Ed note: The following repost of “BP’s Fall From Grace“(December 2010) by Kevin Mooney is testament to the energy realism of Exxon’s Lee Raymond over the image-over-substance approach of John Browne of BP and Ken Lay of Enron. The lesson is clear: false causes and political correctness result in wasted resources and ecological loss. Part III tomorrow (Part I was yesterday) concludes this week’s tribute to the top integrated oil major leader of his generation.

Once simply called British Petroleum, BP transformed its corporate identity into an international ‘green energy’ company with a sunburst logo and the tag line “Beyond Petroleum.” Environmental groups applauded when BP’s CEO gave credence to alarmist global warming assertions. Little did they know that the company’s rhetorical overtures to green causes deflected attention away from its reckless and irresponsible practices that jeopardized worker health and safety and ultimately resulted in death and devastation in the Gulf of Mexico.…

“Let the record show a rational voice responding to irrational, emotive, magical thinkers. Ken Brook, take a bow for history.”

The critics of climate alarm and forced energy transformation are winning on social media also. A recent example is a response to a post by David Ritter, CEO of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, who tried to take the moral high ground against fossil fuels. But one energy realist, Ken Brook, was right there with an effective rebuttal.

Ritter wrote:

The mental gymnastics on display by the gas industry and their pals in politics deserves an Olympic medal. Responding to our bold action at yesterday’s Australian Domestic Gas Outlook conference, the likes of Minerals Council of Australia chief Tania Constable and Nationals Leader Matt Canavan are doubling down on fossil fuel extraction as the solution.

“[New York Governor] Hochul’s shift could become a blueprint for Democrats across the country as they desperately try to convince voters they’re aggressively tackling cost-of-living concerns — including energy bills — ahead of the midterm elections.” – Politico, March 7, 2026

Next time you hear that climate policies are affordable or that wind and solar save money, look out the window. What are consumers saying? What are politicians under affordability pressure saying? No quantity of studies or fearmongering about climate can refute what is happening in the real world. Energy prices, energy economics, matter.

NY Governor Kathy Hochul

Democrat politicians today are retreating from heady climate goals of the past. Consider this article in Politico, “‘Hurting peoples’ pocketbooks’: Hochul pushes to pare back landmark climate law.”

“The New York governor is pushing for changes to the state’s landmark climate law because of affordability concerns, reflecting a national clash between high energy prices and environmental goals,” Marie French reports, adding:

It’s a major shift for Gov.

On January 26, the U.S. Department of Energy released the Fact Sheet, “The Energy Department Is Delivering on Accelerating the Deployment of Nuclear Power, subtitled “President Trump is Unleashing America’s Next Nuclear Renaissance.”

Nuclear Renaissance? Like that of Joe Biden? George W. Bush? Here is a summary of federal subsidies/initiatives for commercial nuclear power from the US Department of Energy (to date).

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS WORKING TO MAKE ENERGY MORE AFFORDABLE AND RELIABLE INCLUDING ADVANCING NUCLEAR POWER

• The Trump administration is reversing the previous administration’s energy subtraction policies which made energy more expensive, and the grid less reliable.
  • Under the Biden administration, electricity prices increased by 30%—13 times faster than the previous seven years.
  • More than 100 gigawatts (GW) of firm reliable power were projected to retire by 2030.