Inspired by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court throwing out the gerrymandering of Pennsylvania's state legislative districts, State Representative Greg Vitali is seeking an attorney to challenge Pennsylvania's Congressional lines. Vitali has been exploring challenging Congressman Patrick Meehan who is the beneficiary of the most gerrymandered district in the nation, and that really is saying something.
The Pennsylvania gerrymandering of the district lines for Congress is enormous, probably the worse in the nation, though again the competition is tough. But most challenges under federal law fail. It will be an uphill climb to reverse what really is a travesty to democracy and competitive elections.
In Pennsylvania, the Republican party had complete control of the redistricting process and have picked the voters that they want for each district. Pennsylvania joins Illinois, where the Democratic Party controlled redistricting, as classic examples of the old saying that partisan redistricting allows politicians to pick voters and prevents voters from picking politicians.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Florida's Biggest Electric Utility Switching Oil To Gas, Saving $460 Million In 2012 Fuel Costs
Gas has been mainly displacing coal in electricity generation and not much oil for the simple reason that oil provides about 1% of America's electricity and that number is declining. There is not a lot of oil to displace in the electricity industry, but FPL, Florida's biggest electric utility, is an exception.
Oil accounts for 15% of FPL's generation capacity and 4% of its electric generation, but FPL is aggressively switching its oil generation to gas, as a result of low gas prices, to the considerable benefit of the environment and consumers. FPL still has a monopoly on electricity generation so it collects from its customers every single dollar it spends on fuel to generate electricity. Low natural gas prices will cut by an incredible $460 million the fuel costs collected from consumers just in 2012.
www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/20/idUS94603+20-jan-2012+MW20120120.
Instead of paying for fuel, that is $460 million of stimulus to the Florida economy that is freed for investing in clothes, food, school books, efficient lighting--all manner of things. A typical FPL customer will save $4.53 per month as a result of the fuel cost reductions.
Low natural gas prices are also good news for the environment and our oil import imbalance, because FPL is in the process of replacing dirty, old big oil-fired power plants with modern, efficient clean natural gas generation. It has already demolished 2 big oil burners, is building two 1250 MW new gas plants that will begin operations in 2013 and 2014, and might do the same at a third facility. The switch will slash air emissions, including carbon pollution.
Switching from oil to gas has also the important benefit of reducing oil imports, as still about 50% of all oil consumed is imported. The US does not fight wars for natural gas or ethanol or biodiesel, but expends as much as one-third of its military budget to protect oil shipments from the Middle East.
Next Era is the parent company of FPL and is one of the nation's biggest renewable energy companies, with massive investments in wind and solar power. Next Era understands that the next era in power generation will be led by gas and renewable energy.
Oil accounts for 15% of FPL's generation capacity and 4% of its electric generation, but FPL is aggressively switching its oil generation to gas, as a result of low gas prices, to the considerable benefit of the environment and consumers. FPL still has a monopoly on electricity generation so it collects from its customers every single dollar it spends on fuel to generate electricity. Low natural gas prices will cut by an incredible $460 million the fuel costs collected from consumers just in 2012.
www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/20/idUS94603+20-jan-2012+MW20120120.
Instead of paying for fuel, that is $460 million of stimulus to the Florida economy that is freed for investing in clothes, food, school books, efficient lighting--all manner of things. A typical FPL customer will save $4.53 per month as a result of the fuel cost reductions.
Low natural gas prices are also good news for the environment and our oil import imbalance, because FPL is in the process of replacing dirty, old big oil-fired power plants with modern, efficient clean natural gas generation. It has already demolished 2 big oil burners, is building two 1250 MW new gas plants that will begin operations in 2013 and 2014, and might do the same at a third facility. The switch will slash air emissions, including carbon pollution.
Switching from oil to gas has also the important benefit of reducing oil imports, as still about 50% of all oil consumed is imported. The US does not fight wars for natural gas or ethanol or biodiesel, but expends as much as one-third of its military budget to protect oil shipments from the Middle East.
Next Era is the parent company of FPL and is one of the nation's biggest renewable energy companies, with massive investments in wind and solar power. Next Era understands that the next era in power generation will be led by gas and renewable energy.
No European Solar Crisis; Solar Booms in Europe; Nears Grid Parity
An incredible 7,040 megawatts of solar was installed in Europe during just the 4th quarter of 2011, according to www.solarbuzz.com. By contrast Asia installed 6,000 megawatts and the USA built about 2,000 megawatts in the entire 2011. Europe, the largest solar market in the world, installed 18% more solar in 2011 than in the previous record year of 2010.
Some folks for a couple years have pointed to declining subsidies in Germany or elsewhere and predicted the collapse of Europe's solar market. Sharply falling solar prices have proved such predictions wrong, since the price reductions have typically exceeded any cuts in subsidies. For example, module prices dropped 40% in Europe during 2011 alone.
Solarbuzz writes: "As incentive tariffs follow prices downward, less public funding is needed to build significant country markets. In additions, as PV becomes more competitive with retail electricity prices, investors become less dependent on public funding schemes for viable economics. As a result, new markets are emerging, particularly in East and Southeast Europe."
The Ukraine built two 100 MW solar plants in 2011, while Serbia is building two 150 MW plants and a 1,000 MW monster. European solar used to be just Spain and Germany and it used to be totally dependent on large subsidies.
Today solar is booming all across Europe and needs little or no subsidy in some countries. While Europe has been in economic crisis for nearly 4 years, as austerity economics worsens its problems, the European solar market is booming, basking in sunshine.
Some folks for a couple years have pointed to declining subsidies in Germany or elsewhere and predicted the collapse of Europe's solar market. Sharply falling solar prices have proved such predictions wrong, since the price reductions have typically exceeded any cuts in subsidies. For example, module prices dropped 40% in Europe during 2011 alone.
Solarbuzz writes: "As incentive tariffs follow prices downward, less public funding is needed to build significant country markets. In additions, as PV becomes more competitive with retail electricity prices, investors become less dependent on public funding schemes for viable economics. As a result, new markets are emerging, particularly in East and Southeast Europe."
The Ukraine built two 100 MW solar plants in 2011, while Serbia is building two 150 MW plants and a 1,000 MW monster. European solar used to be just Spain and Germany and it used to be totally dependent on large subsidies.
Today solar is booming all across Europe and needs little or no subsidy in some countries. While Europe has been in economic crisis for nearly 4 years, as austerity economics worsens its problems, the European solar market is booming, basking in sunshine.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Romney Outspends Gingrich By $12 Million In Florida To Win Primary
How do you turnaround a big loss in South Carolina, stop major momentum for your opponent, and win Florida when your opponent leads in national polls? You spend $12 million dollars more on mostly negative ads, ripping apart your opponent.
That is what Mitt Romney is doing in Florida to Newt Gingrich, according to Alexander Burn in www.politico.com. Romney has spent $15.3 million to Gingrich's $3.3 million in Florida, outspending him 5 to 1. No candidate can win being outspent that badly.
Romney is up about 10 points in the latest polling in Florida, though he trails Gingrich in national polls through Friday. Look for the Governor to win tomorrow both the Florida primary and a lifetime political enemy in Gingrich.
CBS News Botches Dimock Story, Despite My Effort!
CBS News botched its Saturday January 28th story on Dimock and hydraulic fracturing (http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7396742n&tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea). Most unfortunately the story got critical facts totally wrong; more than a couple million people saw it; and I was in it!
On Friday January 20th, CBS News asked to do an interview with me about Dimock. I traveled to the CBS Harrisburg affiliate and answered from 7:30pm to 8:15pm on camera via satellite numerous questions from a CBS News producer in New York about Dimock.
We spoke about what happened in Dimock and, just as importantly, what did not happen there. Simply put, I said that gas had migrated from poor drilling to 18 water wells, but no fluids from hydraulic fracturing had returned from depth.
I walked CBS News through the testing and investigation done to conclude that gas had migrated to 18 wells, but fracking fluids had not. I stressed that Duke University's testing of the same wells also had found no fracking fluids but high methane levels.
I noted that, since the driller (Cabot) had not done pre-drill water tests in 2008, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's investigation of the water well contamination was more difficult. I explained the various tests and steps completed that supported a finding that gas had migrated but that frack fluids had not returned from depth to contaminate water wells. I told CBS about the recent Lenox Township case involving Cabot where a pre-drilling water test had been done. In that case, there was very low methane levels prior to drilling and very high levels after drilling.
I hit hard that the problem was gas migrating and not frack fluids returning from depth. After seeing the CBS story, I might as well as have spat in a hurricane.
The CBS story starts with the exploding water tap scene from Gasland and flatly says that the Dimock wells were contaminated by fracking fluids and that the EPA has concluded so. It includes a diagram to show fracking and fluids entering the aquifer.
What about the 45 minute interview that I gave? CBS takes less than 5 seconds from it and has me saying only that "Poor drilling contaminated 18 wells."
The piece contains nothing from me saying that the problem was gas migrating and not frack fluids. Nothing from me saying that the frack fluids had not returned from depth. Nothing from me saying that hydraulic fracuring had nothing to do with the problem. Nothing from me explaining the difference between the drilling and hydraulic fracturing phases of well development. Nothing from anyone that contradicted the narrative of the story that fracking had caused contamination with chemicals and fluids of the water wells.
Instead 5 seconds of my interview are edited brutally and misleadingly to build the narrative that fracking fluids contaminated water in Dimock. As I left the affiliate's station, the cameraman for the interview asked, how I thought the interview had gone? I replied that editing would provide the answer.
While Pennsylvania's reporters like Don Gililland, Andrew Maykuth, Laura Legere, and Don Hopey often write factually accurate stories, the CBS story is an example of the national reporting about natural gas that misinforms, misleads, and misguides the public.
On Friday January 20th, CBS News asked to do an interview with me about Dimock. I traveled to the CBS Harrisburg affiliate and answered from 7:30pm to 8:15pm on camera via satellite numerous questions from a CBS News producer in New York about Dimock.
We spoke about what happened in Dimock and, just as importantly, what did not happen there. Simply put, I said that gas had migrated from poor drilling to 18 water wells, but no fluids from hydraulic fracturing had returned from depth.
I walked CBS News through the testing and investigation done to conclude that gas had migrated to 18 wells, but fracking fluids had not. I stressed that Duke University's testing of the same wells also had found no fracking fluids but high methane levels.
I noted that, since the driller (Cabot) had not done pre-drill water tests in 2008, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's investigation of the water well contamination was more difficult. I explained the various tests and steps completed that supported a finding that gas had migrated but that frack fluids had not returned from depth to contaminate water wells. I told CBS about the recent Lenox Township case involving Cabot where a pre-drilling water test had been done. In that case, there was very low methane levels prior to drilling and very high levels after drilling.
I hit hard that the problem was gas migrating and not frack fluids returning from depth. After seeing the CBS story, I might as well as have spat in a hurricane.
The CBS story starts with the exploding water tap scene from Gasland and flatly says that the Dimock wells were contaminated by fracking fluids and that the EPA has concluded so. It includes a diagram to show fracking and fluids entering the aquifer.
What about the 45 minute interview that I gave? CBS takes less than 5 seconds from it and has me saying only that "Poor drilling contaminated 18 wells."
The piece contains nothing from me saying that the problem was gas migrating and not frack fluids. Nothing from me saying that the frack fluids had not returned from depth. Nothing from me saying that hydraulic fracuring had nothing to do with the problem. Nothing from me explaining the difference between the drilling and hydraulic fracturing phases of well development. Nothing from anyone that contradicted the narrative of the story that fracking had caused contamination with chemicals and fluids of the water wells.
Instead 5 seconds of my interview are edited brutally and misleadingly to build the narrative that fracking fluids contaminated water in Dimock. As I left the affiliate's station, the cameraman for the interview asked, how I thought the interview had gone? I replied that editing would provide the answer.
While Pennsylvania's reporters like Don Gililland, Andrew Maykuth, Laura Legere, and Don Hopey often write factually accurate stories, the CBS story is an example of the national reporting about natural gas that misinforms, misleads, and misguides the public.
New Wind Up 31% In 2011 & Key Wind Facts
The American wind industry had another strong year in 2011. It installed 6,810 megawatts of new capacity, a 31% increase over 2010. The 4th quarter of 2011 saw 3,444 MW installed. See http://www.awea.org/newsroom/pressreleases/Q4_making_inroads.cfm and http://www.awea.org/learnabout/publications/reports/upload/4Q-2011-AWEA-Public-Market-Report-2.pdf. Wind power is likely to have provided about a third of all new capacity built in the USA during 2011.
The 2011 completed projects increased America's total wind capacity to 46,919 MW, up 17% over the 2010 total. America operates about 20% of the world's wind capacity. Another 8,300 MW is now under construction in 31 states, as many companies are rushing to complete projects before December 31st, 2012, when the current production tax credit is scheduled to expire.
In 2011, California, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Oklahoma were the top 5 states in building new wind capacity. California alone installed 921.3 MW.
Eight states now have installed more than 2,000 MW. They are Texas (10,377 MW), Iowa (4,322 MW), California (3,927 MW), Illinois (2,743 MW), Minnesota (2,733 MW), Washington (2,573), Oregon (2,513 MW), and Oklahoma (2,007 MW).
Pennsylvania ranked 15th in wind capacity at the end of 2011 with 789 megawatts installed. Pennsylvania may nearly double its wind capacity in 2012 as numerous projects are now under construction.
The American wind industry directly employs about 75,000 people, but about 50% of those jobs are at risk because the production tax credit has not been extended. While strong bi-partisan support exists for extending the production tax credit, rising Republican opposition could be enough to block its extension, making mass layoffs this year throughout the supply chain of the wind industry a possibility.
The 2011 completed projects increased America's total wind capacity to 46,919 MW, up 17% over the 2010 total. America operates about 20% of the world's wind capacity. Another 8,300 MW is now under construction in 31 states, as many companies are rushing to complete projects before December 31st, 2012, when the current production tax credit is scheduled to expire.
In 2011, California, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Oklahoma were the top 5 states in building new wind capacity. California alone installed 921.3 MW.
Eight states now have installed more than 2,000 MW. They are Texas (10,377 MW), Iowa (4,322 MW), California (3,927 MW), Illinois (2,743 MW), Minnesota (2,733 MW), Washington (2,573), Oregon (2,513 MW), and Oklahoma (2,007 MW).
Pennsylvania ranked 15th in wind capacity at the end of 2011 with 789 megawatts installed. Pennsylvania may nearly double its wind capacity in 2012 as numerous projects are now under construction.
The American wind industry directly employs about 75,000 people, but about 50% of those jobs are at risk because the production tax credit has not been extended. While strong bi-partisan support exists for extending the production tax credit, rising Republican opposition could be enough to block its extension, making mass layoffs this year throughout the supply chain of the wind industry a possibility.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Obama and Republican Circular Firing Squad Are Nailing Down President's Victory
January is not yet over, but it has been a very good month for President Obama's political prospects. It began with the meteoric rise of Senator Santorum and Governor Romney struggling in the Iowa caucus on January 3rd. Few things lift Democratic hearts more than the sight of Republicans falling in love with Senator Santorum who brands the Republican party in a uniquely unattractive manner.
Then came January 6th and the news that the nation added another 200,000 jobs in December 2011, as the American economy grows. America's growth stands in strong contrast to the United Kingdom, where austerity economics that is championed by the President's opponents pushes the UK into a deepening recession, with its GDP actually declining once again. Five to 6 more jobs reports like that of December 2011 would nail down the election for President Obama.
But even if he does not get good jobs reports going forward, President Obama has the gift that keeps on giving: The Republican Circular Firing Squad. Republicans are in the process of spending probably $20 million or more on savaging each other in Florida. Romney alone is reportedly unloading $13 million of negatives on Newt in the Sunshine state.
That sunny binge of mutually assured destruction follows $10 million or more flung destructively by Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, and Paul at each other in South Carolina.
Between South Carolina and Florida, the American people are learning that Romney had a notorious Swiss Bank account, as well as bank accounts in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda and pays 13.9% in taxes, despite annual income over $20 million. They are hearing endless stories about Romney buying companies and loading them with debt to leverage big returns for himself and his investors, while many jobs were lost. They are being told that Gingrich was sanctioned for ethics violations in the house, run out of the Speaker's chair, and that he is a mentally-unbalanced influence peddler. That is not counting what his second wife has to say, and what she has to say will not help him in the general election with women.
The result of all this is that the favorability ratings of Romney and Gingrich have collapsed. By about 2-1, the American people disapprove of both of them. Each of their disapproval ratings are above 50% and have spiked since December 2011. Mutually Assured Destruction at work.
Meanwhile more and more data show Obama gaining strength. He has slightly positive approval rating--48 to 46-- in this week's Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. Yesterday, Terry Madonna's poll had the President beating Romney by 11 points in Pennsylvania, a growing margin from the October 2011 poll.
If President Obama's spring is like his January, the election will be over before Labor Day. Of course, perhaps events will turn, and the spring will be cruel to the President. But right now the trends and odds are mounting in his favor.
Then came January 6th and the news that the nation added another 200,000 jobs in December 2011, as the American economy grows. America's growth stands in strong contrast to the United Kingdom, where austerity economics that is championed by the President's opponents pushes the UK into a deepening recession, with its GDP actually declining once again. Five to 6 more jobs reports like that of December 2011 would nail down the election for President Obama.
But even if he does not get good jobs reports going forward, President Obama has the gift that keeps on giving: The Republican Circular Firing Squad. Republicans are in the process of spending probably $20 million or more on savaging each other in Florida. Romney alone is reportedly unloading $13 million of negatives on Newt in the Sunshine state.
That sunny binge of mutually assured destruction follows $10 million or more flung destructively by Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, and Paul at each other in South Carolina.
Between South Carolina and Florida, the American people are learning that Romney had a notorious Swiss Bank account, as well as bank accounts in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda and pays 13.9% in taxes, despite annual income over $20 million. They are hearing endless stories about Romney buying companies and loading them with debt to leverage big returns for himself and his investors, while many jobs were lost. They are being told that Gingrich was sanctioned for ethics violations in the house, run out of the Speaker's chair, and that he is a mentally-unbalanced influence peddler. That is not counting what his second wife has to say, and what she has to say will not help him in the general election with women.
The result of all this is that the favorability ratings of Romney and Gingrich have collapsed. By about 2-1, the American people disapprove of both of them. Each of their disapproval ratings are above 50% and have spiked since December 2011. Mutually Assured Destruction at work.
Meanwhile more and more data show Obama gaining strength. He has slightly positive approval rating--48 to 46-- in this week's Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. Yesterday, Terry Madonna's poll had the President beating Romney by 11 points in Pennsylvania, a growing margin from the October 2011 poll.
If President Obama's spring is like his January, the election will be over before Labor Day. Of course, perhaps events will turn, and the spring will be cruel to the President. But right now the trends and odds are mounting in his favor.
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