Free Republic

Solar stocks were plummeting as President Donald Trump’s tax-and-spending bill narrowly passed in the House of Representatives early Thursday, threatening the huge tax benefits granted to clean-energy companies during the Biden-era. Clean-energy producers like solar companies have worried that the Trump administration will cut back or completely overhaul tax credits introduced by former President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act from 2022. Those credits can be of up to 50% of a project’s value. “[The] latest draft represents among the most restrictive interpretations we have heard speculated and the closest to ‘complete’ gutting of [the] bill we’ve ever seen,” Jefferies analyst Julien...

Congressional Republicans are making a last-ditch effort to gut the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) green energy subsidies via President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill.” The House Ways and Means Committee unveiled a draft bill Monday afternoon to repeal several IRA subsidies including those for electric vehicles and so-called clean hydrogen while preserving tax credits for carbon sequestration, biofuels and advanced manufacturing, which primarily benefit solar and battery storage projects. Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma’s Energy Freedom Act would take an even more aggressive approach by proposing a...

A Maine congresswoman who told Americans to wear hand-me-downs to fight climate change has clocked in over 100,000 miles traveling the globe in the lap of luxury. Chellie Pingree, 69, expensed over $100,000 in business class flights, luxury hotels and dining while her and her team clocked in over 130,000 miles around the globe. According to an investigation by the Maine Wire, Pingree, who prides herself on fighting climate change, was responsible for roughly 15.98 metric tons of emissions. The outlet uncovered that since 2016, 21 taxpayer-funded trips by air across the globe have related to her work as a...

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm made $1.6 million from an electric car company the Biden administration boosted that just went bankrupt. Proterra, an electric bus and battery company that President Joe Biden touted as a success of his green energy initiative, filed for bankruptcy in August. Last week, it finally sold its embattled battery business at a rock-bottom price as part of the bankruptcy proceeding. The rise and fall of Proterra demonstrates once again that politicians should refrain from betting taxpayers’ money on business ventures to advance their political agenda. According to the Wall Street Journal, Proterra has sold only 550...

In 2032, India will need a billion tonnes of coal, partly to charge EVs in urban areas via power generated by thermal plants. Five Indian cities, including the capital, New Delhi, consistently rank in the world’s top ten worst air-polluted cities. Vehicular emissions are significant contributors; Delhi alone has around four million cars – no wonder the government of India is promoting electric vehicles (EVs) on a large scale. While India’s target is a 30% market share of EVs by 2030, the share is currently only 1.1%. Moreover, concerns exist about whether EVs are a green option if pollution is...

- Li-Cycle Holdings Corp., which is set to receive significant backing from the Biden administration, saw its share price slashed nearly in half after announcing it would pause construction on a first-of-its-kind lithium-ion-battery recycling plant. The Toronto company said it would halt work on its Rochester Hub pending completion of a strategic review, including scope and budget. Li-Cycle said it is facing escalating construction costs that exceed prior guidance and is working closely with the US Energy Department concerning its offer of a $375 million loan commitment. Li-Cycle is one of the many companies vying to help the US meet...

This story emerged from an unlikely source involving Glenn Beck’s recent vacation to Europe. As reported at The Blaze, while Beck was overseas he had a disturbing conversation with his travel agent. He was told, “You should see Europe now while you can.” The reason is that the United Nations has been rolling out “sustainability goals” for the travel industry, particularly when it comes to air travel. They are trying to force airlines to get to “net zero” in terms of emissions. As we recently discussed here, the technology doesn’t currently exist to achieve net zero for commercial airlines without...

Ann Carlson's 'attacks on American energy reek of hypocrisy' in light of fossil fuel investment, said Sen. Ted Cruz ... Biden's pick for a top Department of Transportation (DOT) post quietly disclosed a significant stake in an oil and gas development firm despite her past climate activism. Ann Carlson — an environmental law expert whom Biden nominated in February to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owns a financial stake ... Carlson, who was first appointed in early 2021 to oversee climate standards for cars and trucks at NHTSA as the agency's chief counsel, has for years...

Progressive Democrats pushing their green energy agenda during the debt ceiling negotiations are claiming at least some partial victories in the tentative deal struck this weekend between President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy spending they included in their 2022 Inflation Reduction Act will remain in the agreement, according to several news reports Sunday, though neither side has officially announced specifics. In other potential wins for green energy Democrats, McCarthy, a California Republican and the lead congressional negotiator in the debt ceiling talks, reportedly promised Biden he would pursue ways to speed...

On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry stated that wind and solar power will become “far more price competitive than oil and gas” if oil and gas companies see their costs rise because they “have to spend huge amounts of money for carbon capture and storage and utilization.” Kerry said, “I would say to you, Andrea, that, frankly, I’m surprised, pleasantly, on the positive side, by the amount of things that are just taking hold. We see remarkable progress on batteries and battery storage. We’re seeing the price of wind and solar...

Some energy experts are raising a red flag that Illinois’ transition to clean energy may prompt reliability issues. With more coal and gas plants going offline under Illinois' Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, some lawmakers are concerned of possible brownouts. During a recent Senate Energy Committee hearing, Brian Thiry, external affairs director with Reliability First Corporation, said retirements of old power sources are outpacing new power sources coming online. “As we shrink these margins, it is a reliability risk, so it is just something we need to consider. It is a risk that we are seeing and it's a risk...

Here in New York, both State and City, we have supposedly committed ourselves by law to ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets that are somehow going to “save the planet.” The targets for a few years out are completely impossible to achieve, and have been adopted without any meaningful consideration of whether the technology to meet them even exists short of leaving large numbers of people without heat or electricity. Sooner or later we will run at full speed into the green energy wall, but exactly when and how that will occur remains undetermined. Maybe the first crunch will come via...

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is in talks with external partners to use funds from major companies to sponsor developing countries’ transition away from fossil fuels, a source confirmed to The Hill. A person familiar with the discussions said Kerry will announce further details at an event at the upcoming COP27 United Nations climate summit, emphasizing that the proposal is for a partnership rather than a specific initiative of the U.S. government. Initial reporting by The Financial Times, which the person familiar confirmed to The Hill is “overall” accurate, would involve an independent, to-be-determined accrediting organization to certify the credits....

Germany to 'Thermally Recycle' COVID Masks as Country Faces Energy Apocalypse...According to Bloomberg, Germany plans to incinerate close to 800 million sealed face covers, which are however past their sell-by date, that were purchased in the initial outbreak of the COVID pandemic.Bloomberg also reported that Germany spent roughly $5.9 billion on those same face covers marked for incineration....According to Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, waste incineration in Germany offers the possibility of generating not only electricity but also heat....A minimum of 20 coal powered plants across the country are being restored and/or...

California .. the bill is coming due. ... no comprehensive plan to dispose of them. Now, panels purchased under those programs are nearing the end of their typical 25-to-30-year life cycle. Many are already winding up in .. contaminate groundwater with toxic heavy metals such as lead, selenium and cadmium. Sam Vanderhoof, a solar industry expert and chief executive of Recycle PV Solar, says that only 1 in 10 panels are actually recycled ... The looming challenge over how to handle truckloads of waste... “The industry is supposed to be green,” Vanderhoof said. “But in reality, it’s all about the...

The Department of Education revealed in a recent report that it will consider grant applications, in part, based on how "equity" is incorporated into grant proposals. The "2022 Agency Equity Plan related to Executive Order 13985," published Thursday, is part of one of President Joe Biden's first executive orders, the "Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government." The "executive summary" of Thursday's 19-page report reads, "As we enter a new era of possibility for our nation, education must be at the forefront of our recovery, rebuilding and resiliency efforts. To meet this...

Harrison Ford is one of Hollywood’s most famous climate crusaders. He owns multiple extravagant homes, plus a reported 12 private planes, nine motorcycles and six gasoline-powered automobiles. His private plane collection includes two gas-guzzling corporate jets. Even though his opulent lifestyle depends upon copious amounts of fossil fuel energy, he speaks forcefully about his commitment to fight climate change. ... His multiple real-estate holdings include a 14,000 sq. ft. megamansion in the heart of one of the most exclusive areas of Los Angeles. He also owns a magnificent Jackson Hole, Wyoming estate, the plans for which he sketched out in...

Of the $54 million believed to have been invested in Mantria, $17 million was returned to early investors to perpetuate the Ponzi scheme and make later investors believe huge profits could be had. By the time the Securities Exchange Commission shut down Mantria in 2009, just $790,000 remained from the other $37 million. In addition to the sheer size of the scam, the reach that Wragg and Knorr achieved in a few short years out of college remains hard to fathom. Former President Bill Clinton personally honored their now disgraced work in a ceremony for the Clinton Global Initiative in...

Environment: President Obama's "Clean Power Plan" is on pause, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling in March after more than two dozen states filed suit to stop it. A new report shows why the plan should be scrapped entirely, and the EPA sued for fraud.