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MORNING ENERGY NEWS  |  03/04/2020
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Let's dispel once and for all with this fiction that big wind is somehow better for the environment.


BBC (3/2/20) reports: "One of the greenest types of energy poses a conservation conundrum – wind farms can lead to collisions with birds and bats. Is there way to build them so they don't harm animals? One of my fondest memories from my first visit to Prince Edward Island in Canada was driving with friends through the eastern part of the island, admiring the bucolic scenery and the mesmerizing wildlife. Travelling in a car of 'tree huggers,' we were pleasantly surprised at the sight of statuesque wind turbines peppered between patches of woodland. It was exciting to see this small corner of eastern Canada going 'green.' At the time it didn’t occur to me that here was one of Mother Nature’s ironies: one of the most rapidly increasing forms of clean energy can also have deadly consequences for wildlife. Wind turbines – a technology that many view as a necessary component in the fight against climate change – can kill airborne animals, leaving lasting implications throughout the food chain...More widely, a 2013 study predicted that the expansion of wind turbines in Canada over the next 10-15 years could lead to the killing of approximately 233,000 birds and displacement of 57,000 pairs annually. Another study found wind turbines kill an estimated 140,000 to 328,000 birds each year in the US."

"Allowing cheaper incandescent bulbs to remain on the market will keep downward pressure on the price of competing LED bulbs, making both more affordable."

 

– Merrill Matthews Jr.,
Institute for Policy Innovation

Don't be delusional. No one is indoctrinating your kids...


E&E News (3/3/20) reports: "Public school educators in Portland, Ore., have a plan to teach global warming that far surpasses lessons on climate models or atmospheric conditions. The school district is moving forward with a curriculum that will make climate justice a core component of the K-12 experience — a decision that sets Portland on a path that remains largely uncharted in the greater U.S. public education system. Portland fourth graders, for example, may take a unit on 'coexisting with the land,' while eighth graders could study the social and environmental consequences of colonization. High schoolers might take units on everything from 'systems of oppression"'to the 'age of revolutions.' Across all grade levels and subjects, the curriculum will emphasize climate solutions, engineering and community engagement, an approach supporters applaud because it has the potential to disrupt the traditional separation between formalized education and the 'nuts and bolts' community work required to adapt to a warming world...Different Portland school students have experienced 'different levels of trauma' as the result of rising global temperatures. A white student born in Portland, for example, likely would have a drastically different experience of climate change than a Portland student who was born in the Marshall Islands — a region under imminent threat from rising sea levels."

An entire state's demise is unfolding in real-time just to satisfy the egos of legislators.


FEE (2/26/20) blog: "In July, in an effort to combat global warming, Berkeley, California, became the first city in the United States to prohibit natural gas in new buildings, including residential homes. 'We need to tackle climate change every way that we can,' said Berkeley City Councilwoman Kate Harrison, who led the effort. Other cities, including Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Jose, are developing their own policies in what appears to be the latest trend to save the planet. But does banning gas for heating and cooking in residential developments make sense? Lawmakers and environmental activists often overlook important issues. Assuming that people will continue to cook their meals at home and that exotic solutions such as sun-powered grills are exercised by a tiny fraction of the population, people will still need devices that heat their pots and pans for cooking...Some say bans on cooking with natural gas is a symbolic gesture. Indeed. But it is the worst kind of symbol—one designed to make people feel good rather than do good. An outright blanket ban on natural gas in homes, especially if extended throughout the country, would make little environmental sense—and no economic sense." 

Even if every American family switched over to the Fred Flinstone special it wouldn't matter. 


Petroleum Economist (2/27/20) reports: "Unless Asia radically changes its energy mix, rampant demand growth will offset the world’s efforts to tackle climate change, delegates at IP Week heard yesterday. 'Asia is the 800lb gorilla in the room,' says Peter Godfrey, managing director of Energy Institute Asia Pacific. 'Economic growth is massive, more than 50pc of energy demand [growth]. Unless we solve the situation in Asia, we will not solve climate change at all.' Yet, the immediate priorities for policymakers in Asia are different from those in OECD nations. Asian governments are understandably focused on local problems, such as reducing local air pollution, nationwide access to electricity and clean cooking. To meet these ambitions, many Asian nations still see a future for so-called clean coal— technologically treated to lower its pollution profile—in sharp contrast to the West...The coal industry still receives strong support from both the Chinese government—as it is a consistent source of tax revenue and jobs—as well as the largely state-owned financial sector. 'Asia does not feel the same regulatory and financial pressures on coal as the West. Coal mining is still finding funding from Chinese banks,' adds Meidan."

Energy Markets

 
WTI Crude Oil: ↑ $48.19
Natural Gas: ↑ $1.83
Gasoline: ↓ $2.41
Diesel: ↓ $2.84
Heating Oil: ↑ $155.15
Brent Crude Oil: ↑ $52.71
US Rig Count: ↑↓ 1137

 
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