By Rob Roper
When the folks at the Georgetown Climate Center put forward their memorandum of understanding for thirteen New England and Mid-Atlantic states to sign onto, it was a blow to the interstate carbon scheme that only three states (plus Washington DC) signed on.
Rob Roper is the president of the Ethan Allen Institute.
It was a further blow that in two of those states where the governor gave the okay, Connecticut and Rhode Island, the left-leaning legislatures in both balked at adopting legislation that would actually allow their states to participate in TCI. So, as of now, they’re still out. That leaves Massachusetts, which does not require legislative approval to participate, as the only state left on the field. And now even Massachusetts’ participation in TCI is in jeopardy.
A bipartisan group of citizens, lawmakers, and business leaders succeeded in putting a TCI ballot question up for a statewide popular vote in November 2022. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s summary of the ballot item reads: “This proposed law would prohibit Massachusetts from imposing any tax, fee, revenue-generating measure, or market-based compliance measure if it would reduce or restrict the supply of gasoline, diesel fuel, special fuels, or other motor fuels available to meet consumer demand.”
Needless to say, it is not likely that a majority of voters anywhere will vote to impose motor fuel taxes and rationing on themselves. Odds are that this measure will pass and Massachusetts will be out of TCI as well. And then there were none.
Why should Vermonters care? Because as the Vermont Climate Council is racing forward with grand plans to reduce our state’s greenhouse gas emissions and build infrastructure to support this effort on a truly gargantuan scale, the only funding source they have so far been able to enthusiastically identify to pay for their fantasies is TCI — and even this relative drop in the bucket for what they’ll need ain’t happening. Better they figure this out sooner rather than later.
Rob Roper is president of the Ethan Allen Institute. Reprinted with permission from the Ethan Allen Institute Blog.
It is not just businesses being over-taxed/over-regulated, i.e., castrated to weaken it, so it will be subservient to Dem/Progs.
The US Media and the USPS were mis-used by Dem/Progs to steal the 2020 election, to grab absolute power over the US government.
https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/preperation-of-288-000-mail-in-ballots-in-bethpage-ny-for-use-in
The Dem/Progs do not like the US Media being such a dangerous/powerful rival.
The US Media will get their turn in the barrel, so they too can be screwed over by the Socialist/Communist Dem/Progs currently running the US government, which, after just a few Biden-in-the-basement months, is already driving the economy into ruination, goosing illegal immigration, to unprecedented heights, to alter the US demographics in their favor.
Giving these extremist Dem/Prog folks $3.5 TRILLION, plus $1.2 TRILLION, plus whatever else, to play their ill-fated/wasteful, Build-Back-Better games, would be suicidal for the US.
A united effort is required to take back the House and Senate in 2022, to derail this un-American freight-train.
Obsequious, RINO-run businesses will be threatened as well.
Hopefully, they too will see the handwriting on the wall.
Another boondoggle in the making from upstream polluters wanting us to blame the wrong source and make a lot of people money – guaranteed job security if there is no end based on false premise.
If you want to know what is really going on with the climate: It’s NOT us.
It IS man – but its not US.
Its the corporations that can get a permit without going through any state agencies for aerosol spraying; the corporations releasing SO2 into the air; and its DC licking its lips at all the disaster capitalism to be made, led by our shill in residence, Bill McKibben. Well financed and all
Here’s the website… its worth a gander if you really want to know what’s going on with it (clue: it ain’t you and me):
https://realclimatescience.com/
Fraud has been inherent from the beginning on this weather climate terrorism wolf wolf narrative.
Stop buying into and supporting it. Just make wise choices for you and your family.
And hold corporate fascists accountable for THEIR role in exaggerating climate patterns.
What’s [TCI]?
Rhetorical question but missing information on the premise of this piece of too many readers.
Another GRAND PLAN is to have heat pumps everywhere.
On AVERAGE, Vermont heat pumps displace only 27.6% of all Btus used for SPACE heating in Vermont’s energy hog houses.
In my house it is 35%
Excerpt from
UNDERSTATING CO2 EMISSIONS PER KILOWATT-HOUR TO HYPE EVs AND HEAT PUMPS
https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/some-ne-state-governments-play-deceptive-games-with-co2-emissions
Heat Pumps are Money Losers in my Vermont House (as they are in almost all people’s houses)
I installed three Mitsubishi, 24,000 Btu/h HPs, Model MXZ-2C24NAHZ2, each with 2 heads; 2 in the living room, 1 in the kitchen, and 1 in each of 3 bedrooms. The HPs have DC variable-speed, motor-driven compressors and fans, which improves the efficiency of low-temperature operation.
The HPs last about 15 years. Turnkey capital cost was $24,000
Well-Sealed, Well-Insulated House: The HPs are used for heating and cooling my 35-y-old, 3500 sq ft, well-sealed/well-insulated house, except the basement, which has a near-steady temperature throughout the year, because it has 2” of blueboard, R-10, on the outside of the concrete foundation and under the basement slab, which has saved me many thousands of space heating dollars over the 35 years.
I do not operate my HPs at 10F or below, because HPs would become increasingly less efficient with decreasing temperatures. The HP operating cost per hour would become greater than of my highly efficient propane furnace.
Rob,
One of these GRAND PLANS, espoused by VERY FEW PEOPLE, is to use MILLION DOLLAR Transit buses all over Vermont, under the claptrap banner of “SAVING THE CLIMATE”.
This and other such off-the-charts foolish “plans” would be a big step to permanently consign Vermont to poverty status.
This article explains all in detail.
ELECTRIC TRANSIT AND SCHOOL BUS SYSTEMS NOT COST-EFFECTIVE IN NEW ENGLAND AND CANADA
https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/electric-bus-systems-likely-not-cost-effective-in-vermont-at
China has made electric buses and EVs a priority in urban areas to reduce excessive air pollution, due to: 1) coal-fired power plants, and 2) increased vehicle traffic.
The US has much less of a pollution problem than China, except in its larger urban areas.
The US uses much less coal, more domestic natural gas, and CO2-free nuclear is still around.
New England has a pollution problem in its southern urban areas.
Vermont has a minor pollution problem in Burlington and a few other urban areas.
RE folks want to “Electrify Everything”; an easily uttered slogan
It would require:
– Additional power plants, such as nuclear, wind, solar, hydro, bio
– Additional grid augmentation/expansion to connect wind and solar systems, and to carry the loads for EVs and heat pumps
– Additional battery systems to store midday solar output surges for later use, i.e., DUCK-curve management.
– Additional command/control-orchestrating (turning off/on appliances, heat pumps, EVs, etc.) by utilities to avoid overloading distribution and high voltage electric grids regarding:
1) Charging times of EVs and operating times of heat pumps
2) Operating times of major appliances
3) Demands of commercial/industrial businesses
RE Folks Want More EVs and Buses Bought With “Free” Money
RE folks drive the energy priorities of New England governments. RE folks want to use about $40 million of “free” federal COVID money and Volkswagen Settlement money to buy electric transit and school buses to deal with a minor pollution problem in a few urban areas in Vermont. RE folks urge Vermonters to buy:
Mass Transit Buses
Electric: $750,000 – $1,000,000 each, plus infrastructures, such as indoor parking, high-speed charging systems.
Standard Diesel: $380,000 – $420,000; indoor parking and charging systems not required.
School Buses
Electric: $330,000 – $375,000, plus infrastructures
Standard Diesel: about $100,000
This article shows the 2 Proterra transit buses in Burlington, VT, would reduce CO2 at very high cost per metric ton, and the minor annual operating cost reduction would be overwhelmed by the cost of amortizing $million buses that last about 12 to 15 years.
The $40 million of “free” money would be far better used to build zero-energy, and energy-surplus houses for suffering households; such housing would last at least 50 to 75 years.