NC Media Watch

Climate of Extremes

Russ Steele

Yesterday UPS dropped Climate of Extremes: Global Warming Science they Don't Want your to Know on our front steps at Noon, and by 8:15 last night I could not wait to start reading his latest book by Patrick Michaels and Robert Balling Jr.  I had seen the CATO Institute ad sent to me by my friend George Rebane, and it looked very interesting. 

In the Preface Michaels tell us why he is writing this book and leaving the University of Virginia. He is leaving after being told by the Virginia Governor Tim Kaine he could no longer refer to himself as the Virginia State Climatologist if he kept talking about global warming and explaining the science to reporters. He goes on to enumerate the other State Climatologist that have been fired, or muzzled in Washington, Oregon and Delaware for failing to follow the political dictates that "the science is know, and humans are responsible."

NASA to Launch Satellite to Study Global Warming

Russ Steele

Voice of America has an interesting article this morning reporting that NASA will launch the first satellite designed exclusively to answer questions about the distribution and source of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Scientists say at least 95 percent of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere comes from natural sources, such as animal and plant respiration.
 
They believe global warming is caused by the remainder of carbon dioxide from manmade sources, such as tailpipe emissions and deforestation, trapped in the atmosphere.
 
No one is certain exactly where the manmade sources of CO2 are coming from. Scientists are hoping to learn that, and gather other data, beginning later this year with the launch on February 23 of the space agency's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO.

I find it hard to believe that 5% of human generated CO2 would have that much impact on global warming, especially since water vapor makes up 95% of all the greenhouse gases.  So what we are talking about is 5% percent of 5%.  That is a rather small number.  Lets hope that the NASA Satellite provided us the insight necessary to make good science based global warming policy. 

Let's put shameful in perspective

Russ Steele

I am a visual learner, if I can draws a picture in my note book, or make a sketch on the back of envelope, I am more likely to remember the subject under discussion. That is why I like white boards to doodle on while talking about economic development at the ERC. 

This whole stimulus thing was hard for me to get a handle on without a graphic. This one at Suitably Flip  gets right to core of the issue -- wealth distribution!

As you can see those shameful Wall Street Bonus President Obama is fussing about just jump right out  at you.  Obama forgets that those bonus were negotiated long before the big crash and bailout.  Senior and Middle management worked out the parameters for those bonuses well before last year and thsoe wall streeters agreed to give up salary for a potential bonus if they did meet their goals. They gambled on their ability.

Look at the size of the interest payments we are leaving for our children, they are larger than the infrastructure investment, but about equal to the wealth distribution. I think this fussing about bonuses is to distract us from the fact that most people do not like the bailout. They recognize it for the pork laden wealth distribution that it is. Distraction is the only options left. 

If you have some thought on this pork laden wealth distribution, there are links to California's two Senators on the left side of this page.

Sierra update on CARBs Advance Vapor Recovery mandate

Russ Steele

In this post I wrote about the CARB mandate for all gas stations to have Phase II Vapor Recovery System in place by April 2009. Calling around Grass Valley and Nevada City this morning I found that some local station have complied, but many have not. The Flyers Stations in Glenbrook are currently upgrading and four Robinson Enterprise stations have up already graded.  It costs about $50,000 per station to install the new vapor recovery systems. You have to sell a lot of gas to recover the cost of the upgrade, so the largest burden is on the lower volume stations, the mom and pop stations. Some station have increased their price per gallon by one cent to cover the cost, others lack the funds necessary to pay for the upgrade. The tight money markets are not helping.  

The Northern Sierra Air Quality District is very clear on their web site: Vapor Recovery

With only a few exceptions, the Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District requires all retail gasoline dispensing facilities to be equipped with a Phase I and Phase II vapor recovery system. All new facilities and all major modifications to existing facilities must be done under the authority of an Air District permit.

On the other had the NSAQMD is working with stations to comply with the CARB regulations. "The Air district is going to do every thing in our power to make the transition as easy as possible." said Joe Fish, Deputy Air Pollution Control Officer. "We will give stations as much time as possible, but they must comply." According to Fish, as more CARB certified systems come on the market, the competition and advancing technology is lowing the cost of compliance. This will help the smaller stations.  

Heads up for economic development in Nevada County

Russ Steele

As the Economic Resource Council creates an economic development plan for Nevada County they may want to consider the latest Pew Study. Details in USA Today:  Almost half of Americans want to live somewhere else.

City dwellers want out.

"City residents disproportionately are more likely than people living in other types of communities to say they would prefer to live in a place other than a city," Morin says. "Fewer than half of all city residents say there is no better place to live than in a city."

A smaller proportion of women express the desire to live in the nation's largest cities. "Women are less drawn to big cities," says Robert Lang, co-director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech. "It could be safety."

Wanting to live outside cities doesn't necessarily mean people reject urban lifestyles, however. The appeal of developments with an urban flair — ones that combine housing, stores and offices in a neighborhood setting — is growing.

Does Nevada County have what these folks are looking for?  We have housing and the neighborhood settings, but our stores are not up to urban standards given that thousands of local people drive to Roseville to shop. I would say we do not have the stores that would attract urban dwellers who are are looking for an alternative place to live with shopping, neighborhoods and offices.

I wonder how many Nevada County gas stations will close by April?

Russ Steele

Going green was supposed to help the economy. But, It looks like it might cost us 0.68 cents a gallon, on top of the taxes your already pay. This will increase the cost of living in California and the cost of doing business in California.

This April, a mandate from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) called the Enhanced Vapor Recovery Program (EVRP) will go into effect. The idea behind the program is to get next-generation clean nozzles and equipment installed at fuel pumps in the state in order to control emissions. Sounds like a good thing, right? The environment wins becasue ground-level ozone should be reduced and people win, too.

What's the problem? These new cleaner gas stations aren't cheap, and "dozens, and potentially hundreds" of gas stations in California might close down instead to upgrade. In other words, in this case, going green means going out of business. According to the Pasadena Star-News, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has heard from 76 refueling sites (of about 4,500 total in its area) that will shut down because of the high costs of the EVRP. CARB responds by saying that gas prices will go up by about 0.68 cents a gallon to cover the cost of upgrading.

Hat tip to the Autobloggreen

Where was his Jimmy Carter sweater?

Russ Steele

Hot Air has the details of how Obama is leading by example. While the rest of the East is freezing, Obama turns up the heat to hot house levels.

The Age of Obama: Heat for me, but not for thee

Last week, Barack Obama caused quite a stir when he allowed himself to be photographed in the Oval Office without wearing a suit jacket, ending the Bush tradition of coat-and-tie for the West Wing.  The New York Times reports on how Obama made that possible during a colder-than-usual Washington winter.  All Obama did was turn up the thermostat to Hawaii hothouse levels.

Life for our President is going to be hard when people remember his words and voters expect him to lead by example.

It is the greatest scam in history.

Russ Steele

John Colman, who started the Weather Channel explains how the Global Warming Hoax became a real threat to our economy.

THE AMAZING STORY BEHIND THE GLOBAL WARMING SCAM
By John Coleman
The key players are now all in place in Washington and in state governments across America to officially label carbon dioxide as a pollutant and enact laws that tax we citizens for our carbon footprints. Only two details stand in the way, the faltering economic times and a dramatic turn toward a colder climate. The last two bitter winters have lead to a rise in public awareness that CO2 is not a pollutant and is not a significant greenhouse gas that is triggering runaway global warming.

How did we ever get to this point where bad science is driving big government we have to struggle so to stop it?

Details here.

The real question is how do we put this hoax to rest, and return to a world of good science. I welcome your ideas.

IPCC climate forecasts: no scientific basis!

Russ Steele

I wrote about Dr J. Scott Armstrong's analysis of IPCC Climate modeling in September 2007, and his challenge to Al Gore here. The post includes a YouTube of his challenge to Gore and links to a pdf on Global Warming: Forecasts by Scientists versus Scientific Forecasts.

Now Watts Up With That has an update with eight reasons why the current IPCC computer models lack a scientific basis by economist Kesten Green, and forecasting expert Dr J. Scott Armstrong.

Potential local stimulus impacts -- $1.9 million

Russ Steele

The Democratic-controlled House has approved an $819 billion economic stimulus package to revive the economy.  The question is, is this real stimulus or just more pork?

Here is some of the pork:

There's $1 billion for Amtrak, the federal railroad that hasn't turned a profit in 40 years; $2 billion for child-care subsidies; $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts an awesome job creator; $400 million for global-warming research and another $2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects for Al Gores and his friends. Finally $650 million to pay for more digital TV conversion coupons. Phew, the smell is awesome. 

There's another $40 billion for broadband and electric grid development, airports and clean water all arguably good projects. Then we finally get to the stimulus funds for Nevada County. There is $30 billion in the House Bill for fixing bridges or other highway projects. There is 27 billion in the Senate version. Nevada County's stimulus is in this other highway projects category.

According to Dan Landon, NCTC Executive Director, Nevada County Transportation Commission could receive up to $1.9 million to be allocated among its member agencies. This allocations is  according to existing formulas, as stipulated in the 1,000 plus pages of the bill. Fifty percent of the 1.9 million has to be obligated in 150 days. The remaining 50% committed by August 2010. Due to the time lines the only projects we can really look forward is some resurfaced roads. And, the money will not arrive for five months after the Senate Bill is passed in February, so much for a quick stimulus.

Add the roughly $20 billion for business tax cuts only $90 billion out of $825 billion, or about 12 cents of every $1 can plausibly be considered a job growth stimulus. So, about 88 cents of every dollar is pork. So much for job stimulus, almost 90 percent is wealth redistribution and liberal voter block payoffs.