Rogers Demands Answers from EPA Administrator

In case you missed it, Kentucky Fifth District Congressman Hal Rogers took EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to task for the wrong-headed and out-of-control actions of her agency in the Obama/EPA 'War on Coal'.

Impact of the Waxman-Markey Climate Change Legislation on Kentucky

Kudos to The Heritage Foundation for very informative analysis about the direct impact of Waxman-Markey on Kentucky. As the national media continue to focus on healthcare reform, we should continue to focus our concerns on how this energy bill will impact each and every individual now and in the future.

Please take time to read this important analysis of the real impact on the Kentucky economy. You have read the full report by clicking here.

"Workers and families in Kentucky may be wondering how cap-and-trade legislation would affect their income, their jobs, and the cost of energy. Implementing Waxman-Markey would put a chokehold on Kentucky's economic potential, reducing gross state product by $5.94 billion in 2035."

The Economic Consequences of Waxman-Markey: An Analysis of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009

We can always rely on The Heritage Foundation to cut through the clutter to provide common sense solutions and analysis on matters of great importance. Please read the following analysis of the Waxman-Markey Energy Tax plan. This horrible piece of legislation will devastate every family, especially low and middle income families already hurt by the 2009 Great Recession.

"After a truncated debate and last-minute changes, the House of Representatives narrowly passed climate-change legislation on June 26, 2009, designed by Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA). The 1,427-page bill would restrict greenhouse gas emissions from industry, mainly carbon dioxide from the combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas."

For more information on this important legislation that will impact the lives of every single living American...and those yet to be born...click here.

SPECIAL REPORT: 10 Questions for Dr. Jack Ditty

In an effort to highlight the issues related to energy independence and security, the Kentucky Energy Forum is highlighting the candidates for District 18 State Senator in the special election to be held on Tuesday, August 25.

You may visit Dr. Jack Ditty's campaign website by clicking here.

QUESTION ONE

KENTUCKY ENERGY FORUM: Do you believe that tax incentives should be awarded to energy companies to encourage investment in Kentucky? (part one)

DITTY: Yes, we should make every attempt to encourage companies to invest here. Kentucky has the workforce and natural resources that are a perfect fit for energy companies looking to relocate.

KEF: Do you believe these incentives should be extended to promote increased coal mining and natural gas development? (part two)

DITTY: Yes, coal and natural gas will continue to be an integral part of energy production in the future, and these incentives will help companies to find new ways to burn coal more efficiently and safely.

KEF: Do you believe these incentives should be expanded to existing companies? (part three)

DITTY: Yes, we should protect existing companies that are currently providing jobs in our communities; they should not be excluded simply because they are already in Kentucky. Please provide detailed answers. Any incentives offered to companies should be performance-based and tied to new job creation.

QUESTION TWO

KEF: Do you support tax incentives for ‘thin-seam’ coal mining to encourage extraction of hard-to-mine coal?

DITTY: Yes.

QUESTION THREE

KEF: Do you support the general principal of cap-and-trade to lower air emissions and/or reduce the carbon footprint? Please explain you position in detail on this issue.

DITTY: Lowering air emissions is a worthwhile goal, but using a utility tax, and dressing it up as “cap and trade” is not the solution. Funding research that will create full-scale production methods that burn coal cleanly will significantly lower emissions at a faster rate than cap and trade. States like Kentucky will suffer dire consequences if a utility tax is passed. We have an electricity rate that is one of the lowest in the country, which helps us to attract business and create jobs. Cap and trade would, by some estimates, triple the average Kentucky electricity bill, while allowing New York and California to lower their rates.

QUESTION FOUR

KEF: How would you propose to encourage development of alternative transportation fuels in Kentucky? What would you view as the top three alternative transportation fuels?

DITTY: Funding performance-based grants will give companies the tools they will need to advance research that is underway in Eastern and Western Kentucky. Coal to Diesel, Coal to Synthetic Natural Gas, and Biomass

QUESTION FIVE

KEF: In your opinion, does the growing of industrial hemp present itself as a viable option for biomass feedstock? Please explain why or why not? What other sources of biomass feedstock do you consider as a viable feedstock?

DITTY: Hemp was at one point one of Kentucky’s biggest exports, but it has been over 150 years since hemp was grown on a commercial basis. Switchgrass or wood fiber seems to be the best feedstock for biomass energy production. Corn was under consideration, but the recent spike in corn prices due to ethanol production makes it a less appealing source.

QUESTION SIX

KEF: What role does energy efficiency play in a comprehensive energy plan for Kentucky?

DITTY: Everyone should take steps to consume as little energy as possible. This will result in lower utility bills, a cleaner environment, and higher quality of life in Kentucky.

QUESTION SEVEN

KEF: What steps should State Government take to reduce and/or improve energy use in its functions, such as transportation fuels and energy efficiency?

DITTY: We should make sure that tax dollars are spent in the most efficient way possible. Any state agency or equipment should be held to a higher standard when it comes to energy efficiency. Kentucky should lead by example and make every aspect of state government as efficient and productive as possible.

QUESTION EIGHT

KEF: Do you see renewable energy, such as wind, solar and hydro, as viable options for energy diversification in Kentucky? What would you do to promote implementation of these energy sources, if they are viable?

DITTY: Renewable energy is more suitable in other parts in the country, than in Kentucky. Our topography is not suited for wind and solar, and Kentucky does not have a large supply of running water that could be used to consistently supply electricity. However, if any renewable energy source is shown to be effective and consistent, they should be open to receive incentives just like any other source of alternative energy.

QUESTION NINE

KEF: What would you do to support energy workforce training and education, besides existing workforce development and higher education programs?

DITTY: I would push for an increase in focus on the science and math curriculum in our schools. Science and math have proven to be the cornerstone of creating a workforce that has the technical knowledge to compete in our rapidly changing workplace. I would also advocate to increase the number of programs offered by KCTCS that are specific to the energy field. Energy companies look for a workforce that is well skilled in math and science, and Kentucky can level the playing field when we are competing with other states for new industry by providing graduates with the critical knowledge needed to be engineers and technicians.

QUESTION TEN

KEF: Including specifics in your district, what impact does the energy industry have on your district? What future prospects are there for energy development in your district and how you would work to promote that development?

DITTY: Naturally, Ashland Oil is a great example of a company that has been an integral part of our community for generations. Ashland Oil has been able to survive all these years by paying attention to the changing landscape in which they operate. New processes are evolving every day and businesses have to be flexible and proactive to keep their company on the cutting edge. Our district has been, and we will continue to be tied to energy production. By finding ways to burn coal cleaner and extracting hard to reach oil and natural gas, we will utilize our abundant gift of natural resources in new ways, which will keep Kentucky competitive in the fight to make our country more energy independent.

White House creates Climate Change 'Czar'

According to a report by CNBC, the White House has created a climate change 'czar' and has tapped a University of Rhode Island oceanographer as the one person who would potentially (and single-handedly) spearhead the Obama Administration's policy on global warming.

Oceanographer Dr. Kate Moran will begin work Monday in Washington. In her former position, she was the associate dean of URI Graduate School of Oceanography.

Moran joins the nearly three dozen other policy 'czars' the White House has appointed to control various aspects of Obama's policy initiatives. The administration has come under intense criticism from Democrats and Republicans for the numerous administration appointments and the potential for Constitutional abuse of power by the Executive Branch.

Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) recently wrote in a letter to the Obama Administration that ""The accumulation of power by White House staff can threaten the Constitutional system of checks and balances."

With many initiatives stalled in Congress, the Obama Administration is using the appointment of unaccountable 'czars' to bypass the constitutional process and implement its agenda without debate.

This latest appointment by Obama of a potential climate change 'czar' is one more indication of potential Constitutional abuse of power and a departure from debate on an issue that will impact the American economy for decades. It also lends credibility to the concerns being raised in Congress on both sides of the political aisle of the unaccountability on critical policy decisions by the Obama Administration.

Moran is a vocal supporter of the global warming theory. In a 2008 Moran testified before a U.S. Senate panel that the links between human actions and climate change are 'unequivocal', according to CNBC. She is a strong supporter of the construction of a massive wind turbine farm on the coast of Rhode Island meant to replace the state's use of fossil fuels.

CNBC reports that Moran was a lead of a 2004 Arctic expedition to study historic climate change. She and her fellow scientists traveled within 155 miles of the North Pole to take core samples from the Arctic Ocean glacier ice formations. The samples indicated the Arctic region achieved an average temperature of 74 degrees during a period of global warming around 55 million years ago. This finding ran counter to previous assumptions that the frigid region was much cooler. The findings could cast doubt that human behavior has a negative impact on the global climate.