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The PowerLine
the monthly e-newsletter from
Citizens' Alliance for Responsible Energy
february 2008
Greetings from CARE!
I hope you can feel the energy as you read this month's newsletter--I know it is long. I am sorry about that, but good things are happening at CARE and I am jazzed! Just skim it and read the items that interest you.
I had the opportunity to take two important trips during January. I learned a lot and met some great people. You will see the fruit of one of those meetings below in the article by Linda Runbeck. We met in Washington, DC. When she presented the specifics of the Oberstar Bill to a group of us, I knew immediately that I wanted to share this information with you. I bugged Linda and she got me the article below. While this may not initially seem energy related, think about the impact having all waters controlled by the Federal Government would have on energy production. Please read the article carefully and contact your representatives, asking them not to vote for this bill. It has already been presented several times and there seems to be an insistence to push it through.
In addition to my Washington, DC trip, I also went to New York where I was joined by a stellar group for the Congress of Racial Equality's Ambassadorial Reception and Awards Dinner. I hope you'll read Ron Arnold's report (below) on this event. For me personally, the most exciting aspect of this trip was meeting Sean Hannity. I was able to tell him about CARE and what we are doing. While the meeting was short and in a hallway, he told his producer to get my card and said he was looking for someone like me/CARE. If you are a praying person, please keep this opportunity for CARE in your prayers. Having CARE represented on either his television or radio program would allow wonderful exposure for pro-energy matters.
Between these two trips, I was in Santa Fe for the monthly lease auction. There I met Bruce Black--a geologist who has been involved in the drilling in the Galisteo basin for 36 years. He was there when oil was originally discovered in the area and he is part of the team involved in the new project. When I told him about CARE, he promptly pulled out a $20 bill and joined. Following that, he sent me a copy of a multi-page letter he'd written to send to area residents who where concerned about the local drilling. In the letter, he brought up some excellent points that gave the topic a fresh perspective. He gave me permission to pare it down to an op-ed length and send it to the statewide papers. I've included the short version here. It will be going to papers throughout the state next week.
With all this air travel and accompanying delays, I've been doing a lot of reading. I've found some great books that I think you will want to know about. I have provided a brief review of three different books that will be an important addition to your library. Please give my reviews a quick look and then click on the links provided to purchase your selections.
Of course, this edition of the PowerLine also includes a Blog update. The CARE Blog features an extremely entertaining and enlightening four-part series. I absolutely loved it! Please, please do not miss it!
Throughout this edition of the PowerLine you will feel the collaboration of others who share our concerns. Over the last couple of editions, you may have noticed that I have partnered Paul Gessing of the Rio Grande Foundation on a couple of op-eds. In the next few months CARE and the Rio Grande Foundation hope to bring a couple of important issues to New Mexico through film showings accompanied by experts who can offer additional insights and provide a Q & A session. The details are still being worked out, but if you know of a facility in the Farmington area and/or Southeastern NM that would be appropriate for such an event--and one that you could help us secure, please let me know. (We have an Albuquerque location.) We are also looking for some funding to underwrite the showings. These would be community wide events. Hopefully we'll have details here next month.
Yes, there are some items here that have a New Mexico focus as that is where we are located. But our reach extends beyond state lines as the issues we address are nationwide. If you are not from New Mexico, please read on. Each month, I include items of interest to those from coast-to-coast, those in the energy business and those who are energy consumers. If you know others who should be reading the PowerLine, please forward it to them and ask them to sign up for a free subscription.
One of these larger scope issues is found below in the Petition Project article. If you have an interest in the global warming issue, especially if you have expertise in the science fields, please check it out.
One last item, I have had a request from a reader of the PowerLine to provide a more "printable" copy. You can print this one as it is, but this request was to have one without all the "pretties" to save paper, etc. I have checked with the company who handles this program. I can do that! If you'd like a text only copy, just let me know and I'll make the adjustment in the system. Next issue, you'll have "text only." In either presentation, you can print the PowerLine out, pass it around, or read it at your leisure.
Please send me any responses or ideas you have. I look forward to hearing from you!
Thanks for CARE-ing!
Marita Noon
Executive Director
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The activities here at CARE are continuing forward. To help you see where your membership dollars are being spent, here are some of the events in which CARE has had a presence during the month of January.
Returning home to New Mexico on Sunday night, Marita then attended the usual State Lease Auction at the State Land Office in Santa Fe on January 15. There attendees from throughout the southwest enjoyed apricot scones and the Commissioner's favorite chocolate chip cookies. They also took home CARE's new consumer focused brochure and the new Misconceptions and Myths talking-points cards.
The following Sunday Marita headed back to the east coast for
the Congress of Racial Equality's Ambassadorial Reception and Awards Dinner in New York where the book Energy Keepers-Energy Killers: The New Civil Rights Battle by Roy Innis--which includes portions of CARE's Environmental Utopia Analysis--was launched and given to all attendees. (Read Ron Arnold's full report below.)
In New York, Marita had the opportunity to make many  wonderful connections. Here she is at the private pre-event reception in Roy Innis' suite with Paul Driessen (one of CARE's Energy Counsel Members) and Ralph Conner of the Heartland Institute.
Some of the evening's highlights included meeting Sean Hannity and noted evangelist T. D. Jakes.
On February 6, Marita will head to Houston for the NAPE Expo which should afford CARE excellent opportunities for networking and new memberships! While in Houston, Marita has been invited to speak at two differnt times for an industry networking event on Thursday morning at 6:15 and 9:15 AM. This event is open to anyone in the area--whether or not you are attending NAPE. Join us at Hilton America's at 1600 Lamar in Houston. Call 972.841.0777 or visit www.eeea.org for more information.
 While all of these opportunites are helping to spread CARE's message of abundant, available and affordable energy, they also help form vital partnerships with other organzations throughout the country who have similar missions.
One of the most exciting is coming up next month! Through contacts made in New York, CARE has been invited to join many other powerful--and better known--organizations in co-sponsoring the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change, March 2-4, in New York. Please check it out and join us! Attendance is limited to 500.
If you are in Farmington, please mark your calendar now for March 18. Marita will be in town for the COPAS lunch. Marita hopes to have several other meetings around the same time. Watch this section of the PowerLine next month for more details.
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Power Launch
Ron Arnold
A prestigious group gathered at the New York Sheraton Hotel and Towers on January 21 to attend the 2008 Martin Luther King Day event hosted by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).
The nearly 2,000 attendees included numerous non-profit organization leaders:
- Bishop T. D. Jakes, Founder and Senior Pastor, The Potters House (2008 Honoree)
- Jim Martin, President of 60 Plus Association
- Morry Davis and William Suggs of American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE)
- Marita Noon, Executive Director of Citizens Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE)
- Ralph Connor, Heartland Institute
- Jim Sims, Americans for American Energy
- Paul Driessen, Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT)
- David Keene, Chairman, American Conservative Union
 Radio and TV celebrity Sean Hannity was the Toastmaster. A long time friend of the Innis family, Hannity opened the evening's parade of awards, noted speakers, and outstanding entertainment. Hannity is not only a high-ratings Fox News radio and television personality, he is also the author of two New York Times best-selling books,Deliver Us From Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism, and Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty Against Liberalism.
A highlight of the evening was CORE's presentation of its  prestigious Buffalo Soldier Award to retired Lt. General Ricardo S. Sanchez, the commander of coalition forces in Iraq from June 2003 to June 2004. General Sanchez was the highest-ranking Hispanic in the United States Army when he retired on November 1 2006. He is shown here with CORE National Chairman Roy Innis presenting the award.
Buffalo Soldiers is a nickname originally applied to the members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army by the Native American tribes they fought. The "Buffalo Soldiers" were established by Congress as the first peacetime all-black regiments in the regular U.S. Army. The term is now used in reference to U.S. Army units which trace their direct lineage back to the 9th and 10th cavalry units whose bravery earned them an honored place in U.S. history.
Energy Keepers Energy Killers: The New Civil Rights Battle by Roy Innis, with a Foreword by Sean Hannity and an Introduction by Alan Gottlieb, was released at the event. Mr. Gottlieb is an Amazon.com best-selling author for his America Fights Back: Armed Self-defense in a Violent Age, with Dave Workman.
Roy Innis writes that energy has become a civil rights issue. Hostile forces are trying to price Americans out of their energy resources--not Middle Eastern cartels, but a home-grown cabal of environmental groups, wealthy foundations and liberal politicians. They push expensive "cap-and-trade" schemes and block access to plentiful oil, gas and coal on our own American soil, federal lands that belong to the poor and minorities, too.
These rich Energy Killers demand an immediate switch to high-priced "clean alternative energy," like wind and solar power, to stop global warming. The catch is, there's no real energy to switch to. Mr. Innis, reveals the shocking fact that less than one percent of the energy America used in 2006 came from wind and solar power combined. They're not alternatives, they're supplements.
That's Energy Reality, says Mr. Innis. If America switches to "eco-friendly replacement energy," losing the energy we have, we will suffer a self-inflicted Energy Gap, from which we may not recover.
To prevent this political disaster, Mr. Innis called for an "Energy Keeper" campaign to open federal lands to more natural gas, coal and oil production to keep prices within reach of poor and middle income families. One congressman has long led the fight to do just that, and CORE recognized his hard work.
 U.S. Representative Chris Cannon (R-Utah) capped the debut of the new book and civil rights campaign by accepting CORE's first Energy Keeper Award for his leadership defending the energy rights of Americans.
Congressman Cannon is chairman of the influential Western Caucus, an organization of over 50 Congressmen working on resource management issues in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Congressman Cannon supported Mr. Innis' call for an Energy Keeper campaign to keep energy supplies abundant and to keep prices affordable for low and middle income Americans.
CORE National Chairman Roy Innis gave Congressman Cannon two copies of Energy Keepers Energy Killers: The New Civil Rights Battle. One copy was for the Congressman, said Mr. Innis, and asked him to deliver the second copy, along with a personal letter on CORE letterhead, to President George W. Bush.
Congressman Cannon said he would keep his copy on his desk in the House of Representatives where all his visitors could see it.
He also pledged to deliver the second copy and the letter to President Bush. Congressman Cannon then read the text of the letter aloud to the audience.
Dear President Bush,
I appreciate the pressures and demands of the office you hold, and therefore present you with this small book on a large topic: the impact of energy policy on the civil rights of all Americans.
I just wrote it, and it is called Energy Keepers - Energy Killers: The new civil rights battle.
The central issue of my book is access to the energy sources beneath the public lands. As you know, public lands belong to the poor, the disadvantaged and minorities - as much as to environmental elites and the legion of wealthy foundations that fund their campaigns to limit our access to energy.
Low and middle income earners bear a disproportionate burden of high energy prices - and those prices are rising because Energy Killers are preventing us from getting and using our own energy.
The Congress of Racial Equality is organizing for a new civil rights battle - to press for Federal relief, not in the form of government charity, but in the form of greater production of fossil fuels from public lands, to increase supplies, reduce imports and temper prices.
I call on you to exercise all the power of your high office - to retrieve the energy that lies buried in American soil, to help our poor, our disadvantaged, our minority families, without making us beggars at the American banquet.
Sincerely,
Roy Innis
National Chairman
Energy Keepers Energy Killers: The New Civil Rights Battle
is published through Alan Gottlieb's commercial firm, Merril Press. Merril's publishing industry connections assured that the book would be pre-sold on Amazon.com. Merril's national distributor was so enthusiastic that they immediately ordered a second 10,000-copy printing before the first printing was formally released.
Paul Driessen, Senior Advisor to both CORE and CDFE-and a member of CARE's Energy Counsel, edited the book and, as Mr. Innis wrote in his acknowledgments, "not only encouraged me every step of the way, but also did a vast amount of research and fact checking with many, many experts."
I was pleased to offer graphics and the concepts of Energy Reality and the Energy Gap from my recent book, Freezing in the Dark: Money, Power, Politics and The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy, also published by Merril Press.
CARE's Environmental Utopia Analysis was also foundational to some of the ideas presented in Energy Keepers Energy Killers.
Mr. Gottlieb, President of The Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise, said, "We are pleased to carry our relationship with the Congress of Racial Equality into this new area after working with them for years on the problem of malaria in Africa, particularly on Paul Driessen's outstanding 2003 book, Eco-Imperialism: Green Power, Black Death."
A powerful team was brought together to help make this book a reality and we were all pleased to be part of the book's launch at the 2008 Martin Luther King Day event hosted by the Congress of Racial Equality. Please join this team by purchasing Energy Keepers Energy Killers, encouraging all of your friends and co-workers to get a copy and by becoming part of the growing Energy Keeper Network.
More will be presented here as Energy Keeper Network plans develop. Stay tuned!
Ron Arnold is Executive Vice President of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise and author of Freezing in the Dark: Money, Power, Politics and The Vast Left Wing Conspriacy. | |
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Powerful Reading--energy related book reviews
Marita Noon
First, I need to give you my personal comments on Energy Keepers Energy Killers. I read this book on the plane on the way home from New York. It is a quick and easy read--almost like an enhanced brochure. Because it was written for the public, it has no industry jargon and does an excellent job of presenting the energy situation in America today. It systematically builds a case for increasing energy exploration in America and shows how the restrictions placed on the industry are hurting the average consumer. Buy a copy for yourself and one for everyone you know--especially those outside of the energy industry. Mail them out as you would a Christmas card!
 Next, let me tell you about a book that may not seem to have an obvious connection to energy: Junk Science Judo by Stephen Milloy. This book was recommended to me by a CARE Member. It took a few flights as it is more technical in nature and focuses on health scares, but it is a fascinating read. Once you grasp how numbers can be twisted and reports biased, you'll learn to look deeper into the studies that are presented in the media. How does this relate to energy? Easy. First, these health reports often impact energy policy--and they are often skewed. Plus, these same critical thinking skills can applied to global warming and other energy related issues. There is a lot of misinformation and information with an agenda. Junk Science Judo shows how tricky it can be to extrapolate the truth from the material the media presents. I recommend this book to every "thinker."
 Last, but not least is Michael Econmides' new book: From Soviet to Putin and Back. Economides holds a soft spot for me as he gave me much of my initial education on energy though hearing him speak and through reading his energy primer: The Color of Oil. Econmides' style is easy to read, but not light. He is a fascinating writer as he skillfully weaves history and energy together. I recommend From Soviet to Putin and Back to any one who enjoys history or is concerned about the global energy picture--which should be all of us!
The search and control of energy resources have been central to major world conflicts, including both World Wars and other civil wars and global conflicts. Geopolitics of oil and gas power modern life and control trans-national relationships. Countries with insufficient domestic petroleum supplies are inherently vulnerable, and politicians campaign on promises of increasing their nation's "energy independence." Meanwhile, political militancy by certain energy-rich nations such as Venezuela, Iran and increasingly Russia has legitimized their regimes and political leaders. Under President Vladimir Putin, post-Soviet Russia has recovered much of its rightful position and power bestowed upon it by its energy resources, but only after a series of misadventures. What Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev could not do with nuclear weapons and raw military power, Putin is doing with oil and gas in what arguably can be called energy imperialism.
Read From Soviet to Putin and Back, it will put today's global energy picture in perspective. | | |
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The Petition Project
Marita Noon
Several weeks ago, an e-mail landed in CARE's in-box encouraging us to spread the word about a petition drive. As CARE's Executive Director, I feel a responsibility to our members and newsletter subscribers. I cannot bother you with every item directed toward us. After all, they could be scams at the worst or spam at the least.
Before passing this request on to you, I visited the website and did not quite feel convinced. However, the website did offer a phone number--which I called. What ensued was an invigorating--and convincing--half hour conversation with Art Robinson of the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine. I discovered that we each knew many of the same people and cared about many of the same issues. When I was in Washington, DC last month, I met Tom Bethell, Senior Editor of the American Spectator and Contributor to National Review. As we chatted, Tom encouraged me to check out a newsletter Access to Energy. Much to my surprise, Art Robinson is the editor of that publication.
But wait, there is more! Both Art and I will be invited guests next month in New York at the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change--which CARE is co-sponsoring with The Heartland Institute and several other creditable organizations. OK, I was convinced that this Petition Project was something worthy of an alert.
If you are a scientist (Signatories to the petition are required to have formal training or specialized experience in the analysis of information in physical science. This includes many of those with BS, MS, or PhD degrees in science, engineering, and related disciplines.) and you do not ascribe to the "consensus" on global warming and you'd like your voice to be heard, please check out the Petition Project and join the more than 20,000 scientists who are want to take a stand stating that there is not consensus--despite what is reported. You'll need to meet some specific qualifications and print out a hard copy of the petition that you will then mail in. You will find additional information on the Petition Project website.
If you are--or are not--a scientist, I believe you will find the report Environmental Effects of Increased Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide to be an enlightening read. (The complete version, originally published in Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons [2007] is available on the Petition Project's website.) This is a revised version of the original work which launched started Congressman Inhofe into his quest for truth on the global warming issue.
Art told me that they are receiving thousands of responses and their e-mail in box is filled with praise from scientists thanking them for taking this project on. The founders of the Petition Project encourage the public to look at the facts and the Petition Project website is a good place to get started! |
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Bill Would Regulate Activities (Mining Included) on Mostly Dry Land
Linda Runbeck
 A bill pending in Congress would give the federal government control, for the first time ever, over every stockpond, wetland, ditch, arroyo, culvert, pipe--literally all wet areas in the United States. Even more alarming, the bill chief--authored by Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), would give federal agencies control over all "activities affecting these waters".
One word changes everything. Oberstar would remove "navigable" from the 1972 Clean Water Act and replace it with "waters of the United States," an unlimited definition of the jurisdiction of federal authority.
Bottom line:If the Oberstar bill passes, a "wetland" could be mostly dry land. If the Oberstar bill passes, clean fill such as rocks or sand would be a "pollutant."If the Oberstar bill passes, anyone depositing clean fill on mostly dry land without a permit is guilty of a federal felony of "discharging pollutants." If the Oberstar bill passes, "activities affecting these waters" (e.g., building a driveway), done without a federal permit, will subject you to a federal felony offense.
And to prove you guilty, the feds won't have to prove you actually polluted any water!
How do we know this? The above scenarios are exactly what had been happening to many citizens over the last two decades--until the U.S. Supreme Court in 2006 said federal enforcers of the Clean Water Act were in violation of the law and of due process.
The above scenarios, however, are what Jim Oberstar would reinstate with passage of H.R. 2421. Rulings that defy commonsense. Heavy-handed enforcement actions. Hefty fines or prison sentences despite no evidence that any pollution has occurred.
If you are suspected of violating this law, you'll fight federal agencies with unlimited deep pockets. To fix this bad law, you'll have to go to Washington, DC, not your county board or the state capitol.
The bill language gives examples of the types of wet areas that would be affected. In law, the word "including" followed by examples means that the list is not exclusive. Therefore, ditches, pipes, gutters, run-off from trails, etc., essentially, anything wet (or even, mostly dry) would be controlled by the federal government though not specifically listed in the law.
The National Mining Association and others are opposed to the bill. St. Paul-based American Property Coalition is working at the grassroots level to hold congressional feet to the fire and rally citizen opposition.If you'd like more information or want to get grassroots activities going in your state, contact APC's Don Parmeter or Linda Runbeck at 651.224.6219.
American Property Coalition
161 St. Anthony Ave - #935
St. Paul, MN 55103 |
Comments About Responsible Energy
 What do people from countries around the globe know, that you might not? They know that CARE's Blog offers interesting and insightful Comments About Responsible Energy. We do the work for you. You no longer need to plow through publication after publication looking for up-to-date news and opinions on energy. Simply subscribe to the CARE Blog and each new article will be sent to you as it is posted.
Since the last PowerLine (CARE's monthly e-Newsletter) was sent out, CARE's Blog has had visitors from Australia, Brazil, Czech Republic, France, India, Italy, New Zealand, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, South Africia, and the United Kingdom--not to mention America and Canada. Here are the openings from the postings they've been checking out. If one captures your interest, just click on the title and you will be there! (All of the links implied here are active in the actual blog.) Once you read one or two postings, we hope you'll sign up on the Blog to receive an e-mail notice when a new posting is put up. Please add your comments while you are there.
Complying with Regulations Will Cost a Bundle
Tonight the New Hampshire primary reports are coming in. While CARE is not a political organization, we do watch with interest as politics in America impacts future energy policies. Here we have a posting from a source we do not usually follow as they usually feature stock/investment topics. (If you have not read the past postings from Whiskey and Gunpowder, please check it out.) Here "Whiskey and Gunpowder" looks into what at first appears to be pollution in India and China. But read on. The author, Chris Mayer, brings it around to America's political season and the issue near and dear to our heart: the economics of energy and on the flip side environmental protection. Chris' voice is a fresh one with some interesting perspectives. He, like us at CARE, believes energy is under attack. Chris uses the term "utilites are under siege," but the bottom line is the same. Complying with current, new, and un-thought of regulations will cost a bundle--a cost that will ultimately be borne by the consumer. As you read on, you are likely to want to know more of the unique perspective provided in Whiskey and Gunpowder. Please check them out.
What Happened to Global Cooling?
Here at CARE we have wondered what happened to the "global cooling" alarmists of the 1970's. We questioned where they are today. We didn't take the idea further than conversation. We had not yet done the research. But then, a copy of a book landed in our hands that brought an interesting--almost humorous--look to our query.
Read the following endorsement from a book's back cover. As you read, think about what book it is from.
"The dramatic importance of climatic changes to the world's future has been dangerously underestimated by many, often because we have been lulled by modern technology into thinking we have conquered nature. But this well-written book points out in clear language that the climatic threat could be as awesome as any we might face, and that massive world-wide actions to hedge against that threat deserve immediate consideration. At a minimum, public awareness of the possibilities must commence..."
You could well assume that this quote is from Al Gore's book An Inconvenient Truth. It fits doesn't it? No, it is actually from the book jacket of a book from the 1970's. The dangerous climatic changes to which it refers is cooling! The book is The Cooling by Lowell Pointe.
Curious, we looked further. We did a quick internet search on the book and its author. That led us to this interesting article written by Joseph Perkins, a former columnist at the San Diego Union Tribune. He's done the research. Why duplicate his efforts? We share with you, his comments here. While it was written in 2004, the opening paragraph could have been written this week and the rest of the content remains relevant.
On a different note, the above quote is from Dr. Stephen H. Scheinder. The 1970's book cover says he is Deputy Head, Climate Project, National Center for Atmospheric Research. With as wrong as they were on global cooling, you'd think he'd be serving hamburgers at a fast-food chain--hiding from all connections to the climate change alarmists. But no, he is still in the debate as a professor at Stanford University in the Department of Biological Studies. On his website, you can find a plethora of interesting resources. We believe you may find this article from Charles Krauthammer and Scheinder's rebuttal to be most enlightening--especially due to their age.
We had fun with this and hope you do! Do you have insights as to the current work of former global cooling alarmists? Please share them with us and, therefore, the world.
Environmentally Responsible Energy Consumption
In keeping with our goal here at CARE, to educate the public regarding energy reality, we love it when we find a source that you are not likely to encounter--especially when the source offers a fresh voice of reason.
Occasionally we feature posting from this unique view point: Whiskey and Gunpowder. This is a newsletter with an investor focus. While we skim their opinions, we seldom use them because they do not usually concur with our mission--though we did include them in our blog two postings ago. However, over the last month they have been posting what was supposed to be two parts, but expanded to four parts.
Not sure where they were going with their clever title of "Carbo-geddon," we waited until all the segments had been posted. Now that all four parts are available, we will offer you one a day over the next four days. We hope you will want to come back and check out each one.
This posting--part 1--brings up two elements we find especially interesting. The first is an angle we have been pursuing: the cost to consumers of environmental regulation, compliance, and delay. Check it out. The second is a fresh perspective that we found particularly enlightening: the effective use of fossil fuels. Give it a read and then let us know what you think.
We're Losing Our Freedoms
Omigosh! You have got to love this guy--and none of us have ever met him. He does not take himself too seriously, yet he makes keen points. If you enjoy his style, we encourage you to go to the Whiskey and Gunpowder website and check out the entertaining opening to this posting that we trimmed to get right to the meat of the matter. It is worth a good laugh and with the writers still on strike, we need more good laughs.
At least we still have freedom of speech!
The Key to a Cleaner Earth in the Future Thanks for coming back. Hopefully you have been enjoying reading these installments as much has we have in bringing them to you. Here is the third segment, though titled part II. As you read this, think about California and their desire to have a carbon neutral position. They need electricity, but they want to be "green" so they encourage the building of power plants on nearby states who can export electricity to California. The same amount of carbon goes into the air, but California can claim they do not produce...
Just a thought.
Another item we encourage you to note, is the impact environmental regulations have on the cost of products made in America. Jim Amrhein does not dwell on this, but rather he mentions it in passing. No, we do not advocate having no regulations and becoming a polluter like the developing nations mentioned. We just hope you'll realize that these regulations do have a financial cost to the consumers' bottom line.
Think of this as you vote for candidates you promise tighter restrictions.
Pollution Tariffs
Here we are at the end of this informative and entertaining four-part series. If you are just dropping in today, we encourage you to go back and read the first three parts. You'll find, the author Jim Amrhein has quite a wry sense of humor in which we wraps the key issues--making them an interesting read.
We wish to draw your attention to two specific points the author makes in this installment. First, the element of from where disastrous spills come, and second, the length of time it takes to get a new energy source up and running. If you disagree--or agree--with his view point, we encourage you to voice your opinion here.
To trim the length of this posting, we cut all of the author's comments regarding the e-mails he has received in response to this series. (Remember, the original postings occured over a period of several weeks.) If you have been enjoying these postings, we suggest you go to the original site of the source and read the full version of this posting (there you will also finds the charts and maps referred to in these postings). Better yet, subscribe to the free newsletter: Whiskey and Gunpowder, so you do not miss out on any future wit and wisdom.
With his e-mails in mind, we wish to share one such comment with you before you read on. "Thanks also to the gas/coal energy industry executive who wrote to me from China to report on the horrific environmental conditions there--and to give first-hand validation of my assertion that China's energy costs are so cheap in large part because of lax enviro-regulation..."
Comments on the 2008 State of the Union Address
One year ago, CARE's Blog was launched when we asked various energy experts for comments on the 2007 State of the Union Address. We'd planned to use the comments received as an article for CARE's Newsletter--and we did. But they also seemed to perfectly fit the vision we had for the Blog, so it was started ahead of schedule. Since then it regularly has visitors from an average of 12 different countries each month.
In celebration of this anniversary, we again asked our Energy Counsel for their comments. |
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Protecting Property Rights
Bruce A. Black
We all feel indignant when we see sad stories of a city or state taking away someone's home to make way for unwanted development. The law punishes those who steal. No one wants their property rights violated. Yet it appears, this could happen in Santa Fe if regulators ignore the constitution.
I don't question the motives of those in Santa Fe who oppose what they see as unwanted development--as long as they respect basic rights. Probably no amount of rational argument will persuade them that others have equal rights to the protection and access to our property. As they push their own self-interests, there are important considerations that regulators need to consider.
Property rights don't belong just to those who own the surface of the land. Those who own the mineral right to the land have an equal, and constitutionally protected a right. Those rights are as sacred as are the rights to the surface.
I'm a native New Mexican--born here in 1936. I love this state and its people as much as any one. I grew up with the Sandias, the Cerrillos Hills, and the Jemez Mountains as my playgrounds--there my love for the outdoors and my interest in geology was born. After active duty in the Navy, I returned to New Mexico and eventually received my Master of Science and Doctor's degrees in geology from the University of New Mexico.
More than 36 years ago, I began to explore for oil and gas in the Galisteo basin--oil and gas history has already been made here. The high gravity oil production now established has proven that all the parameters for oil and gas production do exist in Santa Fe County.
I do not claim to be a constitutional attorney, but I am a citizen of the United States and of New Mexico. After spending more than 41 years in defense of our Country, our State and its citizens I will continue to insist on and defend all of our rights under our Constitution.
Every one of us should defend these rights by not letting arbitrary and/or unreasonable regulations be placed that will deprive me--or any other Santa Fe County mineral owners-from reasonable access to their property or otherwise enjoy the rights to their property.
If the pending County regulations for drilling operations are drawn up in such a way that they make it unreasonably prohibitive to use our property, then our rights will be violated--unless of course, the County pays us full value for this confiscation.
This would be confiscatory to not just the mineral owners such as myself who want access to their ever more valuable minerals rights now, but also to all the hundreds (and perhaps thousands) of other mineral owners in all of Santa Fe County both now and in the future. We don't want our property rights taken away without compensation.
Oil companies don't drill wells unless they have to and they only drill as many wells as are needed for access--wells cost a lot of money. Fortunately, new technologies allow for one surface location to be used to drill multiple wells--making the "footprint" of new fields is much smaller.
Mineral property owners in the County (including the Native Indian tribes who own their own minerals), don't want Santa Fe County and/or it's special interest and/or liberal elite, or radical environmentalists to tell them how to use their property. Those who came to New Mexico to enjoy only the benefits of the scenery should not deny the rights of those of us who are also legal property owners, and in many cases were here first and owned our property longer.
According to the media, it would appear that the majority want, and would be willing to let the County make regulations that will attempt to block individuals property (mineral) rights. This could be an incremental step toward taking away property rights throughout the state.
As this conflict goes forward I trust the press will be as adamant in protecting the fourteenth amendment as it is in protecting the first.
If, in the final analysis, the County is prepared to take my property, and other mineral owners property through due process, I hope the County and the taxpayers of Santa Fe County are equally prepared to justly compensate us--they will have to.
Bruce Black is a Consulting Geologist, a Long-time New Mexico Resident, a property owner in Santa Fe County, and a Member of CARE (Citizens Alliance for Responsible Energy)
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Marita was in Washington DC January 11-13 to meet with congressional and administration officials and a network of non-profit leaders. Here Marita is with Kathy Benedetto--Republican Legislative Staff for the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources and Howard Hutchinson, Executive Director of Coalition of Arizona/New Mexico Counties.
of the highlights of the trip included a meeting at the Independant Petroleum Association of America; a meeting at the National Center for Public Policy Research with Ron Arnold, David Ridenauer and Payton Knight; and attending the Cooler 
Heads Coalition's weekly meeting--lead by 
Guide to Global Warming
