Posted on 08/12/2008 9:56:20 PM PDT by Kaslin
eek, Pelosi refuses to consider GOP energy proposals that don't include massive government subsidies for so-called eco-alternatives that have never panned out.
Which brings us to Madame Speaker's 2007 financial disclosure form. Schedule III lists "Assets and 'Unearned Income'" of between $100,001-$250,000 from Clean Energy Fuels Corp. -- Public Common Stock. Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (CLNE) is a natural gas provider founded by T. Boone Pickens. Yep, that T. Boone Pickens -- former oilman turned wind-power evangelist whose ads touting a national wind campaign are now as ubiquitous as Viagra promos.
Pickens and Pelosi share the same talking points downplaying the need to drill and open up more access to American oil. Instead, the Pickens pie-in-the-sky plan proposes to replace natural gas with wind power in power generation and theoretically free up natural gas for America's transportation needs.
All well and good in la-la land, but let's be real about the limitations and costs of wind power. Past and ongoing experience demonstrates the unreliability of wind and the miserably low operating capacity of wind power facilities here and around the world. Depending on wind requires supplemental fossil fuel plants as backup to be turned on and off to compensate for wind power supply shortfalls -- nullifying any reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, which are miniscule, according to the National Academy of Sciences.
Not to mention the thousands of sliced-up birds and other wildlife that have become wind power casualties -- a problem scientists say would be solved by "repowering" old turbines at a cost of untold billions.
Fittingly, the environmental mascot of the Democratic National Convention -- the showcase of their alternative energy approach -- is an eastern Colorado wind turbine propped up with Democratic carbon-credit funds that has never produced any substantial energy because of its chronic equipment malfunctions.
But I digress.
Naturally, the Pickens Big Wind plan is proudly endorsed by Do-Nothing Pelosi's friends at the obstructionist Sierra Club. Through another company, Mesa Power, Pickens has committed upward of $12 billion in wind farms on the Texas panhandle. CLNE and Mesa Power are separate entities, but what benefits one piece of the Pickens puzzle benefits them all. The wind venture, as Pickens himself acknowledges, depends on permanent federal subsidies.
Pickens is banking on 'em. And Pelosi is banking on him.
As reported on dontgomovement.com, Speaker Pelosi bought between $50,000 and $100,000 worth of stock in Pickens' CLNE Corp. in May 2007 on the day of the initial public offering:
"She, and other investors, stand to gain a substantial return on their investment if gasoline prices stay high, and municipal, state and even the Federal governments start using natural gas as their primary fuel source. If gasoline prices fall? Alternative fuels and the cost to convert fleets over to them become less and less attractive."
CLNE also happens to be the sponsor of Proposition 10, a ballot initiative in Pelosi's home state of California to dole out a combined $10 billion in state and federal funds for renewable energy incentives -- namely, natural gas and wind.
Follow the money. Or, to put it in economist's terms as energy analyst Kenneth Medlock III did in an interview with The Dallas Morning News about the Pickens multibillion dollar wind farm investment: "A lot of what he's trying to do is add value to a stranded asset he's obviously got millions of dollars on the line."
And so, potentially, does the Democratic Speaker of the House -- all the while wagging her finger at the financial motivation of others.
“beholden to special interests-Big Wind”.
bump
This morning on the Morning Show here in AL, I heard that Ms. Pelosi has 28,000 shares of CLNE.
I guess this gives us all a little insight into why she is so positive that there will be NO vote on the “All of the Above” legislation.
I’m not believing in Picken’s benevolence for a second. Clean coal or nuclear can beat wind power hands down for energy generation, but he’s not pushing for that.
A simple government mandate forcing auto manufacturers to produce natural gas vehicles would force an artificial shift to such an alternative and they could ban natural gas energy production so vehicles could use it instead.
But that wouldn’t funnel taxpayer money into his pockets, but I’m sure Pelosi would love to do that, even though it would probably be a disaster because of rapid shifts in demand if they did that.
I thought this might interest you, especially since the adorable Pelosi is involved. Note also that CLNE is a sponsor for Proposition 10!
The wind venture, as Pickens himself acknowledges, depends on permanent federal subsidies.
:::
Isn’t that special? PERMANENT FEDERAL SUBSIDIES
I’m not believing in Picken’s benevolence for a second. Clean coal or nuclear can beat wind power hands down for energy generation, but he’s not pushing for that. Brett66
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You might be right, Brett66. I hope you aren’t, though. I am just not ready to condemn Boone Pickens yet. I am certainly not ready to say he is in league with the libs. He has been one of the greatest supporters of the GOP in the country. Check this out: http://www.newsmeat.com/billionaire_political_donations/T_Boone_Pickens.php. I really do think he is sincere in his wind energy efforts and I believe that he is being labeled as being in bed with the libs—yuck!—unfairly.
it is really about “sheltering” family income via lobbyists.
Pelosi can get paid extra so she funnels the lobby work to benefit her husband. (she has a husband?!)
wind corridor= eminent domain and payoff for people who have otherwise useless land.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.