Category: Energy

Gas Lines Win-Win For All

Gas Lines Win-Win For All — With the Marcellus Shale gas boom occurring some have been moaning about the cost of building mains which has prompted stories in Philadelphia’s “only the government can do good” propaganda sheet, and causing saliva to start dripping from the jaws of the wolves who rule us as they see another chance to spend our money and increase their power.

For instance State Sen. Dominic Pileggi (R-9) is co-sponsoring a bill to require utilities to create plans to extend their gas-distribution
systems. A companion bill would provide $15 million our money to defray the costs of this.

How about the state just stay out of it?

In Tredyffrin Township in Chesco it has been calculated that a neighborhood at a cost of $6,400 per home could bring in a gas main causing a $3,500 annual savings per home to the  heating bills.

Reader Tom C notes that   a smart local bank confident of undue government interference would be more than willing to solicit  loans to each household with an assignment of 75 percent of the savings. The loan would pay off in less than four years with a 8 percent interest rate. Everybody wins and the rest of us don’t have to have our money forcibly taken from us.

Gas Lines Win-Win For All

Nuclear Plant Security Discussed

Nuclear Plant Security Discussed — Members of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee held an informational meeting in Harrisburg last week to discuss nuclear power plant safety and security, reports State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).

The committee heard from representatives of Exelon, FirstEnergy and PPL on the security and stability of the Commonwealth’s five nuclear power plants.

The representatives also highlighted efforts in partnering with local emergency response services to develop emergency response plans.

 

Nuclear Plant Security Discussed

Global Warming Fanatics Are Killers

The United Kingdom, just as here, is ruled by those who profess a belief that man is causing the world to warm catastrophically through his energy use. So they have, just as here, created policies to artificially inflate the cost of energy.

It turns out that over there 30,000 people died last year  due to this policy as they chose to spend their money on food rather than heat. The phrase the Brits use is “excess winter mortality”.

Expect that to be happening here soon. Thank you Obama voters and all others who get their understanding as to how the world works from television comics, rap musicians and public school teachers.

Energy Costs Rising Says Obama

Energy Costs Rising Says Obama — In his hip Fireside Hangout on Google+ on Valentines Day, President Obama admitted that his environmental policies will rise the cost of energy,  reports Breitbart.com.

He still is expected to be able to afford his $1,000 per hour golf lessons.

 

Energy Costs Rising Says Obama

Credit Republicans If Refineries Are Saved

Credit Republicans If Refineries Are Saved — A state cabinet member told the House Appropriations Committee, Feb. 27, that there is a strong likelihood that two of the three Philadelphia area refineries scheduled for shut-down may be saved.

C. Alan Walker, secretary of Department of Commerce and Economic Development, told the legislators that an angel in form of United Refining Co. of Warren, Pa. may be interested in buying the Sunoco ones in Philadelphia and Marcus Hook.
Apparently a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes. Note the work appears to be being done by the Republican Corbett administration.
Hopefully, someone can be found to find save the idled ConocoPhillips plant in Trainer.
It might be bargain. If the administration changes in Washington, relief would be expected from the regulatory burdens largely responsible for its closure that had been imposed by the religious zealots who have taken over the Obama-run EPA.

Power Plants To Close In Pa. And Life Gets Harder

Power Plants To Close In Pa. And Life Gets Harder — Put this in the life gets harder file: Houston-based GenOn Energy Inc. will be closing five power plants in Pennsylvania which are in Portland, Shawville, Titus, New Castle and Elrama.

The plants provide 3,140 megawatts of electricity. They are fired by coal, however, and that is why they are closing. New environmental rules make them unprofitable for them to operate.
GenOn is also closing two coal-plants in Ohio and one in New Jersey.
Now there is nothing wrong with trying to wean ourselves off of coal for electricity and on to something else, but if that something else is windmills or solar panels just expect our lives to get harder unless of course you are one of the privileged few in government who will find ways to exempt themselves from the suffering they cause.
The combined megawatts from the plants to be close is about what a larger nuclear plant would generate.
Of course, nobody is talking about building one of them in Pennsylvania.

Are Hybrids Passe?

Are Hybrids Passe? — Hybrid cars have been steadily losing market share despite the steadily increase pump pain going from 2.8 percent in 2009 to 2.2 percent last year.

Bloomberg Business Week suspects the cause to be drastically improved internal combustion engines which give many economy cars over 40 mpg making it silly to spend the $6,000 extra the battery wagons cost over a standard car.

Fun With Fracking In Pennsylvania

Fun With Fracking In Pennsylvania — The Feb. 13 edition of Forbes magazine reported that “since 2009 Pennsylvania has seen gas-drilling jobs explode from 60,000 to 160,000 and related economic activity jump from $4.7 billion to $13 billion a year.”

Just in case you might have missed this good news.

 

Fun With Fracking In Pennsylvania

Meehan Only Hero In ConocoPhillips Tragedy

Meehan Only Hero In ConocoPhillips Tragedy — ConocoPhillips announced billions in profits, yesterday, shortly before it was expected to layoff its workforce at its refinery in Trainer, Pa.

This has resulted in outrage, and there should be outrage. Not just an employer but a major part of our industrial infrastructure is shutting down.

Where is the attempt to save it?

ConocoPhillips spokesman Rich Johnson explained the reasoning for the closing as being “based on the level of investment required to remain competitive in the U.S. East Coast refining market that has been under severe market pressure for several years.”

He cited product imports, weakness in motor fuel demand and costly regulatory requirements as the cause of this market pressure.

Where were our politicians in demanding relief from these requirements? Congressman Pat Meehan (R-7) is the closest thing we have to a hero on this and even he could have been a lot louder.

Congressmen Bob Brady (D-1) and Chaka Fattah (D-2) have been dead silent on the issue. One of the similarly endangered Sunoco refineries is in Fattah’s district and Brady’s district includes many of refinery workers.

How about the union leaders? Notice Johnson was not blaming labor costs for the closings? Why do they continue to support politicians who want to regulate away our industry?

Our senators Pat Toomey (R) and Bob Casey (D) haven’t been particularly outspoken on providing relief for the refineries and their workers.

And of course there is President Obama. Obama didn’t even make the feeblest effort to save them and it would have been likely been all that it would have taken. Does Obama want to destroy our industry? I fear the answer to that.

So outrage is warranted but don’t direct it all at the oil company.