Maryland, My Maryland - State Green Nude Eel Raising Electrical Prices

 Balmer Sun, Rising costs of energy bills in Maryland spark debate over state’s climate policies

Energy bills for electric and gas are soaring sky-high across the state, with many households reporting an increase of hundreds of dollars a month.

“I have a child. Even for myself, I can throw on two sweaters but when you have a child to think about it’s a scary thought,” Diamond said. In response, Democratic lawmakers are pushing plans to generate more energy at home.

“We know how hard these prices are on working families, and we’ve got to do something to fix it,” said Del. Adrian Boafo (D-Prince George’s).

“We have to provide a path to more Maryland-made energy, we need it cleaner than the energy we produce today, and we need it now,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City). Meanwhile, some political analysts say those very same lawmakers’ cleaner energy initiatives are contributing to the costs they want to curb.

 

If you look at your bill, the climbing “Empower Maryland” charge represents the price you pay for the state’s ambitious climate policies such as the Climate Solutions Act of 2022, which includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 60% by 2031.

In the process, two of Maryland’s fossil fuel plants were scheduled to close in 2025. However, only 7% of the state’s energy comes from renewable resources, forcing these plants to extend their stay at a higher price. On top of that, Maryland busses in another 40% of its energy from other states.

“We’re going to import it from other states, because now we don’t have enough energy, and we’re just going to pretend like somehow Maryland is a cleaner state,” Yuripzy Morgan. an attorney and political analyst, questioned.

Morgan argues the state’s long term climate goals lost sight of the immediate impacts. “There have been warning signs and there have been, you know, dire calls, SOS calls for the last several years, saying your policies will lead to higher prices,” she says. And now, it’s unclear if the legislature is able, or willing to truly flip the switch.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Demure, Relaxed, & In Her Lane ready and waiting at The Other McCain.

Energy Prices Smashing the Ceiling

I got this via the water company: PHA.org, PJM CAPACITY AUCTION FOR 2025/26 RESULTS PRICES SPIKE

On July 17, 2024, PJM held its Capacity Auction for Planning year 2025/26. The results were published on July 30, 2024, and the rates are significantly higher than the previous year. They increased by 816% for most of PJM’s footprint. The majority of PJM’s current Capacity rate is $29.50 per MW-year for 24/25, and the rate increased to $270.35 per MW-year for 25/26. The PJM Planning year runs from June 1 to May 31.

The increase in rates was due to increased projected load growth in PJM, decreased supply offers into the auction due to power plant generator retirements, and FERC changes to risk modeling for reserve margins. PJM CEO Manu Asthtana stated, “The significantly higher prices in this auction confirm our supply/demand balance is tightening across the RTO. The market is sending a price signal that should incent investment in resources.”

In the past year alone, supply declined by 6.6 GW of generation retiring or giving notice of intent to deactivate. With supply declining, demand has been increasing and is projected to increase more in the next few years due to new data centers being built across PJM’s footprint.

What does this mean for customers come June 2025? For an 80% Load Factor customer, the increase in Capacity rates represents about a $0.012 per kWh increase in cost. This translates into about $12,000 annually for a customer that uses 1,000,000 kWh per year.

PJM is a regional transmission organization (RTO) that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia.

So, regardless of who is who is in office in Jan, 21, this price rise has already been baked into the cake. As noted above, the problem has been created by the withdrawal of energy sources, mostly fossil fuel plants which the Democrats and the EPA have been trying (rather successfully) to kill for years (Thanks, Brandon!), and the increase in demand from data centers in the region. 

Maybe we need a law that data centers need to produce their own power. Preferably using unicorn farts. 

I don't quite what this will mean for us and other residential electrical connections., but our local electricity provider, Southern Maryland Electric Co-op, buys power, presumably from these providers, so it looks like a huge rate increase is on the way.

This Seems Like a Stupid Project

WUWT, Scientists Look to Fight Climate Change by Dumping 6,000 Gallons of Chemicals into Ocean Near Martha’s Vineyard

A team of scientists is looking to dump chemicals into waters off the coast of Massachusetts this summer to research whether doing so could be an effective counter to ocean acidification and climate change, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The project would see researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) pour approximately 6,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide — a component of lye — into waters ten miles away from Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, in August 2024, according to the WSJ. The research project, estimated to cost about $10 million in total, will receive taxpayer funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signs off on releasing the chemicals.

The underlying concept is to see if the basic sodium hydroxide can reduce the acidity of ocean waters and make those waters more efficient repositories of carbon dioxide, according to the WSJ. Sodium hydroxide is a common ingredient in soaps and cleaning solutions, and it can be harmful to humans in high concentrations, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

Of course you can make seawater more basic by adding sodium hydroxide to it. Water chemistry at that level is very well established. How much depended on how much seawater it's mixed with. I have have one warning. It's a damn big ocean. You may be able to raise the pH of the water by adding lye, but seawater is constantly moving around and mixing, and the effect will soon be diluted away.

Pure sodium hydroxide solutions are great at scavenging CO2 from the atmosphere without mixing it with seawater first. Why dilute it with seawater first, if grabbing CO2 is your goal?

And do you know how sodium hydroxide is manufactured commercially? By electrolyzing water (with salt in it to make it conductive, and provide the sodium ions). Just where do you think the electricity comes from? In most cases, of course, fossil fuels. So, you're burning fossil fuels to make a substance to extract the by product of fossil fuels from the atmosphere? Makes sense. 

Flotsam and Jetsam - Barr, Pence Willing to Testify "Against" Trump?

Joe Klein at Front Page worries about Biden’s Assault on the Constitution. "The 2020 election indictment against Trump is just the latest example." From Da Caller, ‘Like Banana Republic Land’: Alan Dershowitz Says Biden ‘Urged’ Merrick Garland To ‘Indict’ Trump. Betsy McCaughey at NYPo says Trump prosecutor Jack Smith would rip up Americans’ right to free speech. Naomi Wolf at Front Page on Happy Indictment Day! "I am extraordinarily sad — at the thickheaded ignorance of history that those who are celebrating tonight, reveal; and at what has become of our country." Making lemonade, Joe Strader finds Five (Possibly) Good Things from the Trump Indictments "3. The Deep State™ proves its own existence."

Madeleine Hubbard at JTN reports  Trump plans to ask for recusal of federal judge overseeing 2020 election case and for venue change. "It is unclear whether Trump's efforts to change the venue or the judge will succeed." At TNP, ‘Crazy’ Trump Thinks a BLM-Loving, Obama Donor/Appointee Judge Might be Biased Against Him! From NewsBusters, MSNBC Spin Ruined? Ex-Garland Aide LOVES Rough-on-Rioters Judge in Trump's Jan. 6 Case.

Breitbart, Bill Barr: ‘Of Course’ I Would Testify Against Trump at January 6 Trial. Sundance at CTH, Sunday Talks, Bill Barr Says “Of Course” He Would Testify Against President Trump. Tony Gonzalez at PJM, Pence Says He Would Testify Against Trump in Jan. 6 Trial: 'We'll Obey The Law'. Read more carefully and you'll see neither used the word "against." Both said they'd testify if called, because, of course they would, it's not really optional. If they're not called by the prosecution, it's because their testimony can't be construed to help.

Sundance watches Sunday Talks, President Trump Attorney John Lauro -vs- Major Garrett and John Lauro -vs- Chuck Todd.

Jonathan Turley says Remember that Biden Dinner That Joe Biden Never Attended? Well, he did. John Solomon at JTN reports Jim Jordan has big questions about Hunter Biden probe, wants answers from 11 DOJ officials. At Da Caller, Video Resurfaces On Social Media Of Ukrainian Prosecutor Joe Biden Bragged About Having Fired. RARE reports New Texts Reveal Chinese Energy Firm Sought Access To Biden Family’s Influence In Hunter Biden Deal. Roger Kimball at Am Great sees through Joe Biden’s Weather Report. "Unfortunately for The Narrative, folks aren't buying what they're selling." Clarice at Am Think thinks The Machinery of Government is Coated with Gunk. "The juxtaposition of the Department of Justice’s handling of Hunter Biden with its outrageous treatment of Donald J. Trump justifies Scott Adams's view: "We can now see all of the machinery of government, from influence peddling to fake news to intel-supported hoaxes to political persecutions.” 

Jon Levine at NYPo, Hunter Biden sold himself as powerbroker when he was actually an easily manipulated low-life: ex-stripper. From Da Caller, ‘He’ll Never Be Perfect’: Former Stripper Alleges Hunter Biden Craves Approval From Father. Da Fed's Elle Purnell thinks The ‘Loving Father’ Excuse For Joe Biden’s Role In Pay-For-Play Biz Is Gross. At NewsBusters Burgum Angers Stephanopoulos by Refusing to Discuss Trump, Brings Up Hunter Instead. The Babylon Bee snarks Biden Makes Things Up To 7th Grandchild By Appointing Her Head Of Ukrainian Shell Company. Hunter is a sort of smart, troubled guy who made a poor father selection.

Town Halls Sarah Arnold hears Nancy Pelosi Snap At MSNBC Reporter After Being Asked About Biden Impeachment. At WaEx, Paul Bedard finds Voters think Biden’s a crook but not worth impeaching. On the other hand Ted Noel at Am Think thinks it's The Essential Impeachment. At Town Hall Kurt Schlichter seriously wonders Will The Biden Administration (sic) Let Trump – Or Any Republican – Take Office In 2025?

At Twitchy, Let's commemorate Joe Biden's 365th day of vacation. Hat Hair reads TwitterX, Joe Concha points out a problem with Biden's "Summer at the White House" picture. From Paul Bedard's White House Report Card: Even on vacation, crushing American traditions. My question is who's minding the store? It can't be Kamala. 

Atop Da Summit, Biden Energy Secretary Secretly Consulted Top Chinese Energy Official Before SPR Release, Sales To Hunter Biden-Linked Chinese Energy Giant and from Fox, Biden energy secretary torched after Fox News Digital reveals secret talks with top CCP official "'Why does communist China have more input on US energy policy than the American people under the Biden administration?' GOP Rep. Mike Collins asked." Because they pay better, silly. Christian Datoc at WaEx, Biden attacks GOP on economy after US credit downgrade. There's plenty of blame to be shared. Addison Smith at JTN reports Power companies ask Biden to end war on fossil fuel plants as EPA comment deadline looms "Both at home and on the road, Americans are being forced to grapple with higher energy costs, and the EPA will soon stop accepting public comment on new anti-fossil fuel rules."

ET reports US Judge Orders Former Fox News Reporter to Reveal Sources for Story Involving FBI. The courageous Catherine Herridge. At WaEx, White House braces for FBI spy tool fight. They want a clean reauthorization of Section 702. House Republicans are unlikely to go along. Sundance reposts a REMINDER – The Parliamentary Motive Behind the J6 Fedsurrection.

Atop Da Summit, Videos: CNN Admits Joe Biden’s Poll Numbers “Stink” And Trump Is In “Historically Strong Position”. Althouse sees The top story in the NYT right now is: "Kamala Harris Takes on a Forceful New Role in the 2024 Campaign." "What has been "forceful" — or "new" — about anything Kamala Harris has done?" mrcTV notes Pain at the Pump: Nat'l Avg. for a Gallon of Gas Up 30 Cents in a Month. Atop Da Hill, Democrats worry young people souring on party, the party of Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Diana Feinstein? Tom Knighton at Tilting at Windmills says There ought to be a law. "We need to figure out a way that these fossils can be removed from office when they’re showing such serious signs of decline. Feinstein missed quite some time, then claimed she’d been working the whole period. That’s not a woman I want deciding, well, anything more technical than what flavor of pudding she wants with her dinner. And yet, she’s a United States senator."

At Racket, Matt Taibbi calls Campaign 2024, Officially Chaos. "America enters an unprecedented political unknown, and our leaders appear helpless to find a way out." WaEx reports Trump bashes Nancy Pelosi after she said he looked like a 'scared puppy'. CJ, Minds or Hearts? "Donald Trump is winning the hearts of Republican primary voters, but his challengers may find success in appealing to their minds." 'Fuzzy Slippers' at LI likes, DeSantis At NH Town Hall: Trump “running in 2024 on the things that he promised to do in 2016 and didn’t do” “I’m not going to insult somebody’s looks or somebody’s dress or something like that,” DeSantis added. “I wouldn’t teach my kids to treat people like that.” Shawn Fleetwood at Da Fed claims the NBA Fouls Out With Attack On Orlando Magic’s Donation To A DeSantis Super PAC, they don't object to donations to liberal causes. Da Wire thinks Newsom Team Appears Agitated That DeSantis Accepted Debate Challenge. The 'B' Team battle. Never-anybody-but-Trump sundance on DeSantis, We Are Beyond Seeing the Strings, We Are Looking at the Puppeteers’ Hands Now. Phil Wegman at Am Great sees a Ramaswamy Donor Memo: ‘Vivek on Track To Eclipse DeSantis.’ Declan Leary at Am Con says simply Not Scott. "You could do worse than the South Carolina senator, but do you really want “a George W. Bush-style conservative” in 2024?" PJM's Matt Margolis calls Chris Christie The Biggest Loser. Cami Mondeaux at WaEx hears Pence spar with Trump supporters confronting him on campaign trail and TNP reports Perry Johnson, Whoever That Is, Beats Mike Pence to RNC Debate Threshold. Brady Knox at WaEx believes Youngkin's resolve to stay out of GOP presidential race got harder following new poll.

At Am Think, Mike Konrad is Still Doubting the 2020 Election. From CJ, Migrants Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Vote. "Extending the franchise to noncitizens will distort New York City’s politics" and that's the idea.

Tomi Lahren

OutKick's Tomi Lahren Doesn't Appreciate White House Trying To Censor Her. Tristan Justice at Da Fed wonders Is NPR Trying To Start A Race War? Naw, just a few selectively helpful riots. From the College Fix, Ninth Circuit rules Calif. community college suppressed conservative students’ protected speech. At Campus Reform, Texas A&M president resigns amid fallout over woke journo prof hiring debacle. "Texas A&M's president abruptly retired following controversy over the school's attempt to hire a progressive NYT editor to direct its journalism program. Professor Kathleen McElroy said in a 2021 interview that journalists 'can’t just give people a set of facts anymore' and should disregard 'illegitimate' perspectives."

Also from the College Fix, Oregon university clinic bans patient after she criticized trans flag. Sue! A modern headline from the Messenger, Trans Woman Informs Court Her Ex Keeps Her Testicles in His Refrigerator; She Wants Them Back. They should be in the freezer. At Da Caller, LGBTQ Activist Org Awards Thousands To Schools Across The Country To Promote Gender Ideology and buy dirty books. mrc TV, Iowa School District Reviews 374 Books Flagged For Inappropriate Content. Front Page reports on a Chicago Public Schools Employee Fired for Objecting to Student Drag Show, "An assistant principal accused her of not supporting “equal opportunity.”" Hat Hair's Jazz Shaw reports on the The Cinnabon Pride strike, is that a diet plan?

Herr Professor Jacobsen at LI is pleased to report Oberlin College Sues Insurers For Refusing To Cover $36 Million It Paid Gibson’s Bakery For Defamation And Other Torts (Update). "Four insurance companies have told the college to pound sand. Have you ever rooted for insurance companies ever? There’s a first for everything."

At Am Think, J.R. Dunn sees Raymond Chandler in trouble in The big woke. "Evidently, Marlowe used terms other than “person of color,” failed to utilize the proper pronouns, and identified some characters as “women,” whatever that is."

 

Moore Dictates Maryland Adopt Electric Motoring

MDE, Governor Moore Announces Maryland Adoption of the Advanced Clean Cars II Rule to Combat the Effects of Climate Change

Governor Wes Moore today announced Maryland’s adoption of the multi-state Advanced Clean Cars II rule, a major step in the state’s acceleration to improve air quality and combat the effects of climate change. Maryland is moving quickly to adopt the regulation, which requires manufacturers to continuously increase the share of electric vehicles they sell, reaching 100% of passenger car and light truck sales by model year 2035.

“Today, we’re talking about a major transformation that is going to define this administration—and that’s how we turn Maryland from a state powered by oil and gas to a state powered by clean energy,” said Governor Moore. “I am confident that the state of Maryland can and will lead the clean energy revolution.”

The Advanced Clean Cars II rule is a vehicle emissions standard first adopted by California using its unique authority under the federal Clean Air Act. Now that California has adopted the standards, other states can follow suit.

Maryland has the most ambitious climate goals of any state in the nation and is recognized as a national leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while growing our state economy. The Advanced Clean Cars II rule, coupled with strong federal and state incentives, will be one of the state’s most important emissions reduction measures. 

According to a Maryland Department of the Environment analysis, 383,000 fewer new gas-powered vehicles would be sold under the new rule by 2030, rising to 1.68 million fewer conventional vehicles by 2035. Between 2026 and 2040, the rule will deliver additional vehicular reductions of more than 6,000 tons of nitrogen oxides, as well as reduction of vehicular and power plant carbon dioxide emission by more than 82 million metric tonnes. By 2040, these reductions may potentially provide net in-state health benefits equal to about $39.9 million per year due to decreases in respiratory and cardiovascular illness and associated lost work days.

Of course, being Maryland, a plurality of the power used by electric vehicles will produced by coal or gas powered fossil fuel plants. 

According to Baltimore Gas and Electric, electric vehicles cost roughly one fourth as much to drive as gasoline cars in Maryland. Electric vehicles also generally have lower maintenance costs, and there are state and federal tax incentives for their purchase. In an effort to help make electric vehicles available to all Marylanders, the rule also features flexibility that encourages manufacturers to provide electric vehicles in overburdened and underserved communities, including community-based ridesharing or car sharing programs.

Hopefully, by then, Teslas will be reasonably priced. 

The Wombat has Late Night With Rule 5 Sunday: Olga Kurylenko on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Virginia Power: Not Enough to go Around

Whitney Pipkin at the Bay Journal, Virginia regulators consider letting data centers regularly use fossil-fuel power for part of the year

Virginia regulators have proposed allowing nearly 300 data centers in Northern Virginia to use backup generators over a five-month period during which energy “transmission problems” are anticipated.

Many of these backup generators produce power by burning diesel or natural gas, which releases pollutants that pose risks to human and environmental health. To protect regional air quality, Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality regulates when and how frequently data centers can run their emergency on-site generators to ensure they are working while limiting their cumulative impact.

 As opposed to the coal and gas fired plants that provide much of the region's power?

During normal operations, data centers can be powered by a variety of sources, ranging from the municipal electric grid to their own solar panels. In Virginia, natural gas and nuclear power were the top sources of electricity in 2021, but that is changing, fueled partly by data centers. Google and Amazon, which operate many of the region’s centers or contract with them, have each committed to source energy entirely from renewable sources by 2030 and 2025, respectively.

During past interviews with the Bay Journal, state regulators said they imagined multiple data center generators running at the same time only in the case of a major emergency impacting the regional power grid. Environmental groups, meanwhile, have been increasingly concerned about the rapid and regionally concentrated growth of an industry that uses massive amounts of energy to satisfy the world’s appetite for electronic data.

The Northern Virginia counties of Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William are home to nearly 300 data centers that are crucial to moving about 70% of the world’s internet traffic. Those centers, and the reliability of the internet, by extension, could be impacted by upcoming power transmission issues that are anticipated from March to July of this year, DEQ Director Mike Rolband said in a statement explaining why the agency was proposing a temporary variance from its own regulations. Responding to questions by email, DEQ Spokesman Aaron Proctor said demand for electricity from data centers in that region "could potentially exceed the capacity of the area's electric transmission system" during that time period.

I can hardly wait for the rolling blackouts to start. But at least you'll still be able to do a search on Google and order from Amazon.

Gotta Get Down to the Hydrogen Mine

 At WUWT: Could Natural Hydrogen Kill Green Hydrogen?

If you have never heard of natural hydrogen deposits before, you’re not alone. But discoveries of substantial underground gas fields which mostly contain almost pure hydrogen have the potential to completely upend efforts to develop a “green hydrogen” economy.

Natural hydrogen exploration ‘boom’ snaps up one third of South Australia

South Australia has found itself at the heart of a 21st-century gold rush, though this time for naturally occurring hydrogen. Since February 2021, 18 exploration licenses have been granted or applied for in the state by six different companies searching for natural hydrogen.

FEBRUARY 2, 2022 BELLA PEACOCK

From pv magazine Australia

In a rapid escalation from zero activity in February last year, exploration companies are now scrambling to look for what they believe could be the cheapest, easiest way to get their hands on the much hyped “future fuel”: hydrogen.

In the last 12 months, six different companies have either been granted or applied for 18 Petroleum Exploration Licences across the state of South Australia, according to Australian energy consultancy EnergyQuest. Combined, the area under permit equates to around 570,000 square kilometres (km2) or 32% of the entire state, the consultancy has found, referring to the sudden influx as a “boom”.

Natural hydrogen

Until now, natural or native hydrogen has been largely overlooked – despite it being described as “widespread in nature” by natural hydrogen researcher Viacheslav Zgonnik in a 2020 paper. Natural hydrogen deposits form through chemical reactions underground, with Zgonnik saying the molecule has been detected at high concentrations, often as the major gas, in all types of geologic environments.

…Read more: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2022/02/02/natural-hydrogen-exploration-boom-snaps-up-one-third-of-south-australia/

The abstract of the 2020 paper;

The occurrence and geoscience of natural hydrogen: A comprehensive review

Viacheslav Zgonnik

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103140

Abstract

Using an interdisciplinary approach, this paper reviews current knowledge in the field of natural hydrogen. For the first time, it combines perspectives on hydrogen from the literature of the former Eastern bloc with that of the West, including rare hardcopies and recent studies. Data are summarized and classified in three main sections: hydrogen as a free gas in different environments, as inclusions in various rock types, and as dissolved gas in ground water. This review conclusively demonstrates that molecular hydrogen is much more widespread in nature than was previously thought. Hydrogen has been detected at high concentrations, often as the major gas, in all types of geologic environment. A critical evaluation of all the proposed mechanisms regarding the origin of natural hydrogen shows that a deep-seated origin is potentially the most likely explanation for its abundance in nature. By combining available data, an estimate of 23 Tg/year for the total annual flow of hydrogen from geologic sources is proposed. This value is an order of magnitude greater than previous estimate but most likely still not large enough to account for recently discovered worldwide diffusive seepages. Hydrogen could play a critical role in mechanisms taking place in both the shallow and deep geospheres and it can influence a very wide range of natural phenomena. Hydrogen is an essential energy source for many microorganisms. Sampling for hydrogen can be a useful tool in studying natural environments, geologic mapping, monitoring of earthquakes, plotting fault traces and resource exploration. Hydrogen of geologic origin has the potential to become the renewable energy source of the future, with exploratory projects ongoing at the present time. The topic of natural hydrogen is therefore relevant from many different perspectives.

Read more:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012825219304787#preview-section-abstract

I hadn't heard of "wild" hydrogen before, but I can imagine it easily enough as a product of reforming from other fossil fuels. But commercially useful deposits? That's pretty neat

Below, a surprisingly good cover of Cumberland Blues by some garage band: 

Bannon Guilty, Climate 'Emergency' Averted

As one would fully expect from a jury in Washington D.C., the jury took less than three hours to find Steve Bannon guilty of being a conservative contempt of Congress. I assume most of that time was spent checking their phones. More at LI, Steve Bannon Found Guilty of Contempt of Congress "Chad Pergram: “Bannon first figure to be found guilty on contempt of Congress charges since Attorney General Richwrd (sic) Kleindienst and Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy were convicted in 1974”". Sundance at CTH, DC Jury Finds Steve Bannon Guilty of Contempt of Congress, for Failure to Give Deposition and Failure to Provide Documents to J6 Committee. Insty, STEVE BANNON CONVICTED IN JANUARY 6 CONTEMPT-OF-CONGRESS CASE. Flashback: What Democrats said when Obama-appointed Attorney General Eric Holder was held in contempt of Congress. Althouse, Bannon guilty!, "
The NYT reports. The jury deliberated for less than three hours." From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.22.22, EBL, Two-Tier Justice – Steve Bannon Guilty Of Contempt Of Congress. The Beeb, Steve Bannon: Trump ally guilty of contempt of Congress

Bannon, of course, will appeal.

Equal justice doesn't exist in DC. Democrats who commit actual crimes get let off scot free by DC juries while Steve Bannon gets convicted for a bs contempt charge from an illegitimate congressional committee.

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 22, 2022

It will be amusing to watch the response of Democrats when vast hordes of Biden admin officials are subpoenaed to testify before the new Republican House's committees. Seriously, though, this country has a real problem if all the trials with political implications continue to be carried out in DC and NoVa with 95+% Democrat majorities and are always decided on the basis of partisan politics. The justice system only works if people believe it's fair.

Ace, January 6th Committee Smears Another Republican They Don't Like With a Lie; Fox News' Brett Baier "Likes" The Lie on Twitter. "Breaking/Related: Steve Bannon has been found guilty by a DC court-- by the same jury pool that let Hillary Clinton's lawyer off, the jury forewoman deciding that lying to the FBI wasn't really a crime -- for ignoring two congressional subpoenas. Two counts of contempt of Congress which, you know: find me guilty right now, bitches." Sister Toldja at Red State, Josh Hawley Trolls Critics as Only He Can After 'Bombshell' Jogging Video Released. You won't ever see Jerrold Nadler jog. Brad Slager at Red State, Politico Makes Petty Move, Barring Josh Hawley From Using His Own Image. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.22.22, Twitchy, THIS –> BRUTAL thread breaks out the puppets and crayons to explain to #NeverTrump and Lefties why most Americans DGAF about Jan 6. KT at Haut Hair, Melania Trump says she was not aware of the Capitol riot. Stephanie Grisham calls "bulls**t". Why should we care? At 1945, Will The Jan. 6 Committee Repeat The Democrats’ Russia Mistake? Absolutely. 

Ace, New York Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Lee Zeldin's Knife-Wielding Attacker Immediately Released With No Bail, "Of course. The Regime gives a green light to the crimes it supports." From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.22.22, EBL: GOP Candidate For NY Governor Lee Zeldin Attacked, Attacker Released Almost Immediately and Twitchy, Kamala Calls For More Violence Just One Day After Attempted Assassination Of Lee Zeldin. Insty, GOODER AND HARDER, NEW YORK: 

Man Accused of Attack on GOP Rep. Zeldin Immediately Released after Being Charged with Felony

“The attacker walked free shortly after Zeldin predicted he would ‘likely be instantly released.’ ‘His words as he tried to stab me a few hours ago were ‘you’re done’, but several attendees, including @EspositoforNY, quickly jumped into action & tackled the guy,’ Zeldin wrote in a tweet. ‘Law enforcement was on the scene within minutes. The attacker will likely be instantly released under NY’s laws.’”

UPDATE: “The State of New York immediately releasing [Zeldin’s] attacker with no-cash bail is the best argument for electing Lee Zeldin that Lee Zeldin could have made,” Larry O’Connor tweets.

But in good news, John Sexton at Haut Hair reports Man found guilty of shooting retired police officer David Dorn during 2020 riots. You know, the Democrat and MSM endorsed BLM riots.

Cockburn at Spec World wonders Does Biden have Covid, cancer, and dementia? "The president’s health has become an issue" WaPoo, No, Afghanistan wasn’t Biden’s polling Waterloo. It's been a long, slow well deserved decline. At Da Blaze, Van Jones makes revealing admission about black Americans under Biden: 'The pain is more intense' "The rising gas prices, food prices — it has really walloped the black community in a particular way," Jones explained."

At Town Hall, 'Becca Downs has some Very Bad News for Stacey Abrams. If she's running in California, New York, Delaware or D.C., she's doing fine.

How about some DIY on the economy? I let it sit a couple of days and it ballooned:

Biden stops short of declaring a climate ‘emergency’ - American Thinker
Climate Emergency: Why This Biden Plan Would Be Useless
Tucker Carlson Outlines the Current Background of Joe Biden's Climate Emergency - The Last Refuge
Real Mac Report on Twitter: "New York Times poll shows only 1% of Americans think "Climate Change" is the most important problem facing the country. https://t.co/4nJshAPWLY" / Twitter
Biden Climate Adviser McCarthy: 'The President Will Move, and He Will Move Fast' on Climate 'Emergency'
RNC Research on Twitter: "Biden climate adviser Gina McCarthy says Biden will “move forward with every power available to him” to get rid of fossil fuels https://t.co/YBQAXS9j9r" / Twitter
What Exactly Do the Officials Mean by "Managing the Transition", Here is What They Will Not Say Openly - The Last Refuge
Saving the Planet, or Themselves? - American Thinker
U.S. Oil Companies Double Capital Expenditures Year-Over-Year – Watts Up With That?
CNBC Host Presses Buttigieg On Green Energy Agenda As Europe Struggles - The Daily Caller
Your-pain-our-gain Buttigieg: I'm "astonished" that people aren't flocking to EVs – HotAir
Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) Questions Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg About Electric Vehicle Goals without Energy Grid to Support Them - The Last Refuge
Biden Transport Secretary AGAIN Says “PAIN” Of High Gas Prices Is A Benefit – Summit News
Bidenflation Pushes Diesel Prices Sky High, Smashing Farmers, Truckers, and Consumers
Americans Want Their Old Fossil-Fuel Economy Back — I&I/TIPP Poll – Issues & Insights
Congress is debating hydrogen pipeline regulations. Pay attention – HotAir
Biden’s Green Energy Future Relies Too Much On China’s Solar Boondoggle – Issues & Insights
Progressives Against Mining - City Journal
Using Executive Power Biden Pledges Increases in OSHA Workplace Inspections as Part of Climate Change Compliance System - The Last Refuge
It's Not Just What Energy Secretary Granholm Says, It's How She Says It That Should Alarm Everyone - The Last Refuge
Biden must 'stop the fall in gasoline prices,’ set $5 gallon minimum to combat climate change: Bloomberg op-ed - Fox News
NY Times opinion columnists on the things they got wrong (sort of) – HotAir
The Democrats’ green war on the working class - spiked
Have American consumers already declared a recession? – HotAir
Recession 'is here' and will 'last for awhile,' former White House economist says - Fox Business
What Recession? You Won't Believe Biden's Latest Goalpost Adjustment – PJ Media
Uh oh: Home sales fall, mortgage demand crashes to 22-year low – HotAir
Mortgage demand drops to lowest level in 22 years
U.S. Business Activity Contracts in July for Both Goods and Services - The Last Refuge
U.K. June Inflation Rate Once Again Tracks with U.S. Inflation Rate - All Western Nations Following World Economic Forum Build Back Better Climate Agenda Have Identical Trends - The Last Refuge
75% of Middle Class Americans Say Their Income Is Falling Behind Cost of Living
WaPo: The job market's starting to flash amber -- if not red – HotAir
Jobless claims rise again in another sign that labor market is cooling
Democrats Are Now Begging Biden To Act Like A Dictator – Issues & Insights
Inflation: A Monetary Problem with a Monetary Solution - City Journal
Post Pandemic, a Strong Majority of Americans Favor a Constitutional Amendment That Further Limits Federal Govt Spending and Control.
Just FYI, the baby formula shortage is getting worse, not better – HotAir

It's Hard to Study in the Cold and Dark

John Sexton at Hot Air, Students Demanded Divestment From Fossil Fuels, A Professor Offered To Turn Off The Gas Heating. 

Professor Andrew Parker of St John’s College at Oxford University is my new favorite person. The Times of London reports that a group of students wrote to Professor Parker to discuss demands being made by student protesters about fossil fuel divestment. His response wasn’t what they were expecting:

Two students at St John’s College wrote to Andrew Parker, the principal bursar, this week requesting a meeting to discuss the protesters’ demands, which are that the college “declares a climate emergency and immediately divests from fossil fuels”. They say that the college, the richest in Oxford, has £8 million of its £551 million endowment fund invested in BP and Shell.
Professor Parker responded with a provocative offer. “I am not able to arrange any divestment at short notice,” he wrote. “But I can arrange for the gas central heating in college to be switched off with immediate effect. Please let me know if you support this proposal.”

One of the students wrote back and said he would present the proposal but he didn’t think Parker was being appropriately serious. Professor Parker responded to that note saying, “You are right that I am being provocative but I am provoking some clear thinking, I hope. It is all too easy to request others to do things that carry no personal cost to yourself. The question is whether you and others are prepared to make personal sacrifices to achieve the goals of environmental improvement (which I support as a goal).” The best part of the story is the response from the organizer of the protest:

Fergus Green, the organiser of the wider protest, who is studying for a master’s degree in physics and philosophy at Balliol College, said: “This is an inappropriate and flippant response by the bursar to what we were hoping would be a mature discussion. It’s January and it would be borderline dangerous to switch off the central heating.”

Yes, it would be rash and “borderline dangerous” to do something like that.

Now step back and take notice how closely this small debate at one college is a microcosm of the larger debate taking place around the globe. The teenage face of the anti-fossil fuel movement, Greta Thunberg, recently demanded “real zero” emissions starting right now. Following her advice would be the equivalent of cutting off the gas that heats the campus in the middle of winter. It wouldn’t just be “borderline dangerous” it would almost certainly be catastrophic for millions of people. Despite this, I bet protest organizer Fergus Green thinks she’s part of a “mature discussion.” In any case, a lot of people like him seem to think so.

He should have offered to turn out the lights, too.

Did Environmentalism Bring Down the Boeing MAXs?

 The actual Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 -
Max 8 plane, that crashed Sunday March 10

Eco madness may be reason for disastrous Boeing 737 MAX safety issues

Punitive eco-taxes, aviation regulations, activist investors, green NGOs and climate-aware passengers conspire to force airlines and manufacturers to lower CO2 emissions by using less fuel, which accounts for 99 percent of aviation’s carbon footprint.

No one has said it explicitly yet, but this relentless pressure to reduce emissions appears to have been a significant factor in the disastrous safety failures of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which resulted in two fatal crashes in the past year, claiming 346 lives.

The warning from Boeing’s catastrophes is that climate ideology can have fatal consequences.

The 737 MAX was trumpeted as “Boeing’s game changer.” It reduced emissions by 14 percent and Boeing raced it into production to compete with a climate-friendly new offering from Airbus.

14% emissions reduction! Who cares about a few hundred foreigners when you can save 14% of the CO2 emissions!

But in order to achieve its green goal, Boeing had to use much bigger engines that didn’t fit in the usual position under the wing of the repurposed, 53-year-old 737 design.

The engines had to be moved forward and hoisted higher.

As a result, the aerodynamics changed, and the planes had a tendency to pitch up and potentially stall on takeoff. Boeing’s solution to this hardware defect was an imperfect software bandage that would automatically correct the pitch. In both crashes, preliminary investigations found this software kicked in even when the plane wasn’t stalling, with lethal consequences.

To understand the 737 MAX fiasco, you must go back to 2011, when Boeing faced an existential challenge from Airbus’ low-emission A320neo, which had been developed under stringent new European aviation climate regulations.

American Airlines, an exclusive Boeing customer, was threatening to defect to the A320neo, as the New York Times reported. Three months later, Boeing announced the 737 MAX.

The eco-imperative for Boeing was more than woke posturing. Its customers, the airlines, were demanding better environmental performance because of regulations and mounting threats from climate-conscious institutional investors. Biofuels and electric planes aren’t yet viable, so fuel efficiency was the only option.

None of this excuses Boeing for not providing documentation and training to the foreign airlines after the new plane was rolled out, and basically offered as a superior replacement for the original 737, with which pilots were well familiar. But yes, sometimes more eco-friendly is not safer.

I'll Really Miss the Rule of Law

Karenna Gore, daughter of former Vice President Al Gore

 protests at the site of Spectra Energy's West Roxbury Lateral

 pipeline in Boston

Boston Judge Accepts Climate Necessity Defense, Dismisses Charges

Judge Mary Ann Driscoll has dismissed criminal charges against protestors including Al Gore’s daughter on the grounds that their actions were necessary to prevent climate change.

Judge sets aside charges in pipeline protest …

The protesters, including Karenna Gore, the daughter of former Vice President Al Gore, were facing charges of trespassing and disturbing the peace after climbing into a construction trench. On Tuesday, prosecutors asked a judge to convert the criminal charges into civil infractions, saying in the event of a conviction they were unlikely to ask for any further punishment. After allowing the motion, Judge Mary Ann Driscoll found the defendants not responsible, saying she agreed with their argument that their actions were necessary to combat climate change.
“Based on the very heartfelt expressions of the defendants who believe, and I don’t question their beliefs in any respect, who believe in their cause because they believe they were entitled to invoke the necessity defense, I’ll accept what they said,” Driscoll said.

…

So let's look at the "Necessity Defense":

A defense that permits a person to act in a criminal manner when an emergency situation, not of the person's own creation compels the person to act in a criminal manner to avoid greater harm from occurring.

There are, however, several requirements that must be met in order for the defendant to use necessity as a defense.

• The defendant must reasonably believe that an actual threat exists. 

That may be the only requirement they meet, and that's giving them the benefit of the doubt; most watermelon (green on the outside, red in the middle) environmentalists really just want to kill capitalism; global warming is merely the chosen all purpose excuse.

• The defendant must reasonably believe that the threat he is trying to prevent is greater than the damage that will result from his actions. Therefore, Christopher will be able to use the necessity defense if he reasonably believes that burning some of the houses at the edge of the forest is a lesser evil than allowing the entire town to burn.

The amount of global warming which could be prevented by the defendant's actions are effectively zero, a decimal fraction of degrees with many zeroes in front. There can be no reasonable belief that the defendant's action would have any reasonable effect.

• The threatened harm that the defendant is trying to prevent with his actions must be imminent.

Global warming, if occurring (and there is a reasoned debate) is not imminent. It will be many years before the effects, if any, will become damaging. Currently, mild warming is beneficial.

• The defendant can only use the necessity defense if there was no other, less harmful way to avoid the threatened danger. In the above example, Christopher will only be able to use the necessity defense if burning a few of the houses was the least harmful way to protect the town.

You mean, like win an election?

• The defendant will only be able to use the defense if the defendant himself was not at fault in creating the situation that made it necessary to commit his crime. In other words, if Christopher himself had been responsible for the forest fire, he would not be able to use necessity as a defense to burning those houses.

Did they come to the scene of the crime in a car that burns fossil fuel, or even an electric one charged by a coal fired plant? Did they eat food grown using fossil fuels? Do they heat their house with gas or electric from a fossil fuel source? Almost certainly, making them complicit in the demand for fossil fuel energy.

It's very disappointed for a judge to agree with such a stupid assertion, but what can you expect from Massachusetts. I can only hope someone would appeal to more sensible court, but I doubt it will happen

But there is good news on the legal environmental front. A Federal Judge Rules that an Environmental Group Has Sued Others, Therefore It Can Be Sued

Last August, Energy Transfer Partners, the company that built the Dakota Access Pipeline, sued a number of environmental groups, including Greenpeace, BankTrack, and Earth First!, alleging the groups were collectively engaged in racketeering. Here’s a bit of the company’s press release:

This group of co-conspirators (the “Enterprise”) manufactured and disseminated materially false and misleading information about Energy Transfer and the Dakota Access Pipeline (“DAPL”) for the purpose of fraudulently inducing donations, interfering with pipeline construction activities and damaging Energy Transfer’s critical business and financial relationships. The Complaint also alleges that the Enterprise incited, funded, and facilitated crimes and acts of terrorism to further these objectives.

Obviously, public protest is legal and protected in the U.S., but ETP’s lawsuit claimed the protest was a cynical spectacle intended to raise money. It also claimed the illegal action of individuals, such as cutting holes in the pipeline with a blowtorch, were incited by these groups. ETP’s filing said the damage done to the company by this behavior amounted to “no less than hundreds of millions of dollars.”

One of the groups targeted by the suit, Earth First!, is being represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), which claims Earth First! is not a legal entity but a movement and therefore cannot be sued. In fact, CCR asked the judge to sanction ETP for bringing the Earth First! Journal, which is supposedly a separate entity, into the lawsuit. Last week a federal judge denied that request and gave the group until this coming Monday to prove it can’t be sued. From the Associated Press.

The Center for Constitutional Rights maintains Earth First is an unstructured social movement or philosophy, similar to Black Lives Matter, and can’t be sued. However, U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson says Earth First has been a listed plaintiff in three federal lawsuits in the 1980s and 1990s, involving a water project in Arizona, a wilderness area in Oregon and a New Mexico canyon important to American Indians.
“If Earth First can sue, it seems to me that it is subject to being sued,” Wilson said in a March 22 order.

That seems like common sense, but what does that have to do with the legal system?

It Happens Every Winter

The Gore Effect strikes again: Global Warming Protesters Met With Bitter Cold, Snow

A small group of global warming activists protesting oil and gas drilling outside the Department of Interior office in Colorado Thursday morning were met with bitter cold weather and snow.

About 10 “Keep It In The Ground” activists waved signs next to a busy road in the Denver area, calling for the Obama administration to stop issuing leases so companies can drill on public lands. Activists say drilling only exacerbates global warming.

I hope they walked from wherever they came from, instead of using a fossil fueled car, or a coal powered electric vehicle.

The irony, however, is activists stood outside about 4 inches of snow with temperatures hovering in the 20s — in degrees Fahrenheit. The official low temperature was negative 10 degrees early Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Activists with 350.org and Food & Water Watch braved the cold to protest hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” after two measures to restrict the drilling technique failed to make November’s ballot. The pro-fracking Western Energy Alliance took photos of activists trying to stay warm.

I still don't understand why they don't have global warming protests in the dog days of summer. Maybe they can't stand to go out in the heat. Besides, nude protests get a lot more media coverage.

The Economics of the Ash Bin

Really big ash bins. A pretty good post at Bacon's Rebellion about the economic of coal ash disposal, with reference to particular local power plants.

The debate over coal ash hasn’t gone away — it’s just morphed. For much of the year, public attention focused on how to de-water millions of tons of coal-combustion residue that utilities and industrial companies accumulated over decades in large retaining ponds. Discussion centered on how to ensure that the water released into rivers and streams did no harm to aquatic life and human health. Now attention is turning to what to do with coal ash once it’s dry.

The October 17 deadline is fast approaching for industrial-scale coal burners to file written closure plans for their coal ash ponds. Each company must choose whether to go with the “closure-in-place” option or the removal option. Closure in place could spare ratepayers billions of dollars in added costs, but “removal” could reduce long-term health risks from potentially toxic metals that could leach from the coal ash pits into the groundwater and, from there, into rivers and streams.

Here in Virginia, Dominion Virginia Power has laid out plans to consolidate coal ash on-site at its power stations, and to cap the material with an impermeable plastic lining and vegetation to prevent rainwater from percolating through. Environmentalists say that won’t prevent groundwater from migrating through the ponds and picking up heavy metals in the process. As evidence, they point to water quality tests that show elevated levels of metals appearing in locations outside Dominion’s facilities. Clouding the matter, however, the state Department of Environmental Quality says that its tests show contradictory results.

In a recent conference call with media, Jim Roewer, executive director of the Utility Solid Waste Activities Group, emphasized the high cost of transporting the ash to lined landfills, as environmental groups have called for. In an informal survey early in the regulatory process, he said, four out of five utilities said they expected to go with the closure-in-place option. That preference reflected the economics of coal ash disposal at their particular locations. A June Tennessee Valley Authority study concludes that it would cost about $280 million to close its six coal-ash sites using closure-in-place but $2.7 billion using the cheapest combination of truck and train — almost ten times as much.

Dominion has said that the tab for the removal option could run the clean-up cost to as much as $3 billion. Virginia environmental groups have pointed to decisions by Duke Energy, Santee Cooper, and SG&E in the Carolinas to transport the coal ash to landfills, arguing that Virginia citizens should have no less protection from exposure to toxic levels of chemicals than those of North and South Carolina.

Many environmentalist simply want to punish the power companies as much as possible. If the cost to haul away the ash for very little or no added environmental benefit, they will try to force that action, for no more reason than spite.

New England Votes to Freeze in the Dark

A real wizard

New England to shiver from the lack of those natural gas pipelines the Democrats so hate.

Political stances have consequences: “Natural gas is so abundant and cheap in much of the U.S. that producers want to export it overseas. Except in New England, where gas is so hard to get that companies are importing it from as far away as Yemen.” In this particular case, the stance was we do not want any of those dirty, dirty fossil fuel pipelines in our backyards; and the consequences are soaring natural gas prices (2/3rds higher than the rest of the country) according to the WSJ, with the price probably continuing to skyrocket because of increased demand from consumers and what may be a really, really cold winter*. There’s also apparently the consequence that New England air pollution levels have been rising in the last year due to the need to burn stuff that’s less efficient than natural gas, but that’s a whole different issue**.

…Well. Loathe as I am to see a bunch of Americans pay through the nose for electric – and more importantly, heat – many, many people are going to not-really-nicely note that New Englanders have largely brought this fate down upon themselves by voting in Democrats.  And it’s true! New Englanders did, and they have.  . . .

Who makes snowmen out of oil?

Maybe their politicians have taken the pledge: Oil Trade Group Challenges Environmentalists: Enough Talk, Try Actually Living Without Fossil Fuels

One of the more prominent among the manifold idiocies of the environmental left is the idea that oil is evil. Recently, according to a press release from the Western Energy Alliance, a non-profit trade association representing more than 450 companies engaged in exploration and production of oil and natural gas in the West, more than 400 groups converged on the White House to demand we keep fossil fuels in the ground.

 If it doesn't get used it's not "fuel" just fossil.

Plastic fantastic flowers

They did this, of course, while waving signs made of plastic and having driven or flown in fossil fuel-powered vehicles to Washington. And probably while drinking from plastic or aluminum water bottles, or while sipping an extra-soy-macchiato latte, all of which require fossil fuels to produce. These are the same sorts who tried to block offshore drilling in the Arctic by blockading a harbor with kayaks and canoes made of plastic.

A sea of polymerized crude oil

To shine light on the idiocy, this week the WEA challenged people who insist that oil is evil to live a full seven days without using fossil fuels. To any who would accept the challenge, they would find this is impossible.

Said WEA president Tim Wigley:

Environmental groups have actively promoted ending fossil fuel consumption. The problem is the average person doesn’t understand where things come from.
…
Taking these groups at their word, we created the Challenge to show that oil and natural gas products are not easily dispensable. In fact, it’s quite the contrary; fossil fuels make modern living possible. They power our economy and provide the basic feedstock used to manufacture smartphones, clothing and medicine and make our world safer, healthier and more convenient.

Of course, they will never accept the challenge. Their protest is mostly virtue signalling. They have no intention of ever living under the kind of conditions they profess they want. I hope they enjoy high gas prices in New England this winter. If they don't like it, they can always do without, or they can vote people in who will support pipeline. But that might take a few years.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup" and links. Thanks, Teach!