Free Republic

Days after taking office as Germany’s vice chancellor and economy minister in December, Robert Habeck asked his most senior officials for a detailed assessment of his country’s dependence on Russian energy. The result shocked him. The country heavily relied on Russian hydrocarbons to power vehicles and factories and heat homes, and there was no contingency plan to secure other supplies, Mr. Habeck said. The government had no viable alternative to Russian imports.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that calls for the United States to increase fossil fuel production and open up the Keystone Pipeline in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a “misdiagnosis.” Anchor George Stephanopoulos said, “Senator Tom Cotton says the United States should be doing more to crack down on the Russian energy sector.”

The Italian mafia is ramping up investment in wind farms to launder money and benefit from EU subsidies. Europol reports winds farms, and renewable energy in general, are the most popular target for laundering money, after analysing the financial activities of Italy's four mafia groups. "The Italian mafia is investing more and more in renewable energy, especially in wind farms, to profit from generous European grants paid for by member states which allow them to mix dirty money with legitimate economic activities," the report said. The renewables industry – is one of the country’s most promising sectors that have surged...