Elwha Dam Or Why Global Warming Not Happening

Federal workers on Wednesday, June 1, will turn off the generators at the Elwha Dam on the Elwha River in Washington State and begin the largest dam removal project in U.S. history and probably world history since it is hard to imagine any other nation than Obama’s America doing anything this stupid.

Slated to be removed are the 105-foot Elwha Dam built in 1913 and the 210-foot Glines Canyon Dam eight -miles upstream built in 1927.

The cost to remove the dams and cut off greenhouse-gas-free electricity capable of supplying 1,700 homes is $324.7 million.

The idea is to save the noble and endangered salmon which you can buy at the fish counter of just about any supermarket in the nation.

One could sympathize with the dream of rivers filled with good eating game fish running free to the sea but if one really believed CO2 and other gases from the coal and natural gas power plants, which will inevitably be used to replace the hydro-electric ones, are going to destroy Planet Earth, one would think that one might have a different set of priorities.

One would think that such a person would fight to save these dams at least until a wind-powered, solar cold-fusion plant  becomes practical

But no, the same group that insists on privation to stop global warming insists on ripping down these dams.

Global warming is not happening. What is happening is a power play by those who are driven to rule others.

Hat tip FreeRepublic.Com

 

Elwha Dam Or Why Global Warming Is Not Happening

Elwha Dam Or Why Global Warming Is Not Happening

 

IAEA: Jap Nuke Event Not ‘Serious Accident’

Much was made of the matter when the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was raised to level 5 on the The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

According to the scale Level 5 is considered to be an “accident with wider consequences”.

It’s a Level 6 it becomes a “serious accident”.

Level 7 is a “major accident”.

The casualty rate as per Wikipedia as of the morning of March 21 is 37 injured (none due to radiation) and two missing.

It seems it is much better to be in an old nuclear plant during a 9 magnitude earthquake followed by a 30-foot tsunami than. say, deep in a coal mine.

America Needs More Nuclear Power

America Needs More Nuclear Power — This article by Chris Freind is being published with his permission.

There is a story about a wealthy man who sought the world’s safest place in which to build his home, a place free from all dangers, natural and man-made. After expending a considerable sum researching such a location, he determined that a particular island in the South Atlantic fit the criteria.

The man spared no expense in constructing the most solid, fortified and beautiful home—one that was virtually impregnable.
But after planning for all contingencies, something happened for which he had not accounted.

The man found himself directly in the line of fire—of the Falkland Islands War.

The point? Life is full of risks, and despite some people’s naïve belief that risks are avoidable, they are not. Instead, our focus should be on mitigating those risks in common sense ways while still living in the real world.
But we don’t.

Already, we have heard the calls to reevaluate our nuclear power program (codespeak for phasing it out of existence) because of the situation in Japan. And God forbid that we should actually forge ahead with new nuclear plants, several of which have been recently approved. That would be dangerous and foolhardy, we are now told.

So let’s get that mentality straight. We should shelve nuclear expansion—a virtually zero emission power source that significantly reduces reliance on foreign oil from hostile nations—because of problems half a world away? Problems that directly resulted from Japan being front and center on the notorious Ring of Fire—home to 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes and 75 percent of its volcanos. And problems that, for the most part, America doesn’t have, since almost none of the country sits on that Ring.

That’s not just naïve. That’s self-inflicted stupidity.

The United States has 104 nuclear plants in operation, accounting for 20 percent of our electricity consumption. It should be double that number, but for decades, leadership has been sorely lacking in both political parties, and the American people are extremely shortsighted on all things energy.

So now that we’re facing $4/gallon fuel—with experts predicting $5 by next year, which significantly inflates the prices of almost everything due to increased transportation costs—what are our options? We have none.

Our drills in the Gulf sit idle, Alaska is pumping but a fraction of its resources, there is no drilling off our continental coasts, and natural gas companies are shutting down operations because the demand is so low.

And now, the stigma of Japanese nuclear problems, combined with political cowardice, will all but halt the expansion of our nuclear program.
We can’t have it both ways. If paying less at the pump, bolstering national security and reducing greenhouse emissions are important, then nuclear power is the only real alternative.

So instead of punting away such a proven and safe energy source, America’s leaders need to show political courage by telling the people the truth, not what they may want to hear.

And here is the truth:

1) Unequivocally, China will not allow its nuclear program to be sidetracked or slowed by the problems in Japan. They have 27 new plants under construction, including the most advanced reactors in the world. While we bury our heads in the sand and bog down any new construction with litigation, our biggest economic and military competitor will continue to challenge our status as the world’s only superpower. And because of their determination and mettle, they will surpass us in a decade.

2) Nuclear power plants are safe. As is the case with anything, risks exist, but with proper oversight and increased fail-safe measures, many of which were implemented after the September 11 attacks, those risks are well within acceptable limits. And for those who may think this author is a NIMBY—Not In My Back Yard—there are four nuclear plants that literally surround my region.

Outside of the Three Mile Island (TMI) incident in 1979, there has never been a major accident in the United States. And not to minimize the seriousness of TMI, but not only was no one hurt or killed, numerous independent evaluations, including a 13-year study of 32,000 people, concluded that there were no adverse effects to the surrounding population.

3) Numerous ships in the U.S. Navy are nuclear-powered (including all aircraft carriers and submarines), allowing them to travel nonstop at high speed without needing to refuel for 25 years. Not only do these vessels represent a huge cost savings and are environmentally friendly, since they forego two decades’ worth of oil, but they are an incalculable asset to America’s national security. And in more than 5,400 “reactor years” of operation with 500 reactors, and well over 130 million miles steamed, there has never been a nuclear accident.

4) Much of the damage to Japan’s plants was due to the tsunami after the earthquake. A common-sense policy might be to build American plants several miles inland from the sea and not on fault lines, especially on the more earthquake-prone West Coast. While the rest of the country is not immune to earthquakes and tidal waves, the likelihood of those events occurring on even a fraction of the scale in Japan is remote. And America’s nuclear facilities are designed to withstand the power of the largest earthquakes.

America’s nuclear energy policy cannot and must not be formulated by what happens in other parts of the world where natural disasters (Japan) or human incompetence (Chernobyl) exist.

Common sense tells us that we can increase our nuclear-power knowledge from Japan’s unfortunate series of events. Those “lessons learned,” combined with the huge technology advances that have been realized from the days of TMI, would make America’s nuclear program the envy of the world.

Incredibly, it has taken a Democratic president to push this initiative, despite the vehement objections of his party’s biggest constituencies.
With Republicans in control of the House and poised to take over the Senate, there is absolutely no excuse for not pushing ahead on the next generation of American nuclear power plants, which would be the first constructed in three decades.

With no end to soaring fuel prices and the Asian Tiger’s appetite growing every day, Americans should embrace nuclear power for what it is: a gift of clean and limitless energy.

To ignore this reality would be too great a risk.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com. Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris’ recent bestseller “Catastrophe.” Freind, whose column appears regularly in Philadelphia Magazine and nationally in Newsmax, also serves as a frequent guest commentator on talk radio and state/national television, most notably on FOX Philadelphia. He can be reached at CF@FreindlyFireZone.com.

 

America Needs More Nuclear Power

Jap Disaster Boon For Nuke Power?

Jap Disaster Boon For Nuke Power — Today’s lead headline in the New York Times reads in part “Nuclear Risks Loom” regarding the troubles in Japan, and an above-the-fold story says that “U.S. Nuclear Push May Be Impeded.”

Other major media outlets have said the same thing.

Is it true?

This article by Barry Brook on BraveClimate.Com, a pro nuclear power site, claims the Japanese plants have held up surprisingly well and that reports of a nuclear disaster are vastly overblown.

The truth will come out in the next few days but if what Brook says turns out to be correct the disaster will be anything but an impediment to the nuclearization of our energy supply. Considering that it would mean that the ancient plants maintained their integrity during  a 9 magnitude earthquake and 30-foot tsunami, it would actually be an incentive.

We will soon see.

Jap Disaster Boon For Nuke Power?

Jap Disaster Boon For Nuke Power?

Pa. Impoverishment Act Could Be In Tea Party’s Sights

The Pennsylvania Legislature jumped on the big green bandwagon in 2008 and overwhelmingly passed the Pennsylvania Impoverishment Act otherwise known as Act 129. The law mandates a 3 percent reduction in the retail consumption of  electricity — 4.5 percent for peak demand — by May 31, 2013 and creates an unelected commission that is empowered to make further demands as it sees fit.

The baseline is the electric power consumed between June 1, 2009 and May 31, 2010.

The idea isn’t to cut CO2 emissions by doing things such as replacing coal plants with nuclear plants or ending traffic bottlenecks. Nor is the plan to improve our lifestyles via increased energy efficiency in which less amount of energy will do the same amount of work causing us to have a financial windfall.

What the fools we elected to lead us plan for us is to raise the cost of electricity to such an extent that we have to watch our pennies as we ration the usage. In other words, we are all going to be much poorer. Well, not all. If you are going to get an automatic $1,300 raise you really aren’t going to worry too much about the rationing.

The final wording was passed by both houses on Oct. 8, 2008 at height of Obamamania and before it was revealed that much of the global warming movement was based on a hoax.

The bill was signed into law a week later by Gov. Rendell.

Only four House members — Maher, Reichly, Hutchinson, and Metcalf — voted against it, which was one more than the Senate dissenters who were  Folmer, Eichelberger, and Rhodes.

Bill Adolph who represents Springfield in the House did not participate in the final vote although he was an aye in the House’s initial passage that happened six months earlier. Ted Erickson who represents the township in the Senate was an aye.

Tea Party groups are expected to be making repeal of Act 129 a big part of their agenda. One activist who plans on making this so is Judy Brown who grew up in Havertown but now lives in Allegheny County and who is on the Republican State Committee.

“The nickname for this bill is Pa Cap and Trade,” she said. “While we are fighting this on the federal level our Pa. Legislature already passed it and only seven republicans voted against it.”

Pa Cap and Trade is a fine name, Judy, but I still prefer Pa. Impoverishment Act.

Green Energy Technology Sailing Away to China

China has moved pass Germany, Denmark, Spain, and the US to become the biggest wind turbine producer in the world.  It is expected that China will be the largest producer of solar energy technology in two years.  In the meantime, as China has been allowed to take the bull by the ring and take all of the green jobs that were proposed during the presidential race, US leaders are still arguing and posturing about whether the government should support the creation of green jobs with taxpayers money or oil companies should be allowed to lead in the production of green energy.  Probably after all the oil is gone.


 I saw a documentary where Bangladesh was even creating solar cells and getting their people to build up their infrastructure with green energy.  Something is definatley wrong with this whole discussion.  I think that a government is supposed to tax people and to spend what they collect with the taxes for the betterment of the people whom they tax.  The idea is that the government takes a little from each person and then spends it to get more than each person possibly could because of the amount of money they have collectively. I believe in big government–government of the people by the people and for the people, that works, instead of a government with no money who has to beg corporations to finance programs.  I guess that I am just old fashion though.  I think of this as I watch all of the green technology projects and jobs floating over to China where they will remain because we, like in most of the manufacturing sector, cannot afford to compete because of their low labor costs. Let’s just wave bye bye to those new jobs everyone wanted.
Green Energy Technology Sailing Away to China
Green Energy Technology Sailing Away to China

Thank You, Joe Sestak

President Obama, at a rare press conference yesterday, took full credit for stopping the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

“The American people should know that from the moment this disaster began, the federal government has been in charge of the response effort,” Obama said.

So now we know why the spill lasted over a month.

Obama then slammed shut new off-shore drilling in U.S. waters saying:

First, we will suspend the planned exploration of two locations off the coast of Alaska
Second,we will cancel the pending lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico and the proposed lease sale off the coast of Virginia.
Third, we will continue the existing moratorium and suspend the issuance of new permits to drill new deep water wells for six months.
And four, we will suspend action on 33 deep water exploratory wells currently being drilled in the Gulf of Mexico.

In other words, he will continue to do what it takes to send our money to our oil-rich adversaries so they can pay to build mosques on the hollowed grounds of the 9/11 attacks.

He also said “what’s also been made clear from this disaster is that for years, the oil and gas industry has leveraged such power that they have effectively been allowed to regulate themselves” which is something that should make you go hmmmm.

With regard to Springfield Pa.’s own contribution to the failure of this incredibly incompetent administration, Obama said:

 

The — there will be an official response shortly on the Sestak issue which I hope will answer your questions. You will get it from my administration, so — and it will — it will be coming out — when I say shortly, I mean shortly. I don’t mean weeks or months. With respect to the first –I can assure the public that nothing improper took place. But as I said, there will be a response shortly on that issue.

 

(For President Obama’s explanation see DNA Tests For Obama, Sestak Neckties? )

Dick Morris, who was President Clinton’s go-toe guy during the most successful parts of that administration, said  Congressman Sestak’s allegation of a job offer from Obama, if true, would be  an impeachable offense, and if Washington is unwilling to investigate the matter Pennsylvan Attorney General Tom Corbett, from whence Sestak is from, should empanel a grand jury to do so.

The sooner Obama is impeached and removed from office, the better for America and the world.

Thank you, Joe Sestak.

 

It’s Bush’s Fault

President Obama is getting some nice publicity for his promise to open up new areas to offshore drilling, a popular and sensible thing which I’m sure he hopes stops his skidding approval ratings.

Of course, what the Old Guard media is avoiding stating is that this is just a follow up on action by  President Bush in 2008 and is only a fraction of what Bush sought to open.

Judge Says Drill Baby, Drill In Allegheny National Forest

Judge Says Drill Baby, Drill In Allegheny National Forest — U.S. District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin, a Clinton appointee no less, said yesterday that drilling for oil and natural gas may resume in the Allegheny National Forest.

The U.S. Forest Service changed a long-standing practice in April to ban drilling in response to a suit by environmental groups
Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, Sierra Club and
Allegheny Defense Project.

Judge McLaughlin said the Forest Service wrongly interpreted the National Environmental Policy Act in changing its policy which had been to receive a proposal from a driller,
review it under previously established case law, and issue a Notice to
Proceed within 60 days.

The plaintiffs were Minard Run Oil Co., Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Association, Allegheny Forest Alliance and Warren County. The economic losses of the small oil companies were in the millions with at least one laying off 40 percent of its workforce.

Thank you Judge McLaughlin for common sense.

Kudos to GrassrootsPA.com for the tip.

Judge Says Drill Baby, Drill In Allegheny National Forest