Articles by
Steve Hanley
Whatever Happened To The Affordable Car?
By
Steve Hanley
Most of us have forgotten how the Big Three snookered the Obama administration into creating two classes of fuel economy standards — one for passenger cars and another for light trucks. In theory, the light truck provision was to benefit farmers who needed them to get their goods to market, but the automakers used that exception to create a whole new class of vehicles that were never intended to work for a living,
The SUV originally was little more than a pickup truck with a passenger car body on top. The companies promised the Obamans they would use the bailouts offered them to build new fuel efficient small cars, but as soon as the ink was dry, they forgot all about those promises and went full tilt boogie into cranking out high end pickups and SUVs.
“Energy Security” Makes Us Less Secure. Renewables Are The Answer
By
Steve Hanley
Krugman notes that while the price of oil has increased, the price of gasoline has gone up much more quickly. Are oil companies taking advantage of the situation to extract additional profits? What do you think?
The so-called US president — in his lucid moments — rails against renewable energy, probably because the fossil fuel industry has so generously supported his lunacy for their own private benefit. But Krugman suggested the UK and other European nations must be wishing they were getting an even larger share of their energy from renewables rather than natural gas, which would free them both from the idiocy of Trump’s delusions and the Middle East war.
In The UK, “Power To The People” Is Latest Clean Energy Trend
By
Steve Hanley
Zoë Holliday said the case for community ownership and wealth building had come into sharp focus in the debate about the transition away from oil and gas. Community and publicly owned schemes returned far more to local communities than the £5,000 per MW of capacity typically offered by private projects, she said. “There’s real political will at both Scottish and UK level to support community energy. We could be transforming our communities if we just gave them a stake in this system,” she added.
In Venezuela, It’s All About The Oil
By
Steve Hanley
Here we go again — the United States of America beating up on weaker nations in order to capture their oil for itself. The overthrow of the Iranian government in 1953 (conducted with the enthusiastic support of the UK) was about kneecapping an alleged socialist, Mohammad Mosaddegh, but one of the reasons he was considered so dangerous was because he posed a threat to US access to Iranian oil.
Fast forward a few decades and we have Poppy Bush coming to the aid of the aggressively undemocratic rulers of Kuwait in order, once again, to promote free access to that country’s abundant oil reserves. Then came President BushLeague, who puffed out his chest and hollered about “yellow cake” and “weapons of mass destruction,” but his real interest was in preserving American access to Iraqi oil reserves.
Refurbished Three Mile Island Payment Structure Is Not Quite What It Seems
By
Steve Hanley
The plan to restart the shuttered reactor on Three Mile Island has already generated controversy as energy experts debate the merits of providing separate federal subsidies for the project in the form of tax credits. Constellation’s pursuit of the $1.6 billion federal loan guarantee, which has not been previously disclosed, is likely to intensify that debate. The loan guarantee request has cleared an initial review. It has now reached the stage where the specific terms of a deal would ordinarily start to be negotiated, according to the Washington Post. A loan guarantee would allow Constellation to shift much of the risk of reopening Three Mile Island to taxpayers. The federal government, in this case, would pledge to cover up to $1.6 billion if there is a default. The guarantees are typically used by developers to lower the cost of project financing, as lenders are willing to offer more favorable terms when there is federal backing.
UK To Pour $28 Billion Into Carbon Capture & Storage Over 25 Years
By
Steve Hanley
Critics of carbon capture respond that it is a giant boondoggle that has never worked and never will work. Just a few weeks ago, our own Michael Barnard posted an article in which he said carbon capture is “an overly hyped, overly hoped for solution that isn’t and won’t scale remotely economically.” He suggests when you are digging a hole for yourself, at some point it is best to stop digging and start facing reality.
The Hydrogen Economy In America Faces A Number Of Challenges
By
Steve Hanley
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 creates the opportunity for up to $100 billion in federal tax and production credits, known collectively as Section 45V credits. Now, $100 billion is a lot of money, which means those who have no right to it will try to game the system in order to line their own pockets with some of that lovely federal money even if they don’t deserve it. Not surprisingly, two of the world’a largest fossil fuel companies — ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco — want Uncle Sugar to dole our a big chunk of the money to them so they can make dirty hydrogen from methane.
Michael Mann Awarded $1 Million By Jury In Defamation Suit
By
Steve Hanley
After a four week trial, the jury found the authors did in fact make their statements about Mann with actual malice They awarded Mann $1000 in compensation from Simberg and $1 million from Steyn. “I hope this verdict sends a message that falsely attacking climate scientists is not protected speech,” Mann said.
Carbon Dioxide, Radio Isotopes, The Keeling Curve, And The Greatest Cover Up In History
By
Steve Hanley
These new documents provide important evidence that the fossil fuel industry has been intricately connected to climate science from its earliest beginnings — not only as a driver of the greenhouse effect behind climate change, but also as a contributor to the scientific discoveries that would transform our understanding of humanity’s relationship with the Earth and its atmosphere.
Honda Mulls $14 Billion Plan To Build Electric Cars In Canada
By
Steve Hanley
Not much more was heard about Honda and electric cars until this week when Japanese news source Nikkei announced that Honda is contemplating a $14 billion investment to manufacture batteries and electric cars in Canada. Without confirming the report, Canadian industry minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told Canada’s Global News that it reflected the country’s growing reputation as a leader in attracting green investment in the auto industry.
My Chevy Bolt End Of Summer Report
By
Steve Hanley
After three months, the 2017 Chevy Bolt we bought in June has exceeded all our expectations and then some. Our Chevy Bolt has been a revelation. We also own a Tesla Model Y and sort of expected the Bolt to be a pale imitation, lacking in refinement and overall goodness. We were pleasantly surprised. The car rides beautifully. I actually think it handles bumps in the road better than the Tesla. The hatchback means we can fit all our stuff inside easily. It is comfortable and quiet.
A Ship Carrying Electric Cars Is On Fire! We Must Run And Tell The King!!
By
Steve Hanley
As the news media continues to report exaggerated stories about fires in electric cars, we consider it our duty to clap back with the truth. As always, ignorance can be overcome by the application of relevant information. There is no known cure for stupidity.
