“It is true some companies have harmed the environment by pursuing careless drilling and waste disposal practices. Nevertheless, many accounts of the negative impacts of fracking have been exaggerated. The EPA, in its recent assessment of the impact of fracking on drinking water, did not find evidence of widespread, systemic effects of fracking on water resources.”

“Evidence supports the assertion that disposal of wastewater and other fluids associated with fracking has caused some earthquakes. But these earthquakes have been comparatively mild and caused little or no damage.”

“Because of fracking, the future looks bright for northern and western Pennsylvania. Not only does fracking employ people directly and result in lower natural gas prices, but it also contributes to the growth of other industries that use or process natural gas.”

“The fact that electricity costs the average German four-to-five times as much as the average American is of no import, according to the ACEEE.”

Some organizations publish studies purporting to demonstrate why their proposals are good for America. But the proffered intellectual justification is really opinion masquerading as facts.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recently published another study–uncritically reported on by the media in Canada and the US–claiming to document that America remained behind Germany in energy efficiency.

The ACEEE uses a methodology in their reports that include non-tangible policy issues, such as whether a government has enacted the types of legislation desired by the ACEEE. Governments adopting these policies rank highly in ACEE studies, while countries that don’t adopt their environmental policies rank poorly.

These biased studies are eagerly highlighted by the anti-free-energy-market media to show how backward the US is in developing energy programs to cut CO2 emissions.…

“Perhaps the most distressing characteristic displayed by the pushers of soft energy was the intellectual poverty of their grand designs, their impatient dismissal of all criticism, their arrogant insistence on the infallible orthodoxy of their normative visions.”

“There is little doubt about the origins and the real message of soft energy dogma: the roots are in the muddled revolts of young Americans in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, the goal is a social transformation rather than simply a provision of energy. The latter fact explains the widespread appeal of soft energy sources among zealous would-be reformers of Western ways.” 

Vaclav Smil is one of the leading energy scholars of our day. He has, time and again, tried to inject energy reality into energy fantasy. Some of his previous posts at MasterResource (see here) include ‘The Limits of Energy Innovation’: Timeless Insight from Vaclav Smil and the five-part Power Density Primer.…

The Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions (AWED) is an informal coalition of individuals and organizations interested in improving national, state, and local energy and environmental policies. Our premise is that technical matters like these should be addressed by using Real Science (please consult WiseEnergy.org for more information).

A key element of AWED’s efforts is public education. Towards that end, every three weeks we put together a newsletter to balance what is found in the mainstream media about energy and the environment. We appreciate MasterResource for their assistance in publishing this information.

Some of the more important articles in this issue are:

Examining the Economic Effects of State RPS Programs

Feds End “Unjust” Exemption for Wind Energy

Germany Votes To Abandon Most Green Energy Subsidies

Excellent Discussion of Wind Turbines and Infrasound

Wind Turbines Killing Tens of Thousands of Bats, Many Endangered

Blinded By The Sun

Best Alternative Energy Source is Nuclear Energy

How Renewable Energy Is Blowing Climate Change Efforts Off Course

Britain’s New PM Drives a Stake Through the Heart of the Green Vampire

Global Warming Skepticism is Not Fraud

Good short video: Do 97% of Scientists Agree?…