Right now, Wolverine is still waiting to hear from the MDNRE on whether it will receive an air [...]]]>

Right now, Wolverine is still waiting to hear from the MDNRE on whether it will receive an air quality permit, despite Jennifer Granholm’s claim that the issuance of a permit has nothing whatsoever to do with politics.

The beginning of the coal plant saga was May 2006.  In a few months, we will have been talking about a better future for Rogers City for 4 years.

Since writing about a topic helps gain a better understanding of the story, I believe I can help put into perspective how far we have come, and what lays ahead.

In September, 2007, Wolverine applied for an air quality permit with the MDEQ.  It was the last application to the department among 4 major applications from hopeful power companies in the state.  Right now, one  of those four have received the permit.

Interestingly, Consumers Energy, the downstate company that received the permit, only got it because it promised to close 7 coal plants that were older and not considered clean.

Perhaps we are lulled into the belief that if Wolverine gets it’s air permit,
the  fight will be over, and all this contention will cease.  But, that is not true.

As was demonstrated in Marquette, Nothern Michigan University pulled it’s air permit after it was granted, because the Sierra Club appealed the permit to the EPA.  The EPA suggested that NMU hadn’t included CO2 and Nitrous Oxide, so it sent the permit back to the DEQ who really didn’t have clear direction from the Federal Government in those areas.

So the point is, this fight is ongoing, and considering the current administration at the federal level, as well as state, Rogers City, Michigan is in a bad situation.

Those who are really pushing for the plant in the community, and whose numbers are 100-1 with those against, have been paying attention and have been active in pursuing this plant even though they have no ties to Wolverine, other than the fact that they purchase their electricity through them.

Citizens have become part-time activists.  We are in a situation where we don’t have a very loud voice.  Our town is small, we only have one paper, that only publishes weekly, we have no Television news based here, we have no Radio station that originates here.  Among all of the local activists, I suppose I am one too.

I started writing about this plant last year on my blog.  I like to write, and I am interested in politics, so this saga had seemed to me a good muse to write about.  When I began, I was trying to win a trip to Pittsburgh  from a blogging competition.  But when I got into it, I realized just how complicated and sometimes depressing this story can be.  I never finished my series on the coal plant like I thought I would so I could win that trip to Pittsburgh, and now I am so deep into it, I need to share the information.

First, the only reason that this coal plant is not already being built is because of global warming theory.  Let’s first understand that global warming is theory and not fact.

As most of us are well aware, environmentalists from the Sierra Club and other affiliated groups have been very active in the killing of this coal plant.  They have, and continue to use delay tactics, fear and confusion to prolong the process and cause Wolverine to pay money to address their bogus concerns.

Since each and every one of us are part of the Co-op, the environmentalists are really draining our money.

From the board of Presque Isle Electric, to the townships, to the city, to the county commissioners, to the representatives of our area in the Michigan Legislature and the Federal Government, there has been absolutely no negative thing said against Wolverine.  There has been no charges of bilking the public, nor has there been a voice raised in opposition to this plant.

The only opposition to this plant is from the Granholm Administration and The Sierra Club and it’s affiliates both local and out of town.

When this topic is discussed wherever I find myself, it is perplexing to me that some dismiss the Sierra Club as do-good planters of trees.  In reality, they are extremely well-funded economy-crushing advocates.

A report by Judy Pasternak of the Los Angeles Times appeared in April of  2008 titled, “Global warming has a new battleground: coal plants.”  .  Here is some of what it said:

Every time a new coal-fired power plant is proposed anywhere in the United States, a lawyer from the Sierra Club or an allied environmental group is assigned to stop it, by any bureaucratic or legal means necessary.

The plant-by-plant strategy is part of a campaign by environmentalists to force the federal government to deal with climate change.

The campaign against new coal-powered plants has infuriated utilities, which say the environmentalists’ tactics are an abuse of the regulatory and judicial systems.

They are counterpunching with ads, lobbying and court briefs of their own, bringing the clash over coal to a pitch that rivals the environmental and legal fights over nuclear power decades ago.

The environmental coalition, which included the Natural Resouces Defense Council, Environmental Defense  Fund and Environmental Integrity Project, claims 65 victories over the last three years.  The Sierra Club is coordinating opposition to about 50 additional power plant proposals.

“We have a national presence, so we’re sort of mission control,” said Pat Gallagher, director of the Sierra Club’s environmental law program.

“We hope to clog up the system,”  said David Bookbinder, the Sierra Club’s chief climate counsel.  “It’s putting pressure on Congress to put together a comprehensive plan.”

Those of us who have attended the various hearings have been well versed in their tactics.  Many local leaders have been so fed up with the constant nit-picking and false comparisons that they have communicated their feelings publicly about these tactics calling them “death by a thousand paper cuts.”  Again, one of the tactics that has many upset is the delay tactic.

Right now, the DNRE has said that the air permit is being held up as a result of lack of man power.  As some of you may recall, last year, the Michigan Legislature combined the MDEQ with the DNR and the new DNRE is having trouble wading through all the paperwork generated by the Sierra Club and it’s partners in crime.

Also, at the Federal level, the new leader of the EPA, Lisa Jackson mirrors President Barack Obama’s view that man is causing global warming.

I’m not sure how to explain this, since so many factors have come to light in the last three months that should at least generate doubt in the minds of so many supposedly smart people.

Back in November, a hacker gained access to the emails of several prominent global warming experts in Great Britain.

These emails, in part, showed that the most important researcher, Phil Jones willingly chose to hide the fact that the earth has been cooling for the last 10 years.

Since November, Global Warming skepticism has exploded, and most recently, Phil Jones has shown to be an absolute fraud, admitting that several key data entries were wildly exaggerated, including tree rings from Russia and the Hockey Stick graph, and most recently, that he destroyed the papers that prove his science.

The British government has since determined someone at East Anglia committed a crime by refusing to release global warming documents sought in 95 Freedom of Information Act requests

An investigation by the U.K.’s left-leaning Guardian newspaper found evidence that Chinese weather station measurements not only were seriously flawed, but couldn’t be located

An Indian climate official admitted in January that, as lead author of the IPCC’s Asian report, he intentionally exaggerated when claiming Himalayan glaciers would melt away by 2035 in order to prod governments into action.

Russian think tank investigators evaluated thousands of documents and e-mails leaked from the East Anglia research center and concluded readings from the coldest regions of their nation had been omitted, driving average temperatures up about half a degree. (What to say to a Warmer, Mark Landsbaum)

There is more, just two weeks ago, Phil Jones also conceded the possibility that the world was warmer in medieval times than now – suggesting global warming may not be a man-made phenomenon.

And he said that for the past 15 years there has been no ‘statistically significant’ warming.

But since The Granholm Administration and the Obama Administration will not address these new issues, and since so much money and so many reputations are riding on the deeply flawed science of global warming, this fight is very chaotic.

Further, because of the inability of the Obama Administration to pass Cap and Trade through the Senate, they are planning on using the EPA to force regulations on businesses especially coal plants, the likes of which will cause more costs to you and I.

Lisa Jackson, head of the EPA has signaled that perhaps the department will not address the concerns it previously had with coal plants and other industries because of the concern that the economy is doing very badly.

She has said that maybe it is better to wait for the economy to pick up before the administration goes ahead and crushes it.

It is up to us.  Those of us that have been fighting to get the facts of the situation out to the public, and those of us that have been working to improve our children’s economic future.

From my research, I can clearly see how global warming hysteria, political wrangling, and outright lying have delayed the process of Wolverine Clean Energy Venture.  Any questions of medical ailments and pollution have already been addressed by the MDEQ in November of 2008, when they declared the plant meets and surpasses all air quality standards.

The only sticking point in this debate is the regulation of Carbon Dioxide.  We exhale Carbon Dioxide and plants need it to grow.  To illustrate the make-up of our atmosphere,  envision a stadium filled with 10,000 people, only 4 of them would account for the carbon dioxide. (Liberty and Tyranny, Mark Levin)

Environmental groups like to say that 30-40% of all Carbon Dioxide in the air is caused by the burning of coal and oil.  They like to say that we must stop burning these fuels because carbon dioxide is causing global warming.  But they are having a hard time explaining how.

Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth has been shown to be almost completely false, and now, amid all this controversy, the former Vice President has offered a weak argument in the NY Times opinion page, basically saying, ‘well, nobody’s perfect.’

However, last week, at a board meeting, Al Gore, who sits on the board of Apple Inc., was ridiculed by other members.  One member said that Gore “has become a laughingstock. The glaciers have not melted,”  referring to Gore’s views on global warming. “If his advice he gives to Apple is as faulty as his views on the environment then he doesn’t need to be re-elected.

Because of the commitment by the Obama administration to ‘do something about global warming’ I believe they are purposely avoiding all of the information flowing out of media sources outside of the US.  Very recently, some very prominent media sources including major American newspapers have finally started to report these findings.

Additionally, because the Administration is using the EPA to create regulations that congress couldn’t pass through legislation, it is catching major flak from representatives of coal-producing areas and labor leaders.

From the New York Times–The lawmakers warn that federal regulations will be unwieldy and could have crippling economic consequences.
“When Congress passed the Clean Air Act, it never gave EPA the explicit authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions for the purpose of stopping global climate change,”Representative Ike Skelton said in a statement. “But, that is exactly what EPA has proposed to do.”
Skelton said the joint resolution would stop EPA from implementing its proposed climate regulations “that would likely be very costly to farmers, business owners, Midwestern utilities, and consumers.”  That describes us in this little town.

From the Wall Street Journal–A top labor leader warned the White House that his unions fear new rules being crafted by the administration to cut greenhouse-gas emissions may have “severe negative consequences.” —-Aggressive implementation of [greenhouse gas] mitigation options available under the Clean Air Act could have severe negative consequences for our workers,” the labor leader wrote in a Jan. 27 letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

The Building and Construction Trades Department has around 1.5 million members in the U.S., with more than a dozen unions representing iron-workers, electrical workers, pipe-fitters, plumbers, and boilermakers.—Just a note, the union that represents the workers at Calcite is the Boilermakers.

The EPA earlier this week said it would delay some of its actions, which Administrator Lisa Jackson said was partly out of economic considerations.
Some industry officials said the delay also may help neutralize the growing controversy as the November midterm elections approach.
But even with the delay, energy-industry officials say they are concerned the EPA’s plans may force the premature closure of some coal-fired power plants and prevent new refinery and natural gas projects from moving ahead.

This story is not over by a long shot, I hope that many of you will begin to tune your ears to any news having to do with what I have layed out in this speech.  It will help you understand just what is happening nationally that is affecting our little town.

The Substitution of Legislation by Regulation

Click [...]]]>

The Substitution of Legislation by Regulation

Click here to view Part 22

The Heavy Hand of the EPA

One of the things that makes America different from other countries is our political system, presumably.  I mean to say that we elect leaders to represent us and work in our interest among the political causes of the day.  Unfortunately, this is no longer the case in the United States of America.

Under the Obama Administration, what cannot be done through legislation is now being done by decree.

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said in a press release on Friday, “Business leaders, security experts, government officials, concerned citizens and the United States Supreme Court have called for enduring, pragmatic solutions to reduce the greenhouse gas pollution that is causing climate change. This continues our work towards clean energy reform that will cut GHGs and reduce the dependence on foreign oil that threatens our national security and our economy.”

The fact that the science of global warming has come under serious question and even been shown to be made up, seems not to be an issue for Ms. Jackson.

Since these regulations will most likely ban the domestic drilling of oil, it will in no way “reduce the dependence on foreign oil.”

What does this all mean for the Rogers City Coal Plant?  Well, as of this writing, Wolverine has not been issued an air permit or a permit to install.  But if it does receive the main permit, it will be a double-edged sword.

With Cap and Trade legislation largely considered dead-on-arrival in the Senate, the EPA means to enact similar, without a doubt, more stringent commands on coal plants.  It is not to be ignored that a spokesman for the Edison Electric Institute concluded, “The only certainty is that EPA regulation would be far more expensive than congressional-designed legislation.”

After all, why is the Global Warming bill (Cap and Trade H.R. 2454) in trouble in the Senate?  Is it not because a large number of Senators have constituencies that are very much opposed to the bill?  In fact, the only way Cap and Trade was passed in the House was in the middle of the night by a vote of 219-212.

The people of this nation have no say in the matter.

This is not how the U.S.A. is supposed to work.

Click here to view Part 24

Over a week ago, the leading climate research institution, the Hadley Climate Research Unit (CRU) was compromised by an email hacker.  The hacked emails exposed some of [...]]]>

Over a week ago, the leading climate research institution, the Hadley Climate Research Unit (CRU) was compromised by an email hacker.  The hacked emails exposed some of the most nefarious cover-ups in climate research, one of which namely, that the earth has been cooling for the past ten years.

The public has been steadily becoming more skeptical of the idea of global warming, not from arguments from leading skeptics, but from their experience with nature.

So, put another way, if most of the public were told that the climate experts were messing with the numbers to make sure that millions of important people across the globe won’t lose money on their investment of green technology, most of the public would say, “figures.”

That is what is happening.

But, just for fun, let’s think about what would happen if global warming was able to be proved wrong beyond a shadow of a doubt, and that man hasn’t the power to change the earth’s climate.

1. Electricity would be cheap.  Some restrictions on coal plants would still be in place due to the concern of pollution and smog, but the production of electricity would be easier to attain at low cost.  From studying the Rogers City Coal Plant story, I know that it is the global warming mass hysteria that is causing electricity manufacturers to worry about their bottom line and feasibility.  It is especially hard for those companies right now because the full force of the United States Government buys into the hysteria and is an obstacle between the producers and the consumers.
2. Automobiles would be more safe and less expensive.  CAFE standards are the biggest restriction on auto manufacturing and with the global warming hysteria, it has gotten so bad, the whole industry is on life support.  Every fuel economy standard that descends from the government on high clamps down harder and harder on the manufacturers.   The laws of physics demand that to increase fuel efficiency, the vehicle made must be lighter, therefore, less steel exists between you and an oncoming vehicle.  Every emissions directive from the government is given supposedly to “save the environment,” when in fact the inclusion of hybrid and ethanol–so called ‘greener’ advances–adds thousands of dollars to the vehicle.
3. Oil and gas would be cheap.  After all, the restrictions placed on domestic supplies of oil and coal and natural gas, although originally placed because of a fear of “mangling the environment for greed,” are now said to be off limits because green technology will replace oil, coal and gas.  The global warming fanatics said that the burning of oil, coal and natural gas creates increased levels of CO2 which is the main green house gas that causes global warming.

Of course there are more things that would improve if global warming were seen to be the hoax it is, but these “Big 3″ are killing Michigan right now.

It seems funny to me that the very simple, “what if you are wrong?” introspection has escaped the leaders of global warming hysteria.  In fact, if these hacked emails prove to show enough evidence (and I believe they do) to warrant a complete and total backtracking of all science on the subject, then more investigation must be demanded.

I know this will take pressure like no one has ever seen before, after all, our children are taught in school that global warming is a fact, not a theory, and they are graded on their internalization of the science behind it.  What would it look like if all the teachers and textbooks had to change everything they have been teaching?

But, just think, if the globe has been cooling and we haven’t been doing a darn thing about it…….

Links:  (thanks to Dave Hatter)

31,478 American scientists, including 9,021 with PhDs who have signed a petition stating that Global Warming is a farce:
http://www.petitionproject.org/

700+ international scientists who dissent over man-made global warming claims:
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=d6d95751-802a-23ad-4496-7ec7e1641f2f&Region_id=&Issue_id

Times Online: Climate change data dumped
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6936328.ece

Telegraph: Climate change: this is the worst scientific scandal of our generation
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/6679082/Climate-change-this-is-the-worst-scientific-scandal-of-our-generation.html

Telegraph: Climategate: the final nail in the coffin of ‘Anthropogenic Global Warming’?
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100017393/climategate-the-final-nail-in-the-coffin-of-anthropogenic-global-warming/

Climategate: University of East Anglia U-turn in climate change row
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/copenhagen-climate-change-confe/6678469/Climategate-University-of-East-Anglia-U-turn-in-climate-change-row.html

Technology Review @ MIT: Global Warming Bombshell
http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/13830/

UN Scientist Declares Climategate colleagues Mann, Jones and Rahmstorf ’should be barred from the IPCC process’ — They are ‘not credible any more’
http://networkedblogs.com/p19371320

Vincent Gray (IPCC expert reviewer) on Climategate: ‘There Was Proof of Fraud All Along’
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/vincent-gray-on-climategate-there-was-proof-of-fraud-all-along-pjm-exclusive/

VIDEO: Climate Change Bombshell: Dr. Tim Ball on the hacked CRU emails
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydo2Mwnwpac

WSj: Rigging a Climate ‘Consensus’ – About those emails and ‘peer review.’
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703499404574559630382048494.html?mod=djemEditorialPage

UK Guardian: Pretending the climate email leak isn’t a crisis won’t make it go away
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2009/nov/25/monbiot-climate-leak-crisis-response

UK Daily Mail: Climate change scandal deepens as BBC expert claims he was sent leaked emails six weeks ago
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1230943/Climate-change-scandal-BBC-expert-sent-cover-emails-month-public.html

Climategate: what Gore’s useful idiot Ed Begley Jr doesn’t get about the ‘peer review’ process
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100017987/climategate-what-gores-useful-idiot-ed-begley-jr-doesnt-get-about-the-peer-review-process/

Telegraph: Climategate: the scandal spreads, the plot thickens, the shame deepens…
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100017977/climategate-the-scandal-spreads-the-plot-thickens-the-shame-deepens/

Fox News: Climate Skeptics See ‘Smoking Gun’ in Researchers’ Leaked E-Mails
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,576009,00.html

UK Guardian: Climate sceptics claim leaked emails are evidence of collusion among scientists
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/20/climate-sceptics-hackers-leaked-emails?CMP=AFCYAH

WSJ: The impression left by the Climategate emails is that the global warming game has been rigged from the start
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703499404574559630382048494.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Climategate: five Aussie MPs lead the way by resigning in disgust over carbon tax
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100018003/climategate-five-aussie-mps-lead-the-way-by-resigning-in-disgust-over-carbon-tax/

Canada Free Press: A Political Who’s Who of Global Warming Liars
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/17270

The Australian: Hackers expose climate brawl
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/hackers-expose-climate-brawl/story-e6frg6nf-1225801879912

WaPo: Hackers steal electronic data from top climate research center
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112004093_pf.html

NY Times: Hacked E-Mail Is New Fodder for Climate Dispute
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/science/earth/21climate.html?_r=1

Telegraph: Lord Lawson calls for public inquiry into UEA global warming data ‘manipulation’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/globalwarming/6634282/Lord-Lawson-calls-for-public-inquiry-into-UEA-global-warming-data-manipulation.html

ClimateGate: The Fix is In
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/11/24/the_fix_is_in_99280.html

Global Warming Scientists Are In A Global Meltdown
http://www.bluegrasspundit.com/2009/11/golbal-warming-scientists-are-in-global.html

Senator Inhofe Says He Will Call for Investigation on “Climategate”
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=2188feb3-802a-23ad-4de4-3fbc0a92e126&Issue_id

Greenpeace Leader Admits Arctic Ice Exaggeration
http://aipnews.com/talk/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=10508&posts=1

WaPo: Stolen e-mails reveal venomous feelings toward skeptics
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/21/AR2009112102186_pf.html

IBD: The Day Global Warming Stood Still
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=513195

CBS: EPA May Have Suppressed Report Skeptical Of Global Warming
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/06/26/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5117890.shtml

Climate Centre hacked
http://www.investigatemagazine.com/australia/latestissue.pdf

Global Warming Scientists Are In A Global Meltdown
http://www.bluegrasspundit.com/2009/11/golbal-warming-scientists-are-in-global.html

Open Kyoto to debate – 59 Climate Scientists
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=3711460e-bd5a-475d-a6be-4db87559d605

AMS Survey of Weathercasters on Climate Change
http://www.alabamawx.com/?p=24574

Climate change hits Mars
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1720024.ece

Stagnating Temperatures: Climatologists Baffled by Global Warming Time-Out
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,662092,00.htm

National Post – Climate change: The deniers
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/pages/climate-change-the-deniers.aspx

Stossel: Climate McCarthyism
http://stossel.blogs.foxbusiness.com/2009/11/11/climate-mccarthyism/

VIDEO: Kid’s show Mr. Wizard debunks Spotted Owl Gore’s Fearmongering about melting ice caps and global flooding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKiq5EwkzDg&feature=player_embedded

EPA Attorneys Speak Out Against White House-Backed Climate Change Proposal Cap and Trade
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a-oaXAQY8A

The EPA Silences a Climate Skeptic
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124657655235589119.html

Scientists Put Global Warming Into Deep Freeze – Warn Of The Coming Ice Age
http://www.theweeklyvice.com/2009/06/scientists-put-global-warming-into-deep.html

VIDEO – Policy Peril: The Truth About Global Warming
http://www.viddler.com/explore/ceivideo/videos/82/

Global warming’s most dangerous apostate speaks out about the state of climate change science.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704335904574496850939846712.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

NRO: ‘The Dog Ate My Global Warming’; Underlying ‘Support’ For Climate Claims May Be Gone
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2009/09/26/nro-dog-ate-my-global-warming-underlying-support-climate-claims-may-be-g

NCPA: IF YOU ENJOYED THIS YEAR’S RECESSION, JUST WAIT FOR CAP AND TRADE
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=18520&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DPD

WASH TIMES: Green world government – The U.N. uses environmentalism to seize control
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/27/green-world-government/

NRO: The Dog Ate Global Warming – Interpreting climate data can be hard enough. What if some key data have been fiddled?
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZTBiMTRlMDQxNzEyMmRhZjU3ZmYzODI5MGY4ZWI5OWM=&w=MA==

VIDEO – Senator Inhofe discussing the report covered up by the EPA – MUST WATCH!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL9FkkDhOwg

Climate change ’sceptic’ Ian Plimer argues CO2 is not causing global warming
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6553592/Climate-change-sceptic-Ian-Plimer-argues-CO2-is-not-causing-global-warming.html

US News – Scientist: Carbon Dioxide Doesn’t Cause Global Warming
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2009/10/07/scientist-carbon-dioxide-doesnt-cause-global-warming.html

An Inconvenient Rebuttal
http://townhall.com/columnists/SuzanneFields/2009/10/23/an_inconvenient_rebuttal?page=full

What happened to global warming?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8299079.stm

The “Hockey Stick”: A New Low in Climate Science
http://www.john-daly.com/hockey/hockey.htm

Mann defends hockey stick!
http://heliogenic.blogspot.com/2009/02/mann-defends-hockey-stick.html

U.S. Chamber of Commerce seeks trial on global warming
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-climate-trial25-2009aug25,0,901567.story

Carbon Dioxide irrelevant in climate debate says MIT Scientist
http://www.examiner.com/x-7715-Portland-Civil-Rights-Examiner~y2009m8d18-Carbon-Dioxide-irrelevant-in-climate-debate-says-MIT-Scientist

IBD: Asian Cold Water On Global Warming
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=512599

Exposing the Special Interests Behind Waxman-Markey
http://www.americansforprosperity.org/files/Policy_Paper_0909_0.pdf

Burt Rutan on Climate Change
http://rps3.com/Pages/Burt_Rutan_on_Climate_Change.htm

Scientists Rebut Claim That Man Causes Climate Change
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/55278

Three Decades Of Global Cooling
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=508767

35 Inconvenient Truths: The errors in Al Gore’s movie
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/monckton/goreerrors.html

Telegraph: The real climate change catastrophe
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/6425269/The-real-climate-change-catastrophe.html

Peer-Reviewed Study Rocks Climate Debate! ‘Nature not man responsible for recent global warming…little or none of late 20th century warming and cooling can be attributed to humans’
http://www.climatedepot.com/a/2117/New-PeerReviewed-Study-Rocks-Climate-Debate-Nature-not-man-responsible-for-recent-global-warminglittle-or-none-of-late-20th-century-warming-and-cooling-can-be-attributed-to-humans

Drop in world temperatures fuels global warming debate
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/74019.html

U.N. climate meeting was propaganda: Czech president
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE58L6ID20090922

NY Times Writer Worries That Mother Nature Not Cooperating With Global Warming Agenda
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2009/09/22/ny-times-writer-worries-mother-nature-not-cooperating-global-warming-a

Cutting carbon emissions won’t stop climate change, expert says
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4711770,00.html

Vancouver Sun: Global warming is the new religion of First World urban elites
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Global+warming+religion+First+World+urban+elites/1835847/story.html

Peter Foster: The man who doubted Al Gore

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/08/28/peter-foster-the-man-who-doubted-al-gore.aspx

Lies Revealed — Greenpeace Leader Admits Arctic Ice Exaggeration
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/amcelhinney/2009/08/19/exclusive-lies-revealed-greenpeace-leader-admits-arctic-ice-exaggeration/

Another Meteorologist Dissents: ‘Does carbon dioxide drive the climate? The answer is no!’
http://www.climatedepot.com/a/1894/Another-Meteorologist-Dissents-Does-carbon-dioxide-drive-the-climate-The-answer-is-no

Solar Physicist Predicts Ice Age. What happened to global warming?
http://www.examiner.com/x-13886-New-Haven-County-Environmental-Policy-Examiner~y2009m7d6-Solar-Physicist-Predicts-Ice-Age-What-happened-to-global-warming

Global Warming Primer from National Center for Policy Analysis
http://www.ncpa.org/pdfs/GlobalWarmingPrimer.pdf

Al Gore sued by over 30 Thousand Scientists
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q_nJ5VjxRc

CEI Files EPA’s Own Suppressed Report, Demands EPA Global Warming Proceeding Be Reopened
http://cei.org/news-release/2009/06/30/cei-files-epa’s-own-suppressed-report-demands-epa-global-warming-proceeding-

Talking Points On Climate Change: Science, Economics, And More – by Jay Lehr, Ph.D
http://www.globalwarmingheartland.org/full/25354/Talking_Points_On_Climate_Change_Science_Economics_And_More.html

Meet the man who has exposed the great climate change con trick
http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/features/3755623/meet-the-man-who-has-exposed-the-great-climate-change-con-trick.thtml

Congressman Broun: Climate Change Is A Hoax
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxxE8n7xX_o

Debunking ‘climaste change myths’
http://www.news-leader.com/article/20090814/NEWS01/908140373/Debunking%20%20climaste%20change%20myths%20

Earth’s ‘Fever’ Breaks! Global temperatures ‘have plunged .74°F since Gore released ‘An Inconvenient Truth’
http://www.climatedepot.com/a/1799/Earths-Fever-Breaks-Global-temperatures-have-plunged-74degF-since-Gore-released-An-Inconvenient-Truth

Pravda article about the coming Ice Age:

http://english.pravda.ru/science/earth/106922-earth_ice_age-0

I’m a skeptic now, says ex-NASA climate boss – Hansen supervisor takes aim at thermageddon

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/28/nasa_climate_theon/

Weather Channel Founder: Global Warming ‘Greatest Scam in History’
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2007/11/07/weather-channel-founder-global-warming-greatest-scam-history

Video: Weather Channel Founder John Coleman slams global warming
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk8SSqc7ekM
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2007/11/07/weather-channel-founder-global-warming-greatest-scam-history

WASH TIMES: Government study: climate bill could cost jobs
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/04/study-finds-climate-bill-could-cost-jobs/

Gore: U.S. Climate Bill Will Help Bring About ‘Global Governance’
http://www.climatedepot.com/a/1893/Gore-US-Climate-Bill-Will-Help-Bring-About-Global-Governance

The Amazing Story Behind the Global Warming Scam
http://www.kusi.com/weather/colemanscorner/38574742.html

Global warming? Not so fast, skeptics say at meeting
http://hamptonroads.com.nyud.net/2009/06/global-warming-not-so-fast-skeptics-say-meeting

Gore isn’t quite as green as he’s led the world to believe
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2006-08-09-gore-green_x.htm

Congressman Ron Paul Statement on Global Warming Petition Signed by 31,478 Scientists
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=114

Scientist: Global Warming Evidence, Claims Exaggerated
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,500327,00.html

Gore Pulls Slide of Disaster Trends
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/gore-pulls-slide-of-disaster-trends/

Japan’s boffins: Global warming isn’t man-made -Climate science is ‘ancient astrology’, claims report
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/25/jstor_climate_report_translation/

Southeast Drought Study Ties Water Shortage to Population, Not Global Warming
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/science/earth/02drought.html?_r=1

Scientists meet to dispute global warming theory
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=439146

CO2 a pollutant? ‘Ridiculous,’ says scientist
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=433994

Political climate for energy policies cools
http://www.lvrj.com/news/52828402.html

UW-Milwaukee Study Could Realign Climate Change Theory
http://www.wisn.com/weather/18935841/detail.html

Shocker: ‘Global warming’ simply no longer happening

http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92557

U.N. ‘Climate Change’ Plan Would Likely Shift Trillions to Form New World Economy
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,510937,00.html

Boffins: Atlantic temperature ruled by dust, not CO2
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/27/atlantic_dust_temp_hurricane_study/

NASA: Clean-air regs, not CO₂, are melting the ice cap
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/09/arctic_aerosols_goddard_institute/

Rise of sea levels is ‘the greatest lie ever told’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/5067351/Rise-of-sea-levels-is-the-greatest-lie-ever-told.html

More Americans Believe Global Warming Natural Versus Man-made
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/04/18/more-americans-believe-global-warming-natural-versus-man-made

Report: Antarctic Ice Growing, Not Shrinking
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517035,00.html

Fuzzy Math: According to an MIT study, cap and trade could cost the average household more than $3,900 per year
http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/016/412cwueq.asp?pg=2

Report: Democrats Refuse to Allow Skeptic to Testify Alongside Gore At Congressional Hearing
http://www.climatedepot.com/a/429/Report-Democrats-Refuse-to-Allow-Skeptic-to-Testify-Alongside-Gore-At-Congressional-Hearing

Guardian Columnist Wants to ‘Cull’ the Developed World to Stop Global Warming
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/lachlan-markay/2009/10/26/guardian-columnist-wants-cull-developed-world-stop-global-warming

Rep. Dingell (D-MI): Cap And Trade Is A Big Tax
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_VqTQiQsp4

NBC Affiliate Meteorologist Rips MSNBC for Apocalyptic Global Warming Special
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/jeff-poor/2009/04/27/nbc-affiliate-meteorologist-rips-msnbc-apocalyptic-global-warming-special

Herald Sun: Global warming alarmists out in cold
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25401759-5000117,00.html

Investor’s Business Daily: Deeper In Red From Going Green
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=324686795308861

Lawmakers’ Global-Warming Trip Hit Tourist Hot Spots
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124967502810515267.html

Top British boffin: Time to ditch the climate consensus

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/06/mike_hulme_interview/

WaPo: Memo exposes global warming dispute – EPA science called ’stretch’
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/13/memo-exposes-warming-dispute/

Deep Ocean Conveyor Belt Reconsidered
http://davehatter.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/global-warmingclimate-change-is-the-greatest-scam-in-history/

Skeptical Environmentalist’ Doubts ‘Underwater Manhattan’ Global Warming Scenario
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/jeff-poor/2009/05/18/skeptical-environmentalist-doubts-underwater-manhattan-global-warming-sce

Elites out of touch on guns and climate
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090526/OPINION03/905260311/1008/opinion01/Elites-out-of-touch-on-guns-and-climate

WSJ: Need for Speed (Read) to Pass Climate Bill
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124278191732237461.html

US Chamber: Endangerous Science

http://www.chamberpost.com/2009/06/endangerous-science.html

NRO: Behind the Cap-and-Trade Curtain
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MTQxNDQwMGJiNmMzNDUyYjk5MTRhZmUxOTFiNzYyNzM%3D

Fortune: What if global-warming fears are overblown?
http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/14/magazines/fortune/globalwarming.fortune/index.htm

WSJ: The Climate Change Climate Change
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124597505076157449.html

Past warming shows gaps in climate knowledge – study

http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-41050320090715

Dr. Walter E. Williams: EPA Cover-Up
http://townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/2009/07/15/epa_cover-up

Science and Public Policy Institute
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org

Junk Science:
http://www.junkscience.com

Competitive Enterprise Institute:
http://cei.org

There Is No Global Warming
http://thereisnoglobalwarming.com

My Top 10  Annoyances in the Climate Change Debate.

http://www.drroyspencer.com/2009/11/my-top-10-annoyances-in-the-climate-change-debate/

Inquiry into stolen climate emails.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8383713.stm

Climategate: University of East Anglia U-turn in climate change row.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/copenhagen-climate-change-confe/6678469/Climategate-University-of-East-Anglia-U-turn-in-climate-change-row.html

Climategate’s Michael Mann being investigated by Penn State

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/11/28/climategates-michael-mann-be-investigated-penn-state

CO2 Aquittal

http://www.rocketscientistsjournal.com/2006/10/co2_acquittal.html

Oil is NOT a fossil fuel and ACW is non-science.

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/3952

The Scientists Involved in Deliberately Deceiving the World on Climate

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/17364

Australia’s Parliament Rejects Cap and Trade

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/12/01/breaking-australias-parliament-rejects-cap-trade

Climate Scientist at Center of Email Controversy to Step Down

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/01/AR2009120102737_pf.html

Penn State Will Investigate ‘Climategate’

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/2009/11/30/penn-state-will-investigate-climategate.html

Inhofe Asks Boxer to Investigate Possible Scientific Conspiracy in Climategate

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/57879

click here to view Part 19

Carbon Capture and Sequestration

click here to view Part 16

Cap and Trade

Cap [...]]]>

click here to view Part 16

Cap and Trade

Cap and Trade was brought to a vote in the U.S. House on June 26th.  By a vote of  219-212, the bill passed.  Since Bart Stupak was on the Energy and Commerce Committee in the United States House of Representatives, and he is the area’s representative, I sent him an email telling him how disappointed I was that he voted for H.R. 2454–The Cap and Trade Bill. Cap and Trade refers to ‘capping emissions’ and ‘trading carbon credits.’  I have a problem with this legislation on many levels.  First of all, global warming is a myth, a hoax, and this whole environmental crisis that is constantly being whipped into a frenzy is based on a lie.  His office sent me a response that is quite lengthy:

******************************************************************************

Dear Mrs Kuznicki:

Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES). This legislation by Chairman Henry Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey of the Energy and Commerce Committee is a comprehensive bill addressing our dependence on foreign oil, combating climate change and providing 21st century clean energy jobs.  I serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee and have been an active participant in the development of ACES.  I appreciate hearing from you concerning this important issue.

The legislation produced in the Energy and Commerce Committee was based on past years’ experience and building on the 2005 Energy Policy Act and 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. ACES was not a bill brought before Congress at the last minute.  During the week of May 18, the Committee held an unprecedented four-day markup to alter, change, consider and amend the ACES bill.  We spent more than 40 hours in Committee, considered 94 amendments to the bill, and finally approved the measure out of the Committee on May 21, 2009.  I then spent the next month working with my colleagues in Congress to improve the bill before its consideration on the House floor on June 26, 2009.  I voted in support of the final bill, which now awaits action in the U.S. Senate.

For the past 15 years, I have served on the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations where I heard, questioned and examined experts, witnesses, scientists and skeptics on global warming.  Some individuals will point to a cold day, a cool summer or fewer hurricanes as “proof” that global warming is not occurring!  While I respect these differing opinions, the whole body of evidence and an overwhelming majority of experts and scientists agree that carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases pollute the air we breathe and endanger our planet.

I believe it is in our national security interest to address global warming, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and revitalize our economy with new clean energy jobs.  More than 70 percent of our daily oil consumption is imported from other countries.  Some of those countries have used their oil to disrupt our economy, support our adversaries and sponsor terrorism.  It is imperative that the United States develop alternatives to our reliance on oil.

As ACES developed, my priorities were to protect existing Northern Michigan jobs, create new jobs through developing alternative energy technologies and make sure that unreasonable costs are not passed on to consumers.

There are a number of myths circulating about the cost of this bill that are simply untrue.  Overhauling our nation’s energy policy will not be free, but significant steps have been taken in ACES to protect our most vulnerable industries and citizens.  The increased energy costs some consumers will see in the short term are far outweighed by the benefit the legislation will bring to our overall economy.  According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the average net cost for a family of four 10 years from now will be $175.  This includes potential costs of electricity, heating, fuel and other associated costs.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that average household net costs would be $80 to $110 per year, less than $10 per month.

There are other related economic benefits to you and our country, for which it is difficult to attain a precise dollar figure.  These include:

oTransitioning to energy independence, free of expensive and volatile foreign sources of oil.  Countries such as Venezuela, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Libya all play a significant role in setting worldwide oil production rates and prices.

oIncreased incentives for Michigan’s auto industry to create cleaner vehicles.  The domestic auto industry will receive free allowances under the cap-and-trade program to help develop plug-in electric vehicles.

oFuel and energy savings for consumers.  As our energy sector transitions to renewable and energy saving practices, the cost of oil and feedstock for electricity generation will go down.  Consumers will also benefit from low-cost energy efficiency technologies in their homes, offices and as part of their daily lives.

oNew renewable energy efficiency standards in ACES provide opportunities for Northern Michigan industry.  A number of projects in Northern Michigan in renewable energy and energy efficiency are under way, ranging from advanced cellulosic ethanol, waste-to-energy projects, carbon-capture and sequestration of coal-fired carbon emissions, and more will receive incentives under ACES.

oIncreased technological development, construction and manufacturing that comes with transitioning to a clean, renewable energy sector.  Iron ore and steel will benefit from infrastructure developments for wind energy, high-speed rail corridors and other new technologies.  The timber industry will gain from new avenues in biomass use for alternative energy production. Michigan’s economy will benefit from a retooled manufacturing sector devoted to new energy projects.

I worked on ACES to create jobs in Northern Michigan and throughout the state.  The Michigan timber industry will benefit from expanded use of woody biomass for energy production and carbon sequestration projects.  Our automotive industry will receive incentives to develop energy efficient electric vehicles.  I worked to make sure the bill brings job growth to our industrial and manufacturing sectors, while protecting consumers and benefiting our environment.

One change I worked to include is defining “renewable biomass” to incorporate timber resources that were off limits in the original draft legislation.  We have a large forest industry that will play a vital role in lowering greenhouse gas emissions, while benefiting the economy of Northern Michigan.  I fought to include a broader definition of woody biomass that now includes all timber from federal timber sales as an eligible fuel source for renewable energy projects.  Fuel stock eligibility should be based on proper sustainable and healthy forest practices; not excluded for arbitrary reasons.  Our timber industry, paper mills, biofuel power plants, lumber and farming industries all will benefit from this new definition.

I was successful in including our iron ore industry as an energy and trade intensive industry.  Iron ore mines in Northern Michigan operated by Cliffs Natural Resources will receive carbon allowances so Cliffs Natural Resources can produce quality, low-cost iron ore to compete with foreign imports from Brazil, China and other countries.  Along with the increased incentives for auto and domestic manufacturing for clean energy technologies, the iron ore and steel industry will see an economic benefit from this legislation and spur development of the proposed iron ore nugget plant.

ACES establishes a carbon dioxide cap-and-trade system, but originally left out how to properly regulate and oversee a new carbon credit financial market.  The financial impact of cap-and-trade on utilities, businesses and households will depend on whether allocations are properly distributed and verified by the EPA, and if excessive speculation on Wall Street is controlled in the carbon financial markets.  I was successful in adding a version of my Prevent Unfair Manipulation of Prices (PUMP) Act to ACES.  This section of the bill will grant the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) broad authority to regulate carbon and energy markets to prevent excessive prices based on speculation, fear and greed.

America can responsibly reduce harmful emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that cause global warming and grow our economy.  Congress has previously provided tax credits and other incentives to promote the development and use of clean coal technology, wind, solar, geothermal, ethanol, and other biofuels.  In addition, Congress has also worked to promote energy efficient businesses and homes. The increased use of cleaner burning fuels and improved efficiency will help energy users reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

My goal of creating an energy policy that helps end our dependence on Middle Eastern oil can be accomplished in ACES.  The bill also provides important economic protection to ensure Michigan’s most vulnerable industries, such as iron ore mining, steel, concrete, timber and paper production, are not placed at a competitive disadvantage to their foreign counterparts.  It also ensures consumers are protected from unreasonable energy price increases.

ACES is endorsed by a number of organizations with economic interests throughout Northern Michigan including Dow Chemical; Rio Tinto, the parent company of Kennecott Minerals; American Transmission Company, the provider of electric transmission in the Upper Peninsula; United Steelworkers; United Auto Workers; AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department; and the National Farmers Union.

ACES is now pending the Senate where it faces an uncertain future.  If passed by the Senate, the legislation would then be subject to a conference committee to work out differences between the two versions.  If these differences between the House and Senate are worked out, I would then have to review the conference committee legislation thoroughly before determining whether to support it.

Because climate change and energy policy are global problems, Congress and the Administration must engage the international community to promote greenhouse gas reduction in all countries. Europe has had laws reducing its energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for some time.  I am pleased our committee and the House of Representatives has produced a legislative initiative to finally address global climate change, energy independence and create clean energy jobs.

Thank you again for sharing your concerns.  Please feel free to contact me again regarding issues that concern you in the future.
Sincerely,

BART STUPAK
Member of Congress

**************************************************************************

If you are still reading this after that garbage email, I’ll tell you what I did.  I read the  bill, and made a speech about it at the Onaway Fourth of  July Tea Party.  Here is that speech:

The Cap and Trade bill just passed by the United States House of Representatives will now go to the Senate for passage.  The Senate will apply different language in the bill to make it more appealing to members of the Senate who need to be convinced that the bill is in need of a yes vote.

In short, the bill is designed to decrease energy usage and tax consumers, businesses, manufacturers and namely, coal plants to provide revenue to the state and federal governments to develop solar and wind energy unable to produce the amount of energy currently consumed.

After reading numerous articles that describe the contents of the bill, I decided to actually read the bill.

This is what it will do:
Mandate that every household change whatever is necessary to become more energy efficient by introducing economy-wide reduction goals.
-that means you will need to replace any part of your home that does not meet federal guidelines for energy efficiency, including windows, doors, insulation, washing machines, dryers, furnaces, water heaters and so on.
-it also means that you will need to lessen your consumption of energy even if you do all those things
-if you fail to comply with energy efficient standards, your consumption of energy will be rationed.

John Dingell, a  representative from the southeastern corner of Michigan said, “Cap and Trade Is A Tax and It’s a Great Big One”

Indeed it is, not only does it increase taxes substantially, it doubles electricity rates not only for your household but for your grocery store, your workplace, and so on.  That means that the cost of your food and will go up, and your job may be threatened.
Another downstate representative wrote, “Cap-and-tax will essentially kick working families when they are down. In 2008, approximately 21 percent of all utility accounts were overdue, with folks carrying past-due balances, on average, of $160 on electric bills and $360 for natural gas.”

2.  The bill mandates that the use of fossil fuels (defined as coal, oil and natural gas) be phased out, and the use and development of electric plug in cars be phased in.
-the bill says that using oil makes us more likely to outbreaks of war, it forces us to use less by increasing prices on gasoline and diesel fuel
-it wishes to simultaneously conserve home energy and create a whole new electric use–cars

3.  It mandates that each State’s fleet of vehicles be in compliance.  Also requires the retrofitting of every government building, every public institution including schools and colleges.
-meaning that the State of Michigan, already strapped, the State with the worst economy of all 50 as well as the highest in unemployment will have to set up a new bureau to regulate and implement the use of electric vehicles, and has to find money in the budget to change the furnaces, windows, doors, insulation of colleges and schools.

4. Writes into federal law the assertion that Carbon Dioxide is a pollutant.

5. Creates an additional branch of the IRS to tax the use of carbon.

6. Creates a cap on industrial emissions beginning in the year 2012 that tightens  every two years thereafter until current emissions are the same as they were in the year 1910.
Downstate Representative Fred Upton wrote in The Hill:  The proposed carbon mandates under consideration would mean that the United States could not emit more in the year 2050 than we emitted in 1910…The only nations in the world today that emit at the level mandated in this bill are struggling nations, such as Belize, Jordan, Haiti and Somalia. In order to reach the 80 percent reduction mandated by cap-and-trade, emissions from the transportation sector would have to drop to zero, as would those from all electricity generation, and we would still need to reduce all other sources of greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent.

Of course there are massive regulations specifically targeting coal plants.

Coal plants will have to be tested for emissions at the stack mouth, and if found not in compliance, they will need to pay exorbitant sums of money in the form of a penalty tax.

They will be mandated to decrease their energy output during peak demand, when energy is most needed, like hot summer days and cold winter nights.

They will be mandated to provide carbon sequestration, a pie in the sky idea not even developed yet, pushed heavily by Al Gore, where the carbon emissions are sent under the earth instead of in the air.     According to the EPA itself, “Carbon sequestration has been experimented with for a number of years, and it works in the laboratory, but we’re not 100 percent sure how well carbon sequestration works in real life, because it could be many years before we see some of that carbon we think was sequestered escaping back into the atmosphere. So, unless we have studies that cover many decades, we’ll never know if the sequestration works. There are various methods that we think work better than others, but until we have long-term studies, we won’t know for sure.”

The bill requires that a coal plant force carbon dioxide underground while at the same time protects the entire area that the coal plant will be sitting on from being force-fed carbon dioxide.

This bill kills that plant.

Representative Bart Stupak not only was proud to vote for this bill, he helped write it.

We need to contact Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, now.

If we the people do not stop this bill from becoming a law, by calling our representatives and senators and generally raising hell, we will all be broke with no hope for new jobs from the coal plant.

**********************************************************************

As you can see, Bart and I don’t agree.  At any rate, the leaders of Wolverine were not worried.

click here to view Part 18

click here to view Part 14

Here come the politicians

click here to view Part 10

Public Hearings

C. Vinson [...]]]>

click here to view Part 10

Public Hearings

C. Vinson Hellwig, Chief of the Air Quality Division of the MDEQ was seated with moderator and former Rogers City Mayor David Nadolsky to recieve comments from the concerned public at the public hearings on October 29th and 30th, 2008.  The bleachers were packed with many locals and of course, the environmentalists.  In all, 86 different people testified, the Advance  mentions, “Although all commentators didn’t comment directly on the air quality permit, there was no shortage of opinions given over two days of testimony. More than 600 attended the first session, many in white T-shirts with support for Wolverine, far out-numbering those in opposition. Around 200 attended the second night, with barely 75 people left in the gymnasium when the session ended at 10:30 p.m.”

These two evenings were filled with intensity and as a person interested in politics and human behavior, it was fun.  To me, the most notable things that happened were the most heartfelt testimonies given by some of the locals.

See, throughout this process, the ever-looming threat that this may not become reality had become the elephant in the room for many.  I grew up in this small town as did many of the most ardent supporters of the plant.  Many locals were absolutely disgusted with the environmental groups for their condescension and lack of economic logic.  Some of the testimony certainly was just opinion by locals but for that matter, so was the testimony given by the environmentalists.  I had decided to speak on the 29th, but as I watched local after local give logical reasons why the permit should be given, including the fact that the DEQ already said it was safe, I could see that what I had to say must be directed at testimony given by the environmentalists.  It looked like most of that testimony may come on the second day.

A local man gave testimony directed at the environmentalist job killers.  It was very logical and it sticks in my mind because of it’s rationale.  He said something like,  “I have lived here all my life, I have a very large extended family here, and every one of us has come up against the DEQ for something, digging a pond, clearing land and so on. They are so good at what they do to protect the environment, that a lot of us have gotten hot under the collar against them. Do you really think they would allow toxic pollutants at high levels for this power plant?”

I spoke as well, I wanted to use the 5 minutes to make sure the environmentalists knew we were not stupid.  As I was sitting and waiting for my time to speak, I happened to be seated directly behind two people, a man and a woman, who had papers in front of them.  I thought they must be prepared to speak as well, so I peeked at their papers.  Both papers were exactly the same and I realized they were prewritten speech samples from some environmental group.  They both started with the sentence, “Hi, my name is ______ and I live in the nearby town of ___________.”  Both papers were nothing but fear-mongering about the “inevitable” blood cancers and internal bleeding and tumors and so on.  As I changed seats, I looked over at the man and noticed that he was the same guy who testified the night before who said he was from Millersburg and was “living on savings.”  Now, I knew he was full-of-it because nobody would live on savings in MBurg at his young age and be against the coal plant.  It is very difficult to believe that.  Plus, I took a picture of him the night before and he had a different mustache the second evening.  All of the environmentalist games were being played.  Representatives from the environmental group, The Michigan Land Institute were also there from across the state near Interlochen.  Every single man in that group (I had to giggle) were wearing plaid shirts in various colors, they must have all hit the same sale.  They were no doubt “trying to fit in” with the locals.  Lee Sprague took the cake in my view though.

Lee is the representative from the Sierra Club, a native American who stands about 6′ 5″ and wears his hair in two long braids.  He is a very impressive figure.  He had up to this point been a very embarrassing questioner of the DEQ who took swipes at their professionalism and expertise.  When Lee gave his testimony, it was obvious to those who had been paying attention that he was still beating the mercury drum.  That was his main focus in almost all of the public hearings so far.   After his sob story about going fishing with his son, my husband and I didn’t know whether to be embarrassed for him, or laugh uncontrollably.  In his testimony, Sprague told a story of when he went fishing with his son.  His son caught a fish and he had to tell the boy that he could not eat the fish. His boy said dad, we must eat what we kill.  He replied, no son we must not.  Lee asked how can I tell my son he cannot eat the fish because of the high levels of mercury that get absorbed into the fish?   Because of the mercury levels, he can’t eat Michigan fish anymore.  He also pointed out that as a Native American, everyone should understand that people of his ancestry always do what is right for the environment.

Now, we already knew at this point that the DEQ had done work to predict the amount of mercury that could possibly be emitted and that the nearest impact-able lake was Swan Lake and the levels with this plant would still be very low.  Of course, due to dissipation, there really was no other impact-able lake.   Besides the only reason we were there was to comment to the head of the DEQ about the air quality permit, not the water, but, that didn’t matter to the experts at the Sierra Club.  As for the claim that we were supposed to trust his word over the DEQ because of his ancestry, my husband commented to me about how devastated the lakes have become after all the gill-netting.

My testimony was aimed at the environmental groups.  I don’t remember what I said verbatim, but it was something like this.

I ask that the DEQ approve the permit for Wolverine Clean Energy Venture. I would like to address an argument that has been given against the plant by the Michigan Energy Alternatives Project. The idea that if the wolverine plant is built, your energy rates will double. Ladies and Gentleman, if they do, it is because the Sierra Club and Citizens for Environmental Inquiry and the Michigan Energy Alternatives Project will bleed Wolverine with lawsuit after lawsuit. It is on THEM. The people of P I county have spoken and open their arms to Wolverine. All the governmental representatives of this county have overwhelmingly pushed to support Wolverine including my own township, whose officials recently signed a resolution of support.

These outside groups, and believe me, the Citizens for Environmental Inquiry are not local, though their representatives are, have promised to kill this plant. The Sierra Club has no threshold. They are not here to get the company to lessen it’s output, they are here to make certain there is no power plant. They will bring lawsuit after lawsuit against Wolverine to drain capital in defense, and in the mean time, they will use scare tactics against our townspeople to lessen the community support. You will hear words like cancer and carcinogens and quote, “save that person from drowning to death slowly in his own blood.” Actually, I don’t know what that means, I just read it while I was sitting behind those two people ( I turned and pointed) who have papers that say exactly the same words verbatim, and both copies state an opening that says Hello I’m such and such and am currently a resident of Presque Isle County. Only that guy in the brown hat spoke last night and said he was from Millersburg and he has it crossed out of his speech tonight I see, so I know that’s a lie.

I will read from an LA Times article from April 14th, 2008 that states,”Every time a new coal-fired power plant is proposed anywhere in the United States, a lawyer form the Sierra Club or an allied environmental group is assigned to stop it, by any bureaucratic or legal means necessary.

They might frame the battle as a mater of zoning or water use, but the larger war is over global warming…..The plant by plant strategy is part of a campaign by environmentalists ……..The goal: ‘We hope to clog up the system.’ said David Bookbinder, the Sierra Clubs chief climate counsel…….”  (I discuss this article in Part 7 of this series and the fact that the LA Times erased it from the website, however at this time, the article is made whole.)

I also pointed to the Sierra Club’s website where they brag about how many coal plants they have killed .  As you can see here, they are still focused on shutting this down and are praising Jennifer Granholm for taking steps to kill it as well, but that part of the story will come later.

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Make room for the [...]]]>

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Make room for the DEQ

The month of October in 2008 was so loaded with information and news that I have many times hesitated to synthesize it here.  Two major things happened, on October 1st, the Michigan DEQ visited Rogers City for an informational meeting, and public hearings were held October 29th and 30th.  At this point, the town and surrounding areas displayed massive support and excitement for the plant.  Local residents voluntarily made hundreds of yard signs that said “Lets all Support Wolverine Clean Energy Venture,”  every city street was lined with them as well as many rural roads.   The Advance alerted everyone to the informational meeting at the high school on October 1st. The meeting was 4 hours long, people came and went, listening to questions being answered by a panel of scientists from the DEQ.  If you wished to submit a question, they asked you to fill out a little card with the question and the questions would be picked and answered.  If you wished to directly ask a question, there was a microphone available.   There was also a table filled with documents including the DEQ’s assessment of the proposed plant.

I was impressed by the presentation by the DEQ.  They were very professional and kind even though many of the questions posed to them by the environmental groups were downright insulting.  The Advance offered a series in four parts of the questions and answers that took place at the meeting.  Part one can be seen here.  Part two here, and part three had some notable exchanges in it.

Question: Although there are no regulations on carbon dioxide emissions today, what happens to the Woverine plant if the federal government decides to regulate carbon dioxide emissions in the future?

(Mary Ann Dolehanty, DEQ acting permit section supervisor) – “We did not attempt to quantify carbon dioxide emissions in regards to this plant. We did not attempt to put limits in the permit. What the state of Michigan has elected to do is to approach this from a broad-based perspective. Through an executive order by the governor there was established the Michigan Climate Action Council. That council is charged with coming up with recommendations for where our state is going to go in relation to carbon dioxide regulations. What we may be looking at is new laws, regulations or rules that we have to operate under. If that were to happen, (Wolverine) would be subject to that and would have to make any modifications to comply with those rules.”

Question: –What is the environmental impact of mercury emissions?

(Sills) –“The environmental impacts of mercury exposure is very low in the air. In fact thousands of times lower than a level that can be estimated to cause any health effects. Accumulation levels in fish are on the order of about .004 parts per million which is roughly about 100 times lower than a level than probably is existing in fish now in this area which is still lower yet than levels that become of concern for the DEQ as a trigger to issue fish consumption advisories. “So this would be a very small increment to the levels that already exist and are naturally occurring in fish. It is not enough to bump it up over and get to a level of concern and this is looking at the most highly impacted lake, which is Swan Lake about three miles east of the facility.”

Part 4 to me, is the most notable back and forth both because it answers questions that will become relevant later in this series, and it debunks a lot of issues the outside groups had been insisting on arguing about.  This one is my favorite.

Question—Having established that you are qualified to conduct this permit process, and given your extensive review and the conditions established in the draft permit, do those conditions effectively protect the community of Rogers City and the county of Presque Isle? I would like each of you to answer this.

(Byrnes)—“Yes.” (Julie Brunner, P.E. DEQ senior environmental engineer, permit section)—“Yes.” (Haywood)—“Yes.” (Sills)—“Yes.” (Rogers)—“If they comply with it.”

I attended one of meetings of the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture Support Group within the next following weeks.  I personally was surprised at the attitudes of a few leaders there.  They believed that the coal plant was inevitable and that the environmental groups didn’t have any fight left in them.  However everyone was gearing up for the public hearings at the end of the month.

Shortly thereafter, the AndersonEconomic group gave it’s study results of the economic impact of the inclusion of biomass to the coal plant’s mix of alternative fuels.  Remember, the initial economic impact study did not include biomass.  The study looked at the expected job creation depending on how much biomass the company would include.  With just 5 percent usage of the natural materials, 54 jobs could be created within the four counties of Alpena, Montmorency, Presque Isle and Cheboygan.  If the company were to use 10 percent, 115 new jobs created, at 15%, 189 newly created jobs and if the company were to use  its 20 percent maximum, 284 new jobs.  These jobs are over and above the estimate of direct and indirect job creation besides the plant itself.

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After the Biomass public [...]]]>

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After the Biomass public hearing, Tom Karas (Michigan Energy Alternatives,) wrote an editorial that appeared in the Advance to counter an argument between himself and Bob Noffze, president of the citizen-formed Wolverine Clean Energy Venture Support Group.  Apparently, after the biomass hearing, Bob and Tom had a brief exchange during which Bob made it clear he did not wish to invite Tom to speak at the next meeting of WCEVSG because Mr. Karas had stated in an Alpena News article that the coal plant in in Rogers City would be “a monument to ignorance.”  Bob took offense to the statement.  The editorial pointed out that when Karas said the word ignorant, he just meant that the people of Rogers City are unaware of the “current position that the coal industry is in.”  He may be right about that, but it isn’t because the people of this state don’t want energy, it is precisely because of people like Tom Karas.

20/20 hindsight provides this perspective.  On November 2, 2008 this story ran on Fox News.

Obama to Bankrupt Coal Industry and Raise Energy Prices

The interview of then candidate Obama, according to Michelle Malkin’s website,  was given in January, 2008.  Obama tells the San Francisco Chronicle that he is for clean coal technology, but the cap and trade system he plans to put in place will “necessarily skyrocket” energy prices and “bankrupt” the coal industry.

What I gather from knowing this information is, that if the environmentalists involved in killing the proposed Rogers City plant fail in their endeavors, they have a safety net.  The fact that now-President Obama wishes to use a cap and trade system that will force clean coal into bankruptcy.

If that happens, the environmentalists will declare a win and we all lose, because older coal plants will still operate, and our rates will dramatically increase.

Mr. Karas talked about “the current position that the coal industry is in.”  I would remind Mr. Karas that Rogers City is a mining town, and whether we take limestone out of the earth to utilize across the globe or somebody in Wyoming takes coal out of the earth to utilize across the globe, we are all families whose lives depend on mining.

By July, 2008  the DEQ held a meeting in Lansing to describe the permit process and the public comment period.  The Advance does an extremely good job of reporting on this meeting and all the criteria needed and the process.  I thought this excerpt was interesting, now a year and 9 months after submitting the air permit request.

“The average time for a permit right now is running at about 70 days,” Dolehanty said. “But these applications for power plants have been in house as long as a year and one-half.” Wolverine submitted its air permit application September 26 of last year. Consumers Energy submitted its application October 15, Mid-Michigan turned in its application September 12 while Holland Board of Public Works submitted its application January 17, 2007.

Byron DeLong was at it again in August, raising questions with the permit already issued of what fuel will be burned by the plant.   He suggested during the Planning Commission meeting that since the company had not specifically stated that they were to burn petroleum coke, Wolverine would have to amend it’s permit.  Other planning commission members objected, saying they were to understand that petroleum coke was already permitted.  Petroleum coke sounds scary, but it is used in making steel.  Wolverine representatives pointed out that during the CFB presentation in 2006, all was very clear.  DeLong insisted that the language in the original permit must be changed, therefore they would need to amend the permit.  No action was taken then about the permit, but during the same meeting, Bob Noffze wished to ask about some concerns he had about DeLong serving on the planning commission while at the same time being a member of a group that was using the legal system to try to stop coal plants in Michigan.   I mention this lawsuit in Part 3 of this series.  The lawsuit was thrown out, but was in the appeals process in August, 2008.  Bob Noffze called for the removal of Byron (Bud) DeLong from his post as planning commission member due to a conflict of interest.

To be continued…..

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