Jeff Bezos (owner) has informed Washington Post staff, that the focus of opinion pieces will now be on personal liberties and free markets.
Posts Tagged ‘Washington Post’
Wow! New direction for the Washington Post
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged free markets, Jeff Bezos, new direction, personal liberties, Washington Post on February 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Apparently, the Washington Post now supports an “all of the above” energy policy. How convenient!
Posted in energy policy, Wind Energy, tagged all of the above energy, Big Oil, China coal consumption, Denmark energy, Secretary Burgum, Washington Post, wind opposition on February 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Now that the favored wind industry is struggling, the Washington Post is conveniently endorsing an “all of the above” energy policy and urging Interior Secretary Burgum to “stand up for wind energy.” Where was this support for “all of the above” when offshore oil and gas leasing was halted, important pipeline approvals were being denied, States were banning hydraulic fracturing, nuclear plants were stalled, and coal workers were being told to “learn how to code?”
Additional comments on the Post’s opinion piece:
WP: “Opponents of wind power — many of them tied to the fossil fuel industry — have taken note and are furiously lobbying the government to block projects already under construction, as well.”
Comments:
- The fossil fuel industry is frequently accused of supporting groups that oppose wind energy, yet names and details are never provided.
- Most opponents of offshore wind are members of grass roots groups that have no connection to the oil and gas industry.
- Supporting anti-wind groups would be foolish from legal, political, and public relations standpoints.
- Wind opposition would also be contrary to the business plans of most oil and gas companies, some of which are/were major wind energy investors.
- Lastly, most anti-wind groups are also opposed to offshore drilling. Would “Big Oil” fund groups like this?
WP: “China’s capacity for wind power is already three times that of the United States.”
Comment: Does this make China an environmental leader? Does the WP also support China’s world-leading and still growing coal consumption (see below)?
WP: “Denmark derives about 60 percent of its total energy from wind.”
Comment: Is the WP unconcerned about the intermittency of wind power, the dramatic fluctuations in capacity factors, and the need for alternate power sources, typically coal and natural gas? How do these wind capacity factors look (chart below)? Does the WP support other Danish climate policies like the tax on cow emissions?
Washington Post on the 5 Year leasing plan
Posted in energy policy, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged 5 year leasing plan, nonproducing leases, Washington Post on July 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Given the differences in our views on energy policy, particularly with regard to oil and gas, this WP opinion piece is pretty reasonable. The Post acknowledges the continued need for oil and gas, and the importance of domestic production. That said, two statements in the paragraph pasted below warrant immediate comment.
“In reality, neither argument is convincing. The Biden administration’s proposal — which opens the door to up to 11 potential lease sales, 10 in the Gulf of Mexico and one off the coast of Alaska — would have little impact on current energy prices. It would take between five and 10 years to produce oil after a new offshore lease issuance, according to the Interior Department, while more than three-quarters of already-leased offshore federal waters are not in production.”
WP Opinion
Comments:
- The purpose of the 5 year leasing plan is to minimize future energy supply and security risks, not to reduce current prices. However, acknowledgement of the importance of offshore production and support for regular lease sales could influence market psychology.
- The old and tired arguments about non-producing leases have been frequently addressed on this blog. When you purchase leases, you are not buying oil and gas. You are buying only the opportunity, for a limited period of time, to explore for these commodities. The current percentage of producing leases is actually rather high by historical standards. For more on this topic, see this and this.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 