We Know Transparency When We See It – And When We Don’t
Michael Isikoff writes in Newsweek about an Obama Administration stance on revealing which bigwig execs visit the White House on business. The problem is that Obama’s lack of transparency in responding to a FOIA request regarding coal company executives resembles the stonewalling secrecy of the Bush Administration’s handling of similar requests.
As an Obama supporter and Obama voter I am equally elated and dismayed. In the case of energy policy, I’m elated we have a President who seems to be finally making the connection between our dependence on oil – foreign and otherwise – and environmental and national security issues. I’m dismayed by Obama’s refusal to honor public interest groups’ requests to know what coal companies are lobbying the White House on “clean coal” initiatives. The jury is out on the feasibility of clean coal technology and its practicality. As an Ohioan I want to support the coal industry. As an American concerned about pollution, greenhouse gases and the affordability of electricity I want to know more about where the federal government intends to invest clean coal funding and what to expect as a return on investment. As a cynic, I want to know what big spenders – be they coal companies or the Sierra Club – are attempting to game the political system.
Daily Graphic: Oil Well On Way to Climbing Back to $100
Go check out this story at the Financial Times … energy market may conspire to stop recovery …
OPEC Leader: Oil back to $80-90 bbl by early 2010
This isn’t surprising. OPEC producers scaled back production some time ago in the face of a supply glut brought on by the worldwide recession. OPEC’ers are basically saying, we don’t produce more until we make up for the ridiculously cheap prices over the last year or so.
From Reuters:
Oil prices could reach $80-$90 a barrel by early next year, but OPEC will not increase its output until a huge amount of over-supply has been absorbed, the group’s Secretary General said on Tuesday.
OPEC officials have been nudging up their price aspirations since Saudi Arabia’s oil minister said last week an oil price of around $75 could be achieved later this year and would not undermine a tentative global economic recovery.
“The price will go to $80-$90 maybe at the beginning of 2010,” OPEC’s Abdullah al-Badri told the Reuters Global Energy Summit.
Daily Graphic: U.S. Imported Oil Weighs on Economy
Over at the Pickens Plan they continue to release numbers every month regarding how much oil we import into the U.S. Go check out their Oil Imports page.
Full Text – Obama On Auto Fuel Efficiency and Emissions Plan
(Source: White House Press Office)
12:22 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you. Please, everybody have a seat — have a seat. What an extraordinary day. The sun is out because good things are happening. Before I get started, just some preliminary introductions — I’ll probably repeat them in my formal remarks, but I want to make sure that I acknowledge some people who have been critical to this effort and critical to so many efforts at the state and federal levels.
Video – Obama Weekly Address – Health Care & Energy
Transcript – Obama Weekly Address – Health Care and Energy
(Source: White House Press Office)
Good morning. Over the past few months, as we have put in place a plan to speed our economic recovery, I have spoken repeatedly of the need to lay a new foundation for lasting prosperity; a foundation that will support good jobs and rising incomes; a foundation for economic growth where we no longer rely on excessive debt and reckless risk – but instead on skilled workers and sound investments to lead the world in the industries of the 21st century.
Two pillars of this new foundation are clean energy and health care. And while there remains a great deal of difficult work ahead, I am heartened by what we have seen these past few days: a willingness of those with different points of view and disparate interests to come together around common goals – to embrace a shared sense of responsibility and make historic progress.
Daily Graphic: Weekly OPEC Spot Price – 2005 to Present
Daily Graphic: U.S. Avg Regular Gas Price 2008 v. 2009
Data Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Krugman: Yes We Can Cap and Trade Without Hurting the Economy
Paul Krugman takes a Friday off from the financial crisis to deal with the naysayers on cap and trade. The argument goes, say some, that if cap and trade on emissions is put into place the economy will come crashing down around us — things will just be too expensive.
Krugman very plainly outlines some reasearch and a plan that says otherwise:
… the opponents of action claim that limiting emissions would have devastating effects on the U.S. economy. So it’s important to understand that just as denials that climate change is happening are junk science, predictions of economic disaster if we try to do anything about climate change are junk economics.
Yes, limiting emissions would have its costs. As a card-carrying economist, I cringe when “green economy” enthusiasts insist that protecting the environment would be all gain, no pain.
But the best available estimates suggest that the costs of an emissions-limitation program would be modest, as long as it’s implemented gradually. And committing ourselves now might actually help the economy recover from its current slump.
Text: Newt Gingrich Testimony, American Clean Energy & Security Act of 2009
Click for Gingrich Testimony Before House Energy & Commerce Committee (ACES)
Full Text: President Obama Speech on Clean Energy, Newton, Iowa – Earth Day
(Source: Des Moines Register)
Remarks of President Barack Obama – As Prepared for Delivery
Clean Energy at Trinity Structural Towers
Newton, Iowa
April 22, 2009
Thank you all so much for that welcome. It’s a pleasure to be back in Newton and a privilege to be here at Trinity Structural Towers. I just had a terrific tour of this facility led by several of the workers who operate this plant.
It wasn’t too long ago that Maytag closed its operations in Newton. Hundreds of jobs were lost. To have walked these floors then would have been to walk along empty corridors. The only signs of a once-thriving enterprise would have been the markings on cement in the shape of equipment that was boxed up and carted away.
Today, this facility is alive again with new industry. This community continues to struggle, and not everyone has been so fortunate as to be rehired, but more than one hundred people will now be employed at this plant, many the same folks who had lost their jobs when Maytag shut its doors.
Now you’re using the materials behind me to build towers to support some of the most advanced wind turbines in the world. When completed, these structures will hold aloft blades that can generate as much as 2.5 megawatts of electricity – enough energy to power hundreds of homes.
Text: Energy & Labor Secretaries’ Op-Ed – ‘Building America’s Clean Energy Economy’
(Source: White House Press Office)
Building the American Clean Energy Economy
By Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
On April 22nd, people across the country and around the world will celebrate Earth Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the plight of our natural resources and taking real action to make a difference. For decades, while Americans in towns and cities across the country have worked to make a difference in their communities, politicians in both parties in Washington have ignored the energy crisis, imperiling our economy, our security and our planet. Now, we have a unique and critical opportunity to attack the energy crisis head on and create a comprehensive energy policy that will bolster our economy, end our dependence on foreign oil and reduce the threat of deadly pollution that is devastating our planet.
Full Text: White House Clean Energy Fact Sheet
(Source: White House Press Office)
FACT SHEET: President Obama Highlights Vision for Clean Energy Economy
Underscores Urgent Need to Pass Comprehensive Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Obama traveled to Newton, Iowa today to visit Trinity Structural Towers, the former Maytag appliance factory that now houses a green manufacturing facility, which produces towers for wind energy production and employs dozens of former Maytag employees. Marking Earth Day, President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to a comprehensive energy plan that lessens our dependence on foreign oil, creates jobs and helps win the race toward clean energy technology. With the depletion of the world’s oil reserves and the growing disruption of our climate, the development of clean, renewable sources of energy is the growth industry of the 21st century.
The Daily Graphic: Stimulus Bill Changes EIA’s Forecast on Renewables, Energy Expense and Emissions
Source: Energy Information Administration
International Energy Agency Forecasts Demand for Oil Down by 1 Million Barrels Per Day
The highlights from the April Oil Market Report from the IEA:
- Forecast 2009 global oil demand is revised down by 1.0 mb/d after a reassessment of GDP assumptions and much lower-than-expected 1Q09 demand data.
- Benchmark crude prices exceeded $50/bbl for the first time in four months as more bullish sentiment entered financial markets in late March/early April.
- Global oil supply fell by 400 kb/d in March, to 83.4 mb/d.
- OPEC crude supply in March averaged 27.8 mb/d, down 235 kb/d versus February. … Supplies stand at five-year lows.
Text: Summary of Waxman-Markey Bill, American Clean Energy & Security Act
Click the PDF badge for the bill summary:
Click for Summary of 'Global Warming Bill'
Full Text: Waxman-Markey Bill, American Clean Energy & Security Act, Draft Version
This bill is being heralded as the “Global Warming Bill.” This ‘discussion draft’ was released today by U.S. Representatives Henry Waxman and Edward Markey. Some people will likey, some others will go batshit. Enjoy:
Click for Discussion Draft of 'Global Warming Bill'
