, the advocacy arm of the Institute for Energy Research, has endorsed Trump for reelection.

But there are disappointments and room for improvement with Trump energy policy. Ethanol’s continuing grip on the transportation market continues under his watch. Protectionism that reaches the energy industry (steel pipe for pipelines, for example), should be relaxed.…