Posted on 12/29/2013 4:50:45 AM PST by Libloather
Policies surrounding climate change are poised to heat up in 2014 as major aspects of President Obama's climate plan come to fruition.
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce historic final standards aimed at curbing carbon emissions from the nation's power plants in June, but not before lawmakers and industry groups give their two cents on the issue.
Next year, Republicans are expected to continue the crusade against the administration's climate regulations, which they have dubbed the "war on coal."
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), who sits on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, blasted the administration and EPA consistently throughout 2013 on the "faulty" science behind the new climate regulations and a "lack of transparency."
Vitter said in his year-end review of Obama's Climate Action Plan that Republicans on EPW will continue to push for oversight hearings on the administration's climate agenda in 2014.
Vitter touts on his website that his specific focus on energy issues includes "shedding light on EPA overregulation that is crushing jobs and preventing a strong economic recovery."
He will get his chance to assail federal officials when the environment committee holds climate change hearings. According to a congressional source, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), EPW chairwoman, wil announce the first hearing, on the president's climate agenda, for Jan. 16.
Also, expect noise from oil groups and environmentalists in 2014 as the State Department's final environmental impact statement on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline is due to be released in the coming weeks.
The debate surrounding Keystone XL can hurt Obama's climate agenda if he goes against his promise to reject the pipeline, and it is found to significantly contribute to carbon emissions.
As the U.S. attempts to lead other nations toward strong climate standards, the expansion of oil explorations in the Arctic will be a prime subject of debate in 2014.
As for the rest of the Senate's agenda in early 2014, EPW plans to tackle chemical safety, oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and oversight of the renewable fuel mandate, among other issues.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee's top three priorities include a markup on the nuclear waste bill introduced by a bipartisan group of senators in April, and bringing back the Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency bill, an aide to committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said.
Why can’t we all be painters, writers and dancers?
_________________
Oh, everyone can. And soon it will be forbidden to comment on lack of talent, lack of work product or any other criticism that might make someone have less self-esteem. Unless, that person is conservative, of course.
I’ve made my living in the arts for over 50 years. I’ve been informed I cannot be a conservative and an artist, conservatism negates any value in the end product and it is not fair to actually make money at artistic endeavors.
Most of this uninvited crit began decades ago. I then thought it was just a few jealous people. Now, with the Internet, it is obvious that these envious folks are legion.
I have been reported to the DNR for so-called *polluting* based on my production processes. DNR responded and was unable to find any violations. In fact, I was following DNR recommendations that I had solicited when I began and which I follow to the letter. I then was told that there are cadres of Greens who take photos and express outrage at many, many practices, and they are overwhelming DNR with complaints. DNR told me to not allow anyone on my land if I wanted to stop this.
Hee hee hee!
Over 1/3 of our electric bill is *facility fees*, taxes and other fund *contributions*.
We are still allowed to heat with wood, here, and we take extreme conservation methods to at least keep our energy use as low as possible.
$1800 is our average for electricity, including use for two home-based businesses. We use limited a/c in summer, but what we do use is essential either to the ability to work, the operation of computers or the comfort of clients.
Our propane use is a bit over $1500/year for heat in 2 buildings and hot water, but our bills are over $2000/year. We use an additional $400 in wood, now that we are too old to cut our own.
I thought this was way too high until I spoke with people in the nearest small town who use natural gas and have electric service through a large utility located 100 miles away. Many are paying more with no added business use. If they have a business in a separate facility, the combined costs are approaching $8k/year with extreme conservation and much higher without.
The elitists have succeeded in the US.
We are paying more than that for our 2k sq ft house and just me and hubby living here. We are also frugal.....turn off lights, set the ac high and the heat low.
Yes they succeeded a long time ago here....in California.
This is just the most depressing part of the new USSA.
I used to read about the coin meters for electricity they had in the UK. It was difficult to even imagine. I gather that now all energy use is monitored there from a central location and you have to travel to that place (or use an online banking system) to deposit money for your energy use. No longer difficult to understand.
We have a 2500 sq ft house. One room is storage and not heated/cooled. We are in the Northern Tier and it will be actual -17 here tonight. The propane heat is set at 60. There is no heat upstairs, so I am wearing a microwavable vest and booties filled with flax or buckwheat, texting gloves and have a 300 watt radiant heater under the desk. We will set up Coleman propane heaters in the cellar tonight as this is the temp that will cause pipes to freeze. I may use another Coleman upstairs for a few hours. I have an oil-filled radiant heater in a bathroom area where there is capped water pipe. Our one surviving luxury is a one-person portable hot tub in the bathroom that I heat 2x/day. I use it mornings, hubby uses it before bed. The woodstove heats the back of the house and our bedroom and the kitchen uses a propane wall furnace. Some of that heat travels upstairs over the course of the day.
We have propane in 1/2 our shop area and it is set to 40. It is a very efficient furnace that sips fuel. However, all the propane furnaces use electricity to blow the hot air.
We have a gross income slightly below the median. We just made a quarterly income tax payment, a quarterly life insurance payment and have our bi-annual property tax payment due in 5 weeks. The expected electric bill and the budget bill for the propane is something I have come to dread.
OMG! Who ever thought we would come to this. Our nightmare bills here are in the summer when it gets to 113. We sweat all summer since our ac is set so high to keep our bills less than $500. We also have 2 swamp coolers that help a lot. Our winters are relatively mild, coldest is mid 20’s but it doesn’t stay that way for long. Otherwise we would freeze to death since you have so many no burn days here you can’t count on wood to keep you warm.
I am so sorry and feel for you. Who thought people would have to live that way here.
Your summers are one of the reasons we haven’t moved South or West. Although dry heat is more bearable.
I always am shocked at the *no burn* stories. 20s are cold when you aren’t used to it. At 20-30, a steady fire in the wood stove is all we need. Even in the teens, that is enough, if it isn’t windy. That was the problem earlier today: the wind. It is colder now, but calmer, so we are much more comfortable.
I sometimes think that the elites just have no concept of what life is like for average people. I’ve known a few, back when we were all much younger, who tried living among the rest of us. I think they couldn’t reconcile their legacy agendas with reality and they all slowly slipped away to various enclaves where they didn’t have to deal directly with *little people*. The agendas won over any so-called friendships they may have thought they had made.
Link on that estimate?
An estimate for what?
From your #17: “It’s estimated that about 30,000 Britons, mostly pensioners, died last year because they couldn’t afford to heat their homes adequately.”
I don’t doubt it, but if I’m to use that, I need a source.
Thanks.
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