Free Republic

The new year will ring in new “green” requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency for heating and air conditioning units that threaten to raise prices and, for the first time, require flammable refrigerants in residential and commercial HVAC units. The new rule has triggered special training requirements for technicians and fire departments as they grapple with dealing with the possibility of HVAC systems catching fire, although testing shows the risk under most circumstances is low.“It’s certainly a unique challenge. We’re trying to balance environmental considerations with fire safety in this particular instance,” said Robin Zevotek, an engineer at the National...

“Electricity supplies are at risk from freezing temperatures that threaten reliable operation of BPS [bulk power systems] generators, fuel supply issues for natural-gas-fired generation, and wind and solar resource energy limitations,” .. A new report by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), which assesses the United States and Canada’s grid reliability, finds that much of the central and eastern U.S. could experience blackouts should a significant and lasting cold snap descend on the nation. “Electricity supplies are at risk from freezing temperatures that threaten reliable operation of BPS [bulk power systems] generators, fuel supply issues for natural-gas-fired generation, and...

A Democratic election simulation program preparing party elites for possible outcomes of the November presidential election has featured a scenario in which Joe Biden, who was roleplayed by Democratic operative John Podesta, will refuse to concede defeat in the election, according to reporting about the event from the New York Times. The so-called Transition Integrity Project was created with the idea of preparing Democratic Party elites for four different outcomes of the election. One result of the election simulation wargame involved an electoral college simulation in which President Donald Trump secures a strong electoral vote victory while losing the popular...