Author: cne4h

The confirmation hearings between Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessant highlighted the stark contrast between Democratic and Republican energy policies. [emphasis, links added] Wyden pressed Bessent on Republican efforts to undo parts of Biden's 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), particularly those involving clean energy. Since Republicans hold majorities in both houses of Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson has pledged to target a Green New Deal by speeding up drilling permits, eliminating electric vehicle (EV) mandates and eliminating tax credits for solar panels, electric vehicles, wind turbines and clean energy manufacturing. Wyden claimed that the United States…

from the depth of energy Mandy Risko Frank Sinatra said that if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. Well, when it's repeatedly made clear that you just cannot Is it successful in New York? This question is one that the climate litigation movement is grappling with today. The nationally coordinated climate litigation movement suffered another demoralizing defeat — and a poignant moment of deja vu — as New York City's lawsuit against U.S. energy producers was dismissed yesterday (for the second time). The New York State Supreme Court ruling firmly rejects the city’s claims…

The death toll from the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles has risen to 24 and is expected to continue to rise. The Eaton Fire killed 16 people directly, making it the fifth deadliest wildfire in California, while the Palisades Fire killed eight people and was the state's 14th deadliest wildfire. Figure 1. The Eaton Fire and the Palisades Fire both rank on the list of deadliest fires recorded in California. (Image source: Cal Fire) However, once the health effects of toxic smoke from fires become clearer, the total number of deaths from disasters is likely to be higher. As a…

Many mainstream media uncritically echoed the statement that 2024 is the “hottest year on record.” For example, CNN reported with the title “2024 Confirmed as the Hottest Year on Record Globally” and the BBC reported with the headline Claim: “2024 confirmed as hottest year on record.” When these media reports are examined within the long-term historical context of available global temperature data, it is clear: These claims lack the certainty claimed by the headlines and are likely to be false or exaggerated. Close inspection reveals that such claims are largely based on data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (CCCS),…

Temperatures will be milder across much of the United States on Thursday, but the warm-up will be short-lived as a polar vortex will drop temperatures below freezing in much of the country starting this weekend. [emphasis, links added] Despite the wintry weather that will hit parts of the eastern United States on Thursday, temperatures will be milder across much of the country, with highs expected to be 20 degrees above average. Enjoy it while it's here, though, because it's about to get freezing cold. How cold is it? The high temperature in Minneapolis on Thursday is expected to be about…

From the Economic Library Robert Bradley Jimmy Carter's tenure as President of the United States (1977-1981) included significant deregulation of airlines, motor carriers, and railroads. Other advances have been made in communications, tax policy and regulatory budgets. But the “Great Deregulator” took a radically different approach to energy, which (along with inflation) defined his economic notoriety. Carter began deregulating oil and natural gas wellheads but imposed a windfall tax on crude oil and imposed in-state regulations on natural gas. Carter's basic way of thinking was oriented toward federal supply and demand planning, as outlined in national energy plan 1977. what…

Germany's Klimanachrichten here presents peer-reviewed climate science showing that permafrost is not the tipping point we need to worry about. [emphasis, links added] Here's what's reported in the video: Permafrost stores large amounts of carbon dioxide and is often described as a key tipping factor in the Earth system that suddenly collapses on a global scale when global warming reaches a certain level. However, the idea that the time bomb initially behaves fairly quietly and only ignites at a certain threshold of warming is controversial among researchers. According to scientific data, this is not true, as an international team of…

Lawmakers questioned President-elect Trump's energy secretary on climate change, the Los Angeles wildfires and the Biden administration's green energy agenda during a confirmation hearing that was disrupted by several climate protesters. [emphasis, links added] The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a confirmation hearing for Chris Wright, CEO of Liberty Energy and Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Energy, on Wednesday, which was also his birthday. Trump's nominee was introduced by Colorado Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper, who described him as “Unbridled fan of fossil fuels.” Wright's response focused on energy dominance, saying climate change is a “real problem,”…

The death toll from the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles has risen to 24, and is expected to increase further. The Eaton Fire alone killed 16 people directly, making it the fifth deadliest wildfire in California, while the Palisades Fire killed eight people and was the 14th deadliest fire in the state. Figure 1. The 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires will rank among the top 20 deadliest wildfires in California (this figure has not yet been updated with the latest death tolls). (Image source: Cal Fire) However, the disaster's final death toll is likely to be higher once the health…

Transcript: When climate disasters knock out power from the grid, people often rely on gas or diesel generators for power. But these generators are loud and smelly. They also pollute the air. In San Juan, Puerto Rico, many people are running generators after Hurricane Maria… Heegaard: “…localized air pollution exceeds EPA safety limits.” Will Heegaard works with the Footprint Project. The nonprofit helps provide cleaner, quieter energy to disaster-affected communities by building portable power systems that run on solar panels and batteries. In some cases, Project Footprint deploys small solar generators to homes that need to operate medical equipment. Heegaard:…