Canadian Minister Attacks Leading Climate Scientist

Canada's natural resources minister Joe Oliver is stepping up personal attacks against climate scientists. Oliver may be feeling insecure about the fate of the Keystone XL pipeline in the wake of the release of a recent EPA report that clearly outlines many concerns with the pipeline project which if completed will ferry unprecedented amounts of carbon-heavy tar sands bitumen from Alberta to Texas. In the face of a scientific consensus and growing popular support for efforts to combat global warming, Oliver appears to be pulling out all the stops to sell his government's support for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project.

During a visit to a Washington DC Thinktank, Oliver lambasted NASA climatologist James Hansen, saying he should be "ashamed" of his warnings about the dangers of the tar sands and his opposition to the Keystone XL.

For more than a quarter century Hansen has been raising public awareness about climate change, more recently he has been focusing his efforts on opposing the Keystone XL. However, Oliver told the audience at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, "this is exaggerated rhetoric. It's frankly nonsense. I don't know why he said it but he should be ashamed of having said it."

Oliver reflexively rejects criticisms of Alberta's tar sands. Last year he wrote an open letter in which he denounced tar sands critics as "radicals" in the pay of foreign special interest groups.

The climate change denial from Oliver and other members of the ruling Conservatives have prompted Hansen to refer to this Canadian government as "Neanderthals," while expressing the view that Canadians are far more advanced than their national leadership.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Fiscal Cliff Deal Extends PTC and ITC for Wind Energy

On the cusp of the fiscal cliff the House voted to approve a sweeping tax deal that also extends the Production Tax Credit (PTC) and Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for wind energy for one year. The wind industry has grown tremendously under the PTC and ITC and it can be expected that the year long extension will continue this growth into 2013. This is good news for America’s 75,000 workers in wind energy in 50 states. While the deal passed overwhelmingly in the Senate the House vote was much closer (257-167). Predictably many Republicans did not support the initiative and almost pushed the credits over the cliff.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that wind set a new record in 2012 by installing 44 percent of all new electrical generating capacity in America, leading the electric sector compared with 30 percent for natural gas.

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said that the extension of the wind energy PTC and ITC will save up to 37,000 jobs and create far more over time, The extension will also revive business at nearly 500 manufacturing facilities across the country.

One study indicated that half the American jobs in wind energy—37,000 out of 75,000—and hundreds of U.S. factories in the supply chain would have been at stake had the PTC been allowed to expire.

Margie Alt, executive director of Environment America said that wind energy is a very significant front in efforts to diminish greenhouse gases.

“In powering nearly 13 million homes across the country already, wind energy avoids as much global warming pollution as taking 13 million cars off the road each year, according to a recent Environment America Research & Policy Center report. Our current wind energy capacity also reduces air pollution by avoiding 137,000 pounds of smog-forming emissions and 91,000 pounds of soot-forming emissions every year,” Alt said.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Republicans are Playing Scrooge this Christmas

Republicans in the House are looking more and more like Ebenezer Scrooge. The GOP is well known for its anti-environmental ambitions and now through their refusal to support the payroll tax cut extension, they are launching an assault on average Americans. Although many in the GOP signed a pledge refusing to increase taxes, it would appear this only applies to the tax increases for the wealthy.

Democrats and Republicans in the Senate came together to approve an extension of the payroll tax cut that would benefit American families. But many Republicans in the House are now refusing to even vote on that compromise. If House Republicans do not get behind the extension of the tax holiday, taxes will go up for 160 million Americans who can least afford it.

Thirty-nine Senate Republicans voted for the bill due to a provision that forces the administration to decide on the fate of the environmentally destructive Keystone XL oil sands pipeline within 60 days. In the spirit of the season the Democrats gave in on the unpopular Keystone XL provision. However Republicans in the House are in no mood to compromise.

The payroll tax cut is important to American families struggling in a difficult economy. A typical family gets about $40 with each paycheck from this tax cut, that amounts to about 1000 per year for the average family.

One House Republican referred to this debate as "high-stakes poker." Republicans need to understand that this is not a game. The American public does not appreciate the fact that Republican Representatives are playing poker with their financial well-being.

A letter from David Plouffe, the Senior Advisor to the President, said "We've been fighting for months to make sure taxes on the middle class don't go up on January 1st." He is asking Americans to weigh in on the debate, "Tell us what your family will give up if your taxes increase. We'll highlight stories like yours publicly so that they're part of the debate here in Washington. What's missing here in Washington is your voice."

"Too many just don't understand the perspective of a working family. They need to hear what it's like to be part of the middle class in this country," Plouffe added. To send your thoughts to the White House click here.

Nancy Pelosi, the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives indicated that Democrats will not support the GOP's effort to reopen the debate, dismissing it as a trick. “We are not falling for that stunt again,” she said.

Pelosi made reference to the “Peanuts” cartoon series, saying she would not play Charlie Brown to Boehner’s Lucy. In the famous cartoon Lucy taunts Charlie Brown into attempting to kick a football, only to have Lucy pull it away at the last moment.

“He is not Lucy and we are not Charlie Brown,” she said.

Democrats said they would stay in Washington throughout the Christmas holiday trying to encourage the GOP to pass the two-month extension.

As we enter the election cycle of 2012, Obama's approval rating is on the rise and this may be just the Christmas present the President wanted. Republicans who put the fossil fuel industry ahead of average Americans should expect little more than a lump of coal.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Republicans Use Blackmail to Gain Support for the Keystone XL Pipeline

Republicans appear oblivious to both environmental issues and the economic difficulties of Americans. On Friday December 16, Republicans in Congress decided to play a game of chicken with America by linking the passage of the social security payroll tax-cut extension and employment benefits to the Keystone XL pipeline.

Republicans are also pressuring the President to make a decision about the pipeline in just 60 days. However, the State Department has indicated that 60 days is not enough time to explore the issues involved and make a responsible decision.

Although Republicans seem hell-bent on pushing through the Keystone XL. it is hard to justify increasing fossil fuel exploitation in light of the irrefutable body of evidence demonstrating the link between petrochemicals and climate change. We can ill afford to add to more greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere. This is particularly true of tar sands oil which is far more energy and GHG intensive then conventional oil.

If the Republicans have their way, the Keystone will ferry more than eight hundred thousand barrels of tar sands bitumen from Alberta to the the Gulf coast each day. Some scientists have concluded that the rampant exploitation of the tar sands is "game over" for efforts to combat climate change. Further, an oil spill could have devastating consequences to people and wildlife. It may also endanger the huge Ogallala Aquifer which provides drinking water for millions of Americans.

Republicans commonly exaggerate the benefits of the Keystone XL. While some have suggested it will provide tens of thousands of jobs, it will be lucky to supply more than a few hundred full time jobs. Independent research including a study from Cornell University, suggests that the economic benefits have been wildly overstated. There are more jobs to be had from supporting alternatives to fossil fuels.

If the issue is weaning America off of foreign oil, it makes more sense to encourage the growth of alternatives that would move the nation's energy infrastructure away from fossil fuels altogether.

Some have argued that if America does not use tar sands oil it will be used by others (ie exported to Asia), but this is a flawed argument. According to a number of different analyses, it will be far harder and more expensive to deliver tar sands oil to overseas markets than it is to ferry it by pipe to the US.

Going forward with the Keystone will only increase American's mistaken belief that they can continue to rely on hydrocarbons. Increasing access to fossil fuels will also diminish the impetus to find cleaner alternatives and enhance efficiency initiatives.

Perhaps most importantly, building the Keystone XL will expedite the extraction of Alberta's tar sands and raise GHGs.

Supporting the Keystone XL tar sands project makes no sense and tying it to much needed economic aid amounts to blackmail. Rather than threaten to deprive Americans of financial support, Republicans in Congress should be working on strategies to push for alternatives that will provide jobs and grow the economy without imperiling the environment.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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