Shale Gas Is Slaying Green Extremism Ex-Chancellor Tells The Sun He’s Backing Fracking
With what seem to be the largest shale reserves in Europe – and maybe, who knows, in the world – we are a lucky people. Or so you might suppose. But that is to reckon without the two ugly sisters who are determined that Cinderella shall not go to the ball. The first is an influential quango, the Environment Agency, which is busy inventing one phoney reason after another why the extraction of shale gas should not be given planning permission. The second ugly sister is the Department of Energy and Climate Change, under its Liberal Democrat Secretary of State Ed Davey, and its Energy Bill now before Parliament.—Nigel Lawson, The Sun, 9 July 2013
The pro-fracking conspiracy in theUnited States is so vast that it evidently encompasses the Environmental Protection Agency, famously a tool of the oil and gas industry. The EPA just dropped its study of fracking allegedly contaminating the water in Pavillion, Wyo. The enviro Left had rejoiced at the news a few years ago that the EPA had for the first time implicated fracking as a threat to groundwater. Now, amid criticisms of its methodology, the EPA has backed down. It’s one in a long series of disappointments for anti-fracking crusaders who expect at least the EPA, if no one else, to credit their crackpottery and paranoia.—Rich Lowry, New York Post, 9 July 2013
The green camp is firmly entrenched in its opposition to shale gas. No matter that shale gas displaces dirty-burning coal; it’s still a fossil fuel, and its emissions aren’t zero. But the world isn’t black and white, and the fact that greens can’t see in shades of gray means that they will continue to be forced to sit out serious energy policy debates.—Walter Russell Mead, Via Meadia, 5 July 2013
The pro-fracking conspiracy in theUnited States is so vast that it evidently encompasses the Environmental Protection Agency, famously a tool of the oil and gas industry. The EPA just dropped its study of fracking allegedly contaminating the water in Pavillion, Wyo. The enviro Left had rejoiced at the news a few years ago that the EPA had for the first time implicated fracking as a threat to groundwater. Now, amid criticisms of its methodology, the EPA has backed down. It’s one in a long series of disappointments for anti-fracking crusaders who expect at least the EPA, if no one else, to credit their crackpottery and paranoia.—Rich Lowry, New York Post, 9 July 2013
The green camp is firmly entrenched in its opposition to shale gas. No matter that shale gas displaces dirty-burning coal; it’s still a fossil fuel, and its emissions aren’t zero. But the world isn’t black and white, and the fact that greens can’t see in shades of gray means that they will continue to be forced to sit out serious energy policy debates.—Walter Russell Mead, Via Meadia, 5 July 2013
Hopes that Poland could lead a U.S.-style shale gas boom in Europe are fading fast as energy companies say red tape is delaying commercialoutput and Warsaw’s draft proposals to cut bureaucracy do not go nearly far enough. Executives say firms may quit unless gas flows soon.—Agnieszka Barteczko, Reuters, 5 July 2013
The shining light that was once Japan’s renewable energy industry is beginning to dim as reality sets in and it faces competition from a rejuvenated nuclear power industry.—The Asahi Shimbun, 7 July 2013
Britons could be forced to subsidise renewable energy schemes in other countries to help to meet the Government’s green targets, even though they would not generateany electricity or jobs for the UK. The coalition revealed its support for the plan at the end of last month, arguing that it could save consumers money if it was cheaper to build a wind farm or solar park overseas. By awarding subsidies funded by levies on consumer bills to foreign renewable projects, the electricity generated would count towards meeting Britain’s legally binding green target. Renewable energy developers have put forward renewable projects in Tunisia, Spain and Portugal that could sell power under the trading scheme.—Tim Webb, The Times, 8 July 2013
The UK Government will be forced to abandon its renewable energy programme unless it is more honest with consumers about the soaring cost, the owner of British Gas has warned. If consumers are not prepared to pay higher energy bills to tackle climate change, a backlash could result when the escalating costs become apparent. This could force the government of the day to retrospectively scrap the subsidies as Spain has done in recent years. The move has destroyed investor confidence in the Spanish energy sector, a prospect already unnerving energy companies in the UK.—Tim Webb,The Times, 3 July 2013
Comments
Post a Comment