Monarch butterflies hit a record low in California this winter, reports Business Insider, citing an annual count by the Xerces Society. The western Monarchs migrate as much as 3000 miles a year, arriving in California from the Pacific Northwest, usually staying in the state until March and then moving to other parts of the country….
Halt Wind Turbines? Not in New York State
This story seems to have slipped under the radar, but as the pandemic was kicking in last April, the New York state legislature clamped down on citizens’ ability to challenge renewable energy projects. The law was hidden in the state’s budget. (Hat tips to the Institute for Energy Research and the Buffalo News for following…
Can Banks Refuse Oil and Gas Customers?
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has issued a regulation that would prevent banks from refusing to fund legal activities that they disapprove of, such as oil and gas drilling. During the past year, several major banks, including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, J. P. Morgan, and others, announced they will not…
‘The Folly of Renewable Energy’
British writer Matt Ridley talks sense about renewable energy in his National Review article (and blog post), “The Folly of Renewable Energy.” Some highlights: “As Mark Twain might say, reports of an energy transition away from combustion as a source of energy are greatly exaggerated. . . .“The main change in recent years has been…
Free Speech? Forget It.
If you are skeptical about climate change claims and have a prominent position, the New York Times will attack you. It will minimize your credentials, call you a “denialist,” sensationalize your comments, and never consider the quality of your research. Here is the latest “news”: David Legates and Ryan Maue, scientists with the White House Office…
Coal Fantasies?
The Economist, a British magazine, is among the more objective political publications. But a recent editorial (behind a paywall) suggests that it is engaging in unrealistic fantasies when it comes to climate change. The editorial, “Make Coal History,” begins by noting cheerfully that China’s Xi Jinping plans to cut the nation’s “net carbon emissions” to…
The Right and the Left Agree: It Won’t Be Easy for Biden to Re-regulate
Both supporters of Joe Biden and his critics indicate it will be hard to overturn many of Donald Trump’s environmental deregulatory moves. They offer different reasons, however. Sterling Burnett, writing in Climate Change Weekly, says Trump created new rules for the EPA that make quick re-regulation almost impossible. In contrast, the Biden team is emphasizing Trump’s…
