Add Cuts to Energy Assistance to Cuts to Unemployment. The Sequester marches on...

Austerity is a bitch to talk about, so don’t expect this story to make Fox News anytime soon.

Just in time for one of the worst winters ever, Congress decided to make your life even shittier! While temperatures dip to below -50 degrees in some places, many Americans who could previously count on aid from the government to help offset heating costs are getting shut out by the government this year.

The silent killer in all of this is the GOP sequester. While Republicans continued repeating the same rhetoric about cuts to spending, behind the scenes the sequester does its damage.

Sequestration's budget cuts last year meant that thousands of families were left in the cold this winter. Congress cut funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program by about $155 million, and total funding has decreased from $5.1 billion to $3.32 billion since 2010.

Via Jezebel, these Huffington Post graphic tell the story:

JP Morgan may be gouging electric customers and businesses by manipulating electricity.

Wanna get government off the backs of business, and let freedom and liberty ring?

Republican candidates and Mitt Romney say deregulation is the way to go. Heck, they know what they’re talking about, because many of them have been corporate executives themselves, right?

Oh, didn’t they tell you, you’ll be paying a lot more of your hard earned money to those same deregulated corporations, because...well, that’s capitalism. Go tea party.

In Wisconsin alone...

Financial Times: The US electricity regulator has subpoenaed JPMorgan Chase twice in the past three months investigating whether the bank manipulated power markets in California and the Midwest region.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said the bank’s bidding practices may have inflated electricity costs by at least $73m.

Remember “the California energy crisis of 2000-01, when Enron and other traders were accused of rigging supplies and causing blackouts.”

FERC has in the past year alleged Barclays and Deutsche Bank manipulated electricity markets and has compelled Constellation Energy to pay $245m to settle another case.

JPMorgan is already under intense scrutiny since (they experienced) $2bn in trading losses related to credit derivatives.

The bank’s commodities business owns or has rights to output from several electric generators (and may have) extracted “inflated” or “excessive” payments from two wholesale power markets serving California and several Midwest states..

This manipulation, and inflated payments, are ultimately paid for you and me, "businesses and government entities that are the end consumers of electricity,” the FERC wrote.

Anybody for deregulation? That’s what the Republicans are running on. 

What's so bad about Unfettered Oil Production? N. Dakota has the answer.

Talk about spin, check this very recent revisionist history connecting a tax referendum, to N. Dakota’s energy boom, to President Obama:

Newsmax Newsletter: N. Dakota Oil Boom Exposes Obama’s ‘Self-Serving Falsehood’: North Dakota is experiencing such a boom in revenues from oil production that voters actually considered a measure to abolish the state’s property taxes.

They “actually considered” should be emphasized:

ABC News: Voters ultimately rejected the ballot measure to eliminate the state's property taxes, with a reported 76.5 percent rejecting the proposal and 23.5 percent favoring. 

A small matter, according to those who like "unfettered oil production" dotting our American landscape: 

Although the measure was defeated in the June 12 vote, the fact that it was even considered points to the incredible economic opportunities enjoyed by North Dakota residents due to unfettered oil production. “It turns out that, yes, we can drill our way out of our problems,” Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) observes in an editorial.

Forget the fact that N. Dakota residents pretty much thought abolishing the property tax was shear lunacy. 

The Total Lifetime Cost of Energy.

The Forbes Magazine story "The Naked Cost of Energy -- Stripping Away Financing and Subsidies," posted this interesting graph of our energy choices and their costs. What they didn't seem to consider was the eventual price reductions via competition and oversupply.

This should clear up any remaining questions about green energy. Again, wind prices should drop dramatically. Nuclear may appear low now, but the outlays for ;newer plants are overwhelming.

Nuclear: Unfortunately, the $7 billion price tag of a single AP1000 nuke plant exceeds the entire financial portfolio of most utilities.  Thus, the need for loan guarantees or some way to finance big projects which, in the long-run, are cheaper for the consumer and society as a whole. Almost all of the nuclear plant fiascos of the 1970s and 1980s were actually financing and planning debacles, not a fault of the technology.

Wind and Solar need Subsidies, just like Big Oil and Gas.

Oh how times have changed.

Used to be a time in the early 1900's when the U.S. subsidized the oil industry...oh yeah, they haven't stopped getting that subsidy. 

Fast forward to now, and the new solar and wind industries would appear to be in line to get a similar helping hand from Uncle Sam. Nope, even if they create jobs. Fox News of course:

Here's a little Yahoo history lesson:

The Congressional Research Service states the fledgling oil industry in the United States first received government assistance in 1916. That was when intangible drilling costs were able to be fully deducted from a company's expenses for tax purposes. In 1926, a write-off for cost depletion was introduced. That provision allowed oil companies to deduct costs based upon overall gross receipts and not just the actual value of the oil.

Both of those subsidies still exist. The Obama administration claims the average subsidy for huge oil companies is $4 billion per year. The bill in the Senate would have saved $24 billion in 10 years.

When the study adjusted for inflation to 2009 dollars, the oil and gas industry received subsidies amounting to $1.8 billion per year in the first 15 years of the fledgling industry. The American Coalition for Ethanol estimates that when combined with state and local government aid to large oil companies, subsidies amount to anywhere from $133.8 billion to $280.8 billion annually from all sources of taxpayer aid that goes to the oil and gas industry. The three largest oil companies made $80 billion in profits combined in 2011, which amounts to $200 million per day. 

Walker protects air quality by doing nothing!! Magic?

So let me get this right; Gov. Scott Walker thinks that “deferring consideration of greenhouse gas emissions” will in some magical way “maintain our ability to protect our air quality?” Check out his press release:

Assembly Bill 467 allows the state to defer consideration of greenhouse gas emissions due to carbon dioxide originating from the combustion or decomposition of biodegradable material while the EPA  studies the impact of the emissions.  This bill reduces the cost of obtaining and complying with air permit requirements and matches policies from neighboring states. This exemption removes a burden from these industries while maintaining our ability to protect our air quality.” 

Orwell would be proud.

Eric Hovde blames high gas prices on social safety nets. Give those up, and we can buy gas more often.

It's amazing how many Republican candidates and politicians want to be "honest" and speak frankly to the people they serve...the ones they're about to throw under the bus. Hey, they're just being honest....

Take the next big talking know-it-all Republicans candidate for congress Eric Hovde. He's going to lower the gas prices at the pump blah, blah, blah. Only there's one problem, he doesn't mention the world market or speculation. Oops, did he forget? No, he just wants to get rid of Medicare, Social Security and the Affordable Care Act. 

Brookfield Patch: It should come as no surprise that career politicians like Barack Obama aren’t being honest with the American people when they talk about gas prices.

Gas prices have doubled since the president took office. Instead of aggressively pursuing solutions that will ease your pain at the pump and help achieve American energy independence, President Obama and his allies in Congress are writing off the meteoric rise in gas prices as a product of tensions in the Middle East. Their logic is disingenuous, their rhetoric is dishonest, and the consequences of their inaction are having a devastating effect on the pocketbooks of Americans nationwide. 

Just like dumb Ron Johnson’s idiotic reason to become a senator (so he could kill health care for all), Eric Hovde is either just as dumb, or so wildly free market that he just doesn't get it. I sometimes wonder if these reckless idea’s spring up from their power lunches or happy hour pontifications. Hint; “speculation?” 

Middle East tensions have existed for decades, but gas hasn’t always cost $4 per gallon. That is because the rise in gas prices is not being dictated by dictators; instead, it is a byproduct of the federal government’s massive debt and deficits … Sadly, far too many of our leaders in Washington either don’t understand this correlation or are unwilling to be honest with the American people. It is due time that those who we elect to be our voice have a level of economic competency and speak frankly while pursuing solutions that will solve our problems today… 

Well then that rules out our “nothing to lose” millionaire candidate.

Republican U.S. Senate Candidates Focus like a Laser on Lowering Gas prices at the pump. I wish I were kidding.

Are they kidding us? With all the issues that needs to be debated in the upcoming elections, would our wanna be politicians really promise lower gas prices? Even Fox News has given up, for the most part, on this silly trumped up outrage. Polling shows that most people are onto this scam.

But that can't be said of our Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate seat. Tommy Thompson, Mark Neumann and Jeff Fitzgerald have decided to waste our time bashing Obama for the high gas prices. That would mean doing away with the world oil market and OPEC. My eyes are rolling back into my head typing this.

Thompson: "The failure of President Obama to aggressively address this issue is costing America jobs and national security. It's a choice between more regulation or more freedom."

Neumann: "America's energy crisis harms not only our economy but threatens our national security. We really need a big picture energy plan that ends our dependence on countries whose tyrants want to kill us."

Fitzgerald: "Unfortunately, we've seen things from (the Obama) administration like the Keystone Pipeline that's been killed, and that's killed thousands of jobs that could've come here to the U.S.." 

And instead of any tax increases on the wealthy, supported by a majority of Americans in every party, they want to have "straight talk" about cutting the two life saving programs the elderly count on, Social Security and Medicare. God I hate these people. WISC:

Thom Hartmann on the Oil Baron threat to the President, and to jobs.

The Keystone XL pipeline story in a nutshell:

What we're missing, by not building Wind Farms!

While the backward hicks in the Republican Party deny the benefits of wind energy, solar too, take a look at how a few farmers see the new technology:

Channel3000: The 90 turbines are capable of producing enough energy to power 45,000 homes. Residents in Columbia County are now learning how to live with the turbines. Brothers Phil and Bill Sommers have seven turbines on their farm. "It's rather majestic, isn't it?" said Sommers, while viewing the wind turbines. "Isn't it kind of a marvel about how they can get that much power out of the wind?"

The wind farm is spread across 17,000 acres of farmland east of Portage. The Sommers said they receive $5,200 a year for each turbine, a large sum during tough times. 

If Cap and Trade is a job killer, why aren’t requested Utility Rate hikes Job Killers too?

The state utility companies are always raising rates on costumers, whether it’s for higher energy costs or for new and updated facilities. They do this instead of lowering stock holder dividends and smaller profits. After all, investing in your own business shouldn’t cost you anything, especially when all you have to do in an uncompetitive market is just jack the price up. Customers, rate payers, can’t just buy heat and electricity from a “competitor.”

So why aren’t Republicans getting twisted out of shape when utilities request rates that go through the roof? EPA regulations getting tighter? Funny, they didn’t see that coming either.

Biz Journal: Wisconsin Public Service Corp.  said Friday that it is seeking permission to boost a requested increase to its retail electric rates to 6.8 percent in light of new air pollution rules issued last month by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. WPS said in order to comply with the EPS' new air pollution rules, it must either install emission controls, limit operation of its generating units, or purchase emission "allowances" from the market. The utility said it expects to operate its coal-fired plants less in 2012 because emission allowances may be costly and have limited availability and the short time-frame of the mandated reductions hampers the ability to meet the limits through the installation of emission controls.

Caught by surprise? They didn’t think they would have to be a good neighbor and business by not polluting? But coal is clean now, isn’t it. So much bullshit. 

The Energy Tower; it just runs and could power 200,000 homes.

I didn't know about this incredible energy source....

“The project has been started by an Australian company called EnviroMission, which says it hopes, by the time it is finished construction in early 2015, to provide enough electricity to power the equivalent of 200,000 homes. It would burn no fuel. Nothing quite like it has ever been tried in America before.”

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

The tower works by combining solar power and wind turbines. The company’s director tellsGizmag the solar tower relies on one main principle -- hot air rises.

“Around the base of the tower, at about 80 meters out from the tower base itself, are situated 32 massive turbines. The sun beats down on the roof, warms the air, the air runs toward the center, through the turbines, and up and out of the tower. … Once this plant is built, it just runs. It costs nothing to run...”

In Less than 20 Years, Renewable Energy Could Create 11,500 Jobs, Attract Investors, and Save Consumers and Business Money.

This bit of information joins a long list of other studies ignored by Republicans for the simple reason liberals like it. Screw the jobs and money saving technology for consumers and businesses alike, their sugar daddy energy industries campaign contributors are doing just fine, thank you.

Press release: Clean Wisconsin Adopting stronger clean energy goals in Wisconsin could create thousands of new jobs, significantly reduce pollution and save residents and homeowners billions of dollars on their energy bills, according to a report released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

By embracing renewable energy and energy efficiency goals set by the Midwestern Governors Association, Wisconsin could create 11,500 new jobs, generate $2.7 billion in capital investment, and save residents and businesses $5.9 billion on their electric and natural gas bills by 2030, according to the report, “A Bright Future for the Heartland: Powering the Midwest Economy with Clean Energy.”

“Unfortunately, Gov. Walker and legislative leaders have taken a wrong turn, thus far. Their actions will result in fewer jobs and higher energy bills, unless they are reversed.” Since taking office in January, Gov. Walker and legislative leaders have made it more difficult to construct wind farms in the state, cut investments in energy efficiency, and proposed and adopted policies that dilute Wisconsin’s commitment to renewable energy.

Energy Saving Program for business started by Doyle with stimulus, saves $54 million over 5 years. Big surprise, not included in Walker budget.

The Walker administration is no friend of the environment, especially when mom nature stand in the way of business.  So it should come as no surprise that a sustainability program, that saves state businesses big money on energy, wasn’t included in the biennial budget.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the program received a $1.75 million stimulus-funded grant from Obama, or that former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle implemented the pilot program, and would get credit for its success.

jsonline: Small- and medium-size manufacturers participating in a pilot sustainability program with the state Manufacturing Extension Partnership are projected to achieve $54 million in financial savings over five years, in additional to environmental benefits, a report released Thursday says. The report highlights the work of the state Profitable Sustainability Initiative.

Mike Klonsinski, the former director of WMEP who is now the chief operating officer at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp said there is no state funding to continue the program at this time … who hoped the strong paybacks from these projects would convince factories across the state that sustainability initiatives will be good for their bottom line, even without a grant or subsidy.

But that’s unlikely:

Klonsinski said some business owners are skeptical of "green" initiatives … they are in business to serve their customers and make a profit rather than "to provide a societal benefit. But it's not an either-or."

And doesn’t that sum up the problem we’re having with our irresponsible corporate neighbor?

New PSC Member Partisan Hack!! Watch your energy bills skyrocket with her rubber stamp.

Already knowing how our corporate neighbors will be paying lower utility bills in the future, thanks to industry friendly Republicans, don’t expect that same kind of favoritism from the Walker administration.

 

While Republicans continue to whine about the already dead and buried Cap and Trade bill as a rate increasing job killer, something they were fully behind once upon a time, silently and behind the scenes the PSC has been approving huge rate increases on consumers.

That’s about to get worse, at the behest of big energy. A job killer?

jsonline: Gov. Scott Walker named Ellen Nowak as commissioner of the state Public Service Commission … the first time since 2004 that Republicans hold a two-person majority of the three seats on the PSC.

Nowak once worked for the once 3 time felon, but later cleared via a plea deal, Scott Jensen. That goes double for her duties as chief of staff for one of the most partisan mean spirited speakers, John Gard, who’s now pushing the private schools debacle. 

Coal Industry Teaching…our teachers! Classes Brainwash kids into polluting.

Privatizing schools is a bad idea, no matter what promises the Republicans make about its magical abilities to improve education. Corporate influence is also welcome in the conservative free market world they envision. It save the government money, and it’s free of socialism, regulation and the consumer forces that challenge business.

Check out what happens when industry has a say over what kids are learning in school, and then ask yourself, who’s doing the indoctrination.

Washington Post: In the mountains of southwestern Virginia, Gequetta Bright Laney taught public high school students this spring “Where there’s coal, there’s opportunity,” Bright Laney told her class at Coeburn High School in Wise County. Her lessons, like others in dozens of public schools across the country, were approved and funded by the coal industry. These outreach efforts have drawn scrutiny after news in May that Scholastic, the world’s largest publisher of children’s books, distributed fourth-grade curriculum materials funded by the American Coal Foundation.

The school system and the coal industry have honored Bright Laney’s work. She was named CEDAR’s state teacher of the year in 2006 and 2009, winning a $1,000 award each time. Last year, the Interstate Mining Compact Commission named her its national teacher of the year, showering her with free educational products.  In one lesson, she asked students to “mine” chocolate chips out of cookies, awarding credit to those with the most chips.


In another, the class played a game of Monopoly adapted to the topic, with properties renamed after mining camps. Even though the grant was funded by the industry, she said, no bias entered into her teaching. 

This is my favorite overreach:

CEDAR also offers a video to teachers called “The Greening of Planet Earth,” which says that “our world is deficient in carbon dioxide, and a doubling of atmospheric CO2 is very beneficial.”

Big Oil Republicans Vote to Continue to Give Billions of Taxpayer Dollars to Oil Barons.

Here's Cenk Uygur on the most incredible, ballsy vote by big oil Republicans. It's impossible to imagine any conservative voter, whining about wasteful government spending, going along with this bonehead move and outrageous insult to our intelligence. What are their priorities?

Electric Cars Big Money Saver, not more Drilling.

As much as Republicans would hate to admit it, a move to electric cars could save Americans a lot of money. We can only assume they know this, but answer to a higher power, big oil. Check out the amazing savings projections:

Natural Resources Defense Counsel: The Energy Information Agency's unbiased data is America’s official energy bean-counter. Unfortunately, the EIA’s budget is being slashed. 

Let’s look at the EIA forecasts for the price of electricity over the same period … Looks like the price of electricity isn’t likely to grow out of its boring phase anytime soon.  By 2035, the cost of driving on electricity in the high- and low-case forecasts is roughly the difference between driving on $1.15/gallon and $0.98/gallon gasoline. 

Most likely, the cost of electricity for general use will be close to the blue line, which is equivalent to about $1.07/gallon gasoline.  Prices will vary across the country, but on average, driving on electricity for the next twenty or so years is likely to cost somewhere just north of a buck a gallon.  Compared to volatile, unregulated oil prices, that’s a pretty safe bet.  

Automakers will be introducing 30-40 different plug-in electric vehicles within the next several years.  When you buy your next car, try to keep these charts in the back of your mind, and thank the EIA for providing the hard data that makes such comparisons possible.

 Note: This is a rewrite of an earlier blog post wiped out by a "Blogger" technical problem

Job killing rate increases proposed by We Energies. Customers Shoulder Utility Construction, not Company Profits. Now that’s Free Market?

Here's what I can't understand:

Private energy companies continue to rake in the profits, all the while seeking rate increases to pay for building new energy sources like power plants and wind farms. What’s wrong with this picture? The biggest suckers are the customers who pay a little extra each month to fund green energy projects. I like the cause, but I don’t like the fact that it’s on top of the already built in increases to pay for the projects anyway.

And where are the Republicans, who like to scream “job killer” over the thought of higher green energy bills, when everybody's utility bill is going up 5 to 6 percent year after year?

jsonline: We Energies … customers have seen bills rise by more than 5% this year, with a typical residential customer now paying $105 a month for electricity. The power company said its decision is based on its increased investment in building renewable energy projects to meet the state's 10% renewable energy target. 

Most businesses REINVEST their profits into expanding their manufacturing and client base. Not so with monopolistic energy providers. They get to charge extra, while keeping their ever increasing share of the profits.  

The 12.7% profit the utility earns on its investment in the $2.38 billion coal plant has been a key driver in record profits the utility reported in 2010. With the second unit of the coal plant completed in January, 2011 will be another record year for Wisconsin Energy Corp.

So with profits like that you would expect stabilizing customer prices, maybe even lower bills, right?

By the end of the month, the utility is expected to file a detailed plan with state regulators to raise bills in 2012 and again in 2013.

Here we go again;  rate increases pay for construction, and energy company's keep their profits.

The funding plan would pay for the wind farm now under construction northeast of Madison as well as environmental controls being installed at the original Oak Creek coal plant.

Job killer?  Forcing granny out of her home? Never mind. (the same is happening at MG&E)

The Clarity of the Big Oil Moment of Whining! Corporate Blackmail.

So where does it end? Corporate blackmail is starting to get REAL old, and I think the public in general is starting to catch on, after watching big oil whine about losing taxpayer money on top of their record profits and high gas prices. The balls!

States are breaking budgets and giving away taxpayers dollars under the threat of corporate relocation-blackmail. If  business doesn't get what they want, they'll leave for another desperate state hungry for jobs.

The compilation of comments and corporate thinking is not only stunning, but scary. They really think they're that powerful and untouchable.

Even more revealing is the support and lighthearted teasing from elitist Republican corporatist: