Tag: EPA

EPA Carbon Regulations: Science or Religion

George Noga
The EPA carbon mandate costs America over $200 billion to achieve a
reduction in temperature of 2.35 ten-thousandths of one degree per year.
By: George Noga – March 20, 2016

    The EPA enacted, and President Obama enthusiastically touted, new regulations on carbon emissions targeting coal burning power generation. The regulations phase in between now and 2030. This post contains the numbers – which you are not likely to read anywhere else – behind the regulations. Note: The US Supreme Court recently stayed the regulations until after the matter is adjudicated in the appellate court.

    The US uses 18% of the world’s energy of which 36% is coal generated. Thus the US uses 6.5% (18% times 36%) of global coal power. However, absent new regulation, America’s reliance on coal is falling rapidly; over the next 15 years (the length of the EPA regulation phase in) it will be less that 5% of global coal power generation.

    The EPA mandates a 32% decrease in carbon emissions by 2030. A cut of 32% of 5% is equal to a reduction of 1.6% – or one-tenth of one percent per year between now and 2030. The regulation reduces temperature by less than two-hundredths of one degree Celsius by the year 2100. During the phase-in period of the regulation, China alone will add far more coal burning capacity than the US takes out of service. Despite virtually non-existent benefits, the costs to achieve them are astronomical.

    The American coal industry is savaged, big swaths of our country economically devastated, 300,000 jobs destroyed and economic growth stifled. The initial compliance costs are $50 billion and then $10 billion of ongoing costs per year and increasing every year thereafter ad infinitum. Every American household and business will pay much, much more for energy with working people and the poor, i.e. those who Obama claims to be looking out for, the most severely impacted.

    For any American president to invoke such an extreme measure by executive fiat, one would have to believe the horrendous sacrifices being demanded of the American people are justified by the results attained, i.e. the costs bear at least some relationship to the putative benefits. Yet as shown herein, the costs are real, onerous and immediate while the benefits are  microscopic, uncertain and remote. Reductions of carbon of .1% (one part per thousand) per year and in temperature of .02 degrees by 2100 (2.35 ten-thousandths of one degree) per year are so small as to defy measurement.

    Obama is demanding extraordinary sacrifices without benefits; yet that is not the most absurd part of this American tragedy. The pinnacle of absurdity is that these sacrifices are being imposed, not in the name of science, but in the name of climate religion. There is no evidence warming is significantly anthropogenic or even harmful, while there is much evidence (see March 6th MLLG posting) to the contrary.

    This is another instance of liberal elitists impoverishing millions of working Americans solely in obeisance to their unscientific, politically climate religion.

Next up is a compelling juxtaposition between bottled water and socialism.
MLLG

The MLLG Blog Returns for 2016 

George Noga
By: George Noga

      It’s baaacck! After taking 2015 off for reflection and discernment, the MLLG blog returns. To be sure, there are changes of which the principal ones are:

  • We have a new commercial email provider with greatly enhanced readability; with few exceptions (such as mobile devices and Roadrunner email), you will see exactly what was written in the format it was written;
  • Our website is being upgraded to contain past posts from June 2011 onward and new posts on a timely basis; there will be subject and chronological indexes as well as a section containing the best of MLLG writings. The new site should be 100% functional soon; when it is ready, we will let you know on these pages;
  • Posts are shorter – 500 words more or less – readable in 2-3 minutes;
  • Current events and opinion are emphasized; however, economic, political and human interest content continues – fact based and principled as always; and
  • Frequency is not on a set schedule but expect 3-6 posts per month.

There is no cost to receive posts via email or internet. We will not request financial support until 2017 at which time we may ask readers and supporters to make voluntary contributions. The costs of operating the blog are not onerous but are nonetheless very real. There are costs for using a commercial email service for tens of thousands of emails and for, inter alia, maintaining a domain name and website.

Why do we need another blog and what can MLLG offer that is not currently being provided elsewhere? If you stay with us for a while, you should agree that you are receiving perspectives not usually found elsewhere. The author’s background as a financial analyst, economist, CPA and high level political operative confers a special knack for combining fact, logic and insight – not to mention well over a half century as a keen observer of life in these United States and beyond.

We unabashedly approach matters from a more liberty – less government perspective but never – absolutely never – at the expense of facts or logic. We have many progressive readers who respect being presented with principled analyses, even ones contrary to their cherished beliefs. However, the MLLG blog is not intended to convert liberals – but to witness the blessings of liberty to a candid world.

      Enough explanation. The next MLLG post you will soon receive is a memoir of the days the author spent with Jeb Bush and Rand Paul. Not many bloggers have spent full days one-on-one with two 2016 presidential candidates. Other upcoming posts deal with the 2016 election, radical Islam, EPA carbon regulations, how bottled water gives the lie to socialism and a special multi-part series about guns in America. Stay tuned!