The Maine problem

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DAILY ENERGY NEWS | 08/17/2023

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The dissonance starts to make sense when you accept that the renewables movement is only serious about greasing the wheels of Big Green, Inc. and not actually making the "energy transition" they pine for.

Washington Times (8/10/23) op-ed: "I was driving through my childhood home state of Maine on a rainy June day this year when I spotted a large field filled with solar panels. Not 20 minutes later, I noticed another. As I neared my destination, I spotted a third solar field, this one still under construction. 'How odd.' I thought to myself. Odd in part because Maine ranks 49th out of 50 states for the amount of sunshine it sees annually. That number may have dipped even more this year as the brief Maine summer saw more rainy days in June than any time in recent memory. Maine, it seems, passed the Maine Solar Energy Act and has made it a key element in their feel-good, progressive, new-age save-the-world policy...The Maine energy follies don’t end with solar. Maine has followed California’s lead in trying to force EVs on the consumer. Most recently, environmental activists have proposed requiring light-duty, zero-emission vehicles to make up 43% of sales for model year 2027 and to make up 82% of sales in model year 2032. Require. Consumer demand be damned. You will take your medicine, and you’ll like it. No infrastructure? No charging stations? Tough luck. EV batteries don’t perform in Maine’s brutal and long winters? Simply don’t drive for those months. It’s crazy. It gets even crazier. While insisting a prompt switch to EVs is necessary to save the environment, the State of Maine is refusing to allow locals to provide the materials necessary to build those very vehicles. The world’s richest known lithium deposit lies deep in the woods of western Maine."

"So this is the double impact of the neo-paganism of Net Zero, of today’s irrational dread of weather that comes dressed in the garb of scientific revelation: we undermine domestic production while potentially increasing global emissions."

– Brendan O'Neill, Spiked

They don't want to debate, they want to dictate.

PB Oil & Gas Magazine (8/14/23) reports: "“I’ve spent my lifetime on this, 46 years, and this is the worst position I’ve seen us in, in 46 years,” said Mark Stansberry, an oil and gas advocate as well as energy advisor and corporate development strategist. Indeed, it is not hard to find someone bashing oil, natural gas, and coal these days. Airwaves and social media are awash with factoid snippets on energy, often exaggerated or out of context. But finding the truth, or at least a more balanced approach, seems to be increasingly difficult. The question arises, what can the oil and gas industry do to improve its image, to get a more balanced view?...Along with Stansberry, the Permian Basin Petroleum Association (PBPA) has long been at the forefront defending independent operators, led by its president, Ben Shepperd, who has been at the helm of PBPA since 2006 and worked diligently to promote the industry’s broad interests in the largest operating basin and one of the oldest. The industry is also supported by Tom Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research and the American Energy Alliance...In past days Stansberry toured the U. S. debating energy policy, but finds that harder to do now because few opponents want to engage, preferring to repeatedly quote their own message. Much of this messaging is funded by what Pyle called the green industry, or 'Big Green, Inc.' He cited research showing that 17 'left-leaning organizations… have funneled over $5 billion worth of green into thousands of environmental groups, in a five-year span.' He believes their only goal is to shut down the oil and gas industry. 'That’s a fact, that’s what the oil and gas industry is up against.'"

Wonder why they called associated it with inflation if their goal was carbon reduction?

Dan, Dan the utilities man. His mere presence puts the greens in a jam.

The Hill (8/16/23) reports: " Dan Brouillette, who led the Energy Department under former President Trump, will lead a lobbying group for electric utilities, the group said Wednesday. Brouillette will lead a group known as the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) — which lobbies and otherwise advocates on behalf of electric companies — starting in October. In late 2019, Brouillette succeeded Rick Perry as the head of the Energy Department. He is currently the president of Sempra Infrastructure, which deals in both natural gas and renewable energy. 'I am honored to be joining the world-class team at EEI at a pivotal point for the industry,' Brouillette said in a written statement. 'I have long admired the determination of EEI and its member companies to deliver clean, reliable, and resilient energy in the most affordable and inclusive manner possible,' he added. 'In my former role as U.S. Secretary of Energy, I witnessed firsthand EEI’s relentless dedication to these goals, and I am excited to now work with the EEI team in support of their member companies, their customers, and our country.' Climate advocacy group Evergreen Action, which recently criticized EEI over its own critiques of the Biden administration’s proposed emissions rule, slammed the appointment of Brouillette."

Energy Markets

WTI Crude Oil: ↑ $80.50
Natural Gas: ↑ $2.65
Gasoline: ↑ $3.87

Diesel: ↑ $4.34
Heating Oil: ↑ $308.46
Brent Crude Oil: ↑ $84.56
US Rig Count: ↓ 690

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