Posts Tagged ‘GHG’

April 3, 2010 – EPA issues rules on vehicle greenhouse gas emissions  and states line up to legally challenge the new regulations. 

In the last few month various bills have been introduced (or are being drafted) by Congress … Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) asserts that greenhouse gas regulation would be better done by Congress than by an appointed agency.  House Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-North Dakota) states that the Clean Air Act was not developed for greenhouse gas emissions, and it does not work to try and shoehorn greenhouse gas emissions into this statute.

In 2007, The Supreme Court ruled that greenhouse gases are air pollutants covered by the Clean Air Act.  The EPA was directed to determine whether GHG from vehicles cause or contribute to air pollution and that this pollution may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare.

In 2007, there was consensus on human-caused global warming and associated climate change predictions.  Now significant questions have been raised. Questions about the quality of the science behind the assumptions.  Also there are many  unanswered questions regarding air quality… how to measure, what level of “pollution” is a threat to “public health and welfare”, cost/benefit issues, etc.

We are in agreement that rulings made in 2007 need to be revisited …   here are some articles to help you get informed.

• FOX News article – More States Sue EPA as Agency Issues First Climate Change Regulations
• Article at SolveClimate.com – Mar 3, 2010 – EPA’s authority to regulate Greenhouse Gases comes under fire from all angles – article supplies many links to help you get informed.
• EPA.gov – Climate Change – Regulatory Initiatives
• Article by Thomas Pyle at the DailyCaller – Energy and Climate, March Madness-style

It is increasingly obvious that the “science” to support human-caused global warming has been corrupted by bad assumptions, the “quality” of the data, and our ability to understand and interpret correctly historical data and make projections about future events. 

 Given these problems…. the enthusiasm of the U.S.  government (and also the State of Colorado) to measure, regulate and tax fossil fuel related activity is extraordinary .

 To quote from SEPP.org (April 3, 2010 newsletter) – “politicians and bureaucrats still act as if nothing has happened.”  “The arrogance they exhibit is staggering”

• The Week That Was (April 3, 2010) – SEPP.org
• Article in FrontPage Magazine – The Heretics: A Legacy of Independence dated March 12, 2010
• Article  at CATO.org – Scientific Misconduct: The Manipulation of Evidence for Political Advocacy in Health Care and Climate Policy by George Avery – Dated Feb 8, 2010
• NewYorkTimes article by Al Gore – We Can’t Wish away Climate Change
• Scientific Alliance article – Climate Change: Both Sides Dig In
• The Battle Between Image and Reality – William O’Keefe, The George C. Marshall Institute
• A Superstorm for Global Warming Research – posted at Spiegel OnLine.de – April 1, 2010

Does “clean energy” at all cost make common sense … what is the “right thing to do”? View comments made January 2008 by Barack Obama. In the State of the Union Address, January 2010, … President Obama said

Even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future — because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation.

March 22, 2010 Gov. Bill Ritter today signed HB10-1001. This legislation gives Colorado the highest renewable energy standard in the Rocky Mountain West, requiring that 30 percent of electricity be generated from renewable sources by 2020.

March 31, 2010 Gov. Bill Ritter today thanked lawmakers, a coalition of energy companies, environmentalists and Xcel Energy for their support in passing House Bill 1365, the Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act. This legislation will cut air pollution, create jobs and increase the use of cleaner energy sources.

We support the following commentary by Republican candidate for Governor, Dan Maes:

Evergreen, CO – March 31, 2010 – Republican candidate for governor, Dan Maes, announced today that he opposes HB 10-1365 which expedites conversion of power plants energy sources.  “I have said for 12 months on the campaign trail that we need an “all energy” solution in Colorado that will make us one of the strongest energy producing states in the country. Natural gas should be one of our flagship energy products but government should not play favorites in a free market system”, declares Maes.  ” As governor I want to see a reasonable balance between clean and affordable energy, and job protection in every part of our beautiful state.  Clean coal supports jobs and communities removed from our everyday lives on the front range.  As governor I want to preserve our diverse lifestyle across the state and that means protecting jobs in places like Craig, Paonia, and other rural communities,” Maes concluded.

December 16, 2009 - HR 4396 introduced in the House of Representatives by Earl Pomeroy (D-North Dakota).  He is opposed to funding  EPA to regulate greenhouse gasses.

Here is more information on Congressman Earl Pomeroy’s web site.

Feb 1 – Congressman Pomeroy Blasts Funding for Greenhouse Gas Regulation in President’s Budget

Feb 23 – Pomeroy: EPA Took Good First Step, Now Should Back Off Regulation of Greenhouse Gases

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is proposing an amendment to handcuff the EPA from exercising its full regulatory power.  Read about this in a Wall Street Journal article.  The purpose of the amendment would be to prohibit the use of funds to regulate or control carbon dioxide from any sources other than a mobile source or to treat carbon dioxide as a pollutant subject to certain regulations. Many environmental groups are opposing this legislation.

Here is an article dated Jan 19, 2010 in the Los Angeles Times

Coal-state Democrats oppose global-warming rules
By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press Writer
Publication: LexisNexis
Date: Tuesday, February 23 2010

WASHINGTON – Eight Democratic senators from industrial states are challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate pollution blamed for global warming.

In a letter written by Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the lawmakers said the agency lacks the power to restrict greenhouse gases from stationary sources such as power plants, factories and mines. The lawmakers said Congress – not the EPA – should address an issue with big implications for thousands of U.S. jobs and businesses.

On January 29, 2010 President Obama announced that the Federal Government will reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution by 28 percent by 2020.  Here is another way the Obama administration is pushing “clean energy” jobs.  The article does not describe the administrative overhead for tracking and measuring this activity.  It also does not state why 28% is a good target.

Video about Unstoppable Solar cycles: The Real Story of Greenland

November 23, 2009 – Hackers break into University emails and uncover the global warming conspiracy.

Here is an article at FOXNews.com for more information.
Why You Should Be Hot and Bothered About ‘Climate-gate’
By John Lott – FOXNews.com
A coordinated campaign to hide scientific information about climate change appears unprecedented. Could it wind up costing us trillions?

Science depends on good quality of data. It also relies on replication and sharing data. But the last couple of days have uncovered some shocking revelations. Computer hackers have obtained 160 megabytes of e-mails from the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in England. These e-mails, which have now been confirmed as real, involved many researchers across the globe with ideologically similar advocates around the world. They were brazenly discussing the destruction and hiding of data that did not support global warming claims. The academics here also worked closely with the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.