Free Republic

The White House said on Thursday it is still working to end reliance on fossil fuels despite high gas prices crimping paychecks and fueling inflation to a 41-year high. President Joe Biden has a stated goal of cutting economywide emissions 50%-52% by 2030 by reducing the use of fossil fuels and promoting green energy sources such as wind and solar. He also wants to see half of all new vehicles sold running solely on electricity by that date. In the meantime, a gallon of gas has tipped over $5 on average for the first time in U.S. history while Biden...

What’s Made from a Barrel of Oil? A barrel of crude oil (42 gallons) produces just under 45 gallons of refined products, from transportation fuels to essential materials for everyday products.

Morgan Harper [D] and Josh Mandel [R], two U.S. Senate candidates in Ohio, faced each other in a debate Thursday moderated by Cassie Young, managing director at Matter News, a nonprofit news organization, and Daniel Wolvin, state director at Awake America Ohio, a religious organization focused on politics. The debate, which was held at North Columbus Baptist Church, started energetically as the candidates discussed hot topics involving the environment, the natural rights of American citizens and racial equity, among other topics. When the candidates received a question about the growing fossil fuel industry, Mandel expressed his support for that movement....

Remember the good ol’ days of the Affordable Care Act? Remember when Nancy Pelosi said we had to pass the bill to learn what was in it? Yeah, that was great, wasn’t it? Good times. Well, hold on to your seatbelts, sports fans. Biden’s infrastructure bill promises to be an even bigger piñata filled with objects usually found in your cat’s litterbox. According to an op-ed by former Georgia Representative Bob Barr, the package contains a well-hidden item: kill switches in cars. Ostensibly, the device, whatever it is, will passively monitor the driver for indications of impaired operation and turn...

Hundreds of protesters led by Indigenous activists from across the country demonstrated in front of the White House on Monday to demand that Joe Biden stop approving fossil fuel projects and declare the climate crisis a national emergency. The rally marks the start of five days of demonstrations calling for greater attention to climate injustices as Native American leaders and tribal members head to the capital to publicize their demands. The demonstrations are part of People v Fossil Fuels protests, organized by a coalition of groups known as Build Back Fossil Free, who are urging the Biden administration take further...

By now, many among us are familiar with the words Green New Deal, net zero, Paris agreement, carbon neutral, etc. All are names for energy policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the very politicians who preach the climate gospel — and espouse anti-fossil fuel policies — have embraced fossil fuels with gusto. Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden called for an increase in oil production from OPEC countries to rein in gas price increases in America, thus contradicting his calls for a reduction in fossil fuel consumption. Will there be an end to politicians’ fossil fuel hypocrisy? Biden:...

On March 5, 2021, the Guardian’s editorial team made a scathing attack on Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in an article titled “The Guardian view on Jair Bolsonaro: a danger to Brazil, and the world.” This is the latest of a string of attacks that the mainstream media (MSM) have carried out on Bolsonaro ever since he became President. The MSM and radical environmentalists have often criticized, and even ostracized him. In the past, many of these criticisms were aimed at his policy decisions on natural resource utilization. The Guardian, in 2021, called Biden’s negotiations with Bolsonaro “Negotiating with your worst...

In his brilliant book, The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves, Matt Ridley makes the case that coal saved Britain in the 19th century just as the Industrial Revolution was picking up steam. A similar argument could be made for oil in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At mid century, a time when oil from whales was a significant source of energy, the discovery of seemingly limitless amounts of oil in places like Pennsylvania and Texas provided an energy boom like the world had never seen. In the quarter century between 1864 and 1892 the...

For many of us here in Asia, Japan has set an economic standard that others strive to achieve. Besides, Japan is one of the active funders of developmental projects across the emerging countries in Asia. I myself have worked on a Japanese-funded railway corridor project in India, which will likely support both electric and diesel trains. But all that is about to change. Japan has announced that it will be moving away from fossil fuels and reducing its dependency on coal and oil for energy. Is that a major blunder? Why is it dangerous to Japan’s economy—and others in Asia?...

If you ever watched South Park, ‘blame Canada’ was quite the tune. Well, as Texas has plunged into a deep freeze due to widespread power outages after a historic and brutal winter storm, maybe we should look to Canada regarding how they keep their power grids running amid frigid conditions. It’s not what you think. It actually proves our point about energy production, which is why the liberal media and the environmental Left probably don’t want you to read this thread about Alberta, Canada. How are they able to keep the lights on? It’s simple coal and gas. The two...

Newly inaugurated President Joe Biden is moving forward with his Clean Energy Agenda. At the heart of the proposed energy transition plans is the assumption that wind and solar offer cleaner and greener energy than fossil fuels, thus saving the world from a potential climate disaster.Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic Leader, tweeted on January 20, 2021, “The Senate Democratic majority will take up bold legislation to defeat the climate crisis by investing in clean infrastructure and manufacturing. It will create millions of good jobs for Americans, regardless of zip code.”Biden announced earlier this month that he is planning to cancel...

Former Vice President Joe Biden suggested last year that, if elected, his administration would seek to fight climate change by any possible measure, including jailing fossil fuel executives for excessive pollution. Biden, who is under fire for his position on fracking in the closing days of the presidential contest, made the comments during a campaign swing through New Hampshire in 2019 ahead of the state’s first in the nation primary. During an event with supporters in Peterborough, the former vice president was asked about what the consequences to America would be if the country did not stop using fossil fuels...

"Mother Earth is angry!" says Nancy Pelosi in my newest video. "The debate is over around climate change!" says California Governor Gavin Newsom, smirking, strangely. They're eager to blame climate change for the wildfires in their state. I'm surprised they didn't say it causes COVID-19, too. Newsom, ridiculously, says wildfires are another reason to get more electric cars on the road. I wonder if he even knows that electricity for such cars comes from natural gas. "This catastrophizing around climate change is just a huge distraction," says environmentalist Michael Shellenberger, author of the new bestseller, "Apocalypse Never," Shellenberger says: "Climate...

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has quietly removed a portion of its climate platform saying that it wants to end subsidies to fossil fuel companies, HuffPost reported. Party officials added an amendment which said that “Democrats support eliminating tax breaks and subsidies for fossil fuels, and will fight to defend and extend tax incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy,” to a group of provisions that were approved together, according to the news outlet. However, that language does not appear in the final version of the party’s platform. A DNC spokesperson told HuffPost in a statement that the amendment was...

Wood is the resource the world is relying on for its low carbon future. It’s touted as a replacement for concrete and steel, fossil fuels, power and plastics. But is there enough of it to go around? […] According to the latest figures from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), global forest production hit record levels in 2018. Up 11% on the year before. “We see an increasing demand for almost all of our products,” says Göran Örlander, strategist at Södra, Sweden’s largest association of forest owners. “The most obvious demand is for biofuels at the moment. Everybody wants...

AOC slipped a bit today when oil prices dropped below zero. First she retweeted this claim from “ecosocialist” Eric Holthaus that “oil is now worthless.” He added, “The is a turning point in the climate movement.” Then AOC quote tweeted someone else talking about oil prices going negative. She wrote: “You absolutely love to see it. This along with record low interest rates means it’s the right time for a worker-led, mass investment in green infrastructure to save our planet. *cough*”

Berkeley, CA, Takoma Park, MD and other cities; California, Connecticut, New York, Virginia and other states; Germany, England and other countries; the European Union – all plan to banish oil, natural gas and coal within 10, 20 or 30 years. A number of US states have joined Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiatives and proudly say We Are Still In ... the Paris climate treaty, no matter what President Trump says or does.   Forget the headlines and models, and look at hurricane, tornado, sea level and other historic records. There is no crisis, no unprecedented warming or weather events, certainly nothing...

7-Eleven’s plan to demolish one of its east Santa Rosa stores and several surrounding buildings to build a sleek new convenience store and add gas pumps has sparked opposition from activists who oppose new fossil fuel outlets in Sonoma County. Texas-based 7-Eleven aims to replace the existing shop at Highway 12 and Middle Rincon Road with a new 24-hour convenience store and at least six gas pumps, according to an application filed with Santa Rosa planning officials. Designs call for demolishing the store, a martial arts studio and at least one adjacent home, forcing longtime tenants to find another place...

Editor's Note: This piece was co-authored by Duggan Flanakin.  “We are all born ignorant,” Benjamin Franklin once said, “but one must work very hard to remain stupid.” Greens are incensed over suggestions that anything but fossil fuels and climate change might be turning green California and Australian ecosystems into black wastelands, incinerating wildlife, destroying homes and killing people. The notion that they and their policies might be a major factor in these fires gets them so hot under the collar that they could ignite another inferno. But the facts are there for all to see. PG&E certainly failed to maintain, upgrade and...

A federal appeals court on Friday tossed a climate change lawsuit brought by a group of children who sought a court order to force the U.S. government to phase out fossil fuel emissions. A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit said that while the lawsuit raised critical issues concerning the government’s promotion of fossil fuels, they were beyond the court’s power to resolve. “Reluctantly, we conclude that such relief is beyond our constitutional power,” Judge Andrew Hurwitz wrote for the majority. “Rather, the plaintiffs’ impressive case for redress must be presented to the...