Wildfire data doesn't show much of a trend

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KOIN news reports that Washington state voters will get to vote on laws intended to reduce and eventually eliminate natural gas use in the state of Washington, including natural gas home heating.  Here's the link to KOIN's report:    

Washington ballot initiative challenges state's transition to clean energy (koin.com)

Even if Washington voters pass stopping the banning of natural gas, there is always the tyrannical Washington state supreme court which is most always friendly towards what government wants and not friendly towards citizens who are wanting to free themselves from the costly regulation of their state government.  So, we shall see.  The vote is this coming November general election.

You also wonder whether the Federal courts might also overturn Washington government's natural gas ban, just as it did against Berkley California's natural gas ban. 

(posted by Elvis Clark on July 28, 2024)

Here's the Wall Street Journal quote about the cost of wind power versus natural gas generated power in New York State:

 "New York regulators recently struck agreements with offshore developers at prices of around $150 per megawatt hour [15 cents per KWH], more than a third higher than those in 2019. For comparison, the wholesale price for natural gas power is around $30 a megawatt hour [3 cents per KWH)."   [“Gone With the Wind,” WSJ, April 22, 2024]

In my opinion, such net zero emission energy efforts seem way too costly to justify when weighed against the ability of residents in states like Oregon to absorb such costs, in the form of sharply higher electric utility bills and in higher tax bills. 

 Yes, we need to be nice to the environment, but we also need to be nice to Oregonians so that they can afford to live in Oregon. 

(posted by Elvis Clark on April 27, 2024)

Before leaving office in January 2023, former Governor Brown issued in Executive order dictating that cities must encourage that new houses do not come with driveways.  This is meant to cram more people together and have neighborhoods filled with cars parked on the street.

14 Cities are trying to defeat much of Brown's "Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities" executive order.  These cities are awaiting the Court's decision on the lawsuit they filed against the state's land use commission and its adoption of Brown's "Climate Friendly..." executive order.

Here's the Willamette Week's reporting on the lawsuit against the state land use commission and its implementation of the "Climate Friendly..." executive order: 

Fourteen Local Governments Sue State to Block Implementation of Governor’s Executive Order on Climate (wweek.com)

Part of the argument, of these fourteen cities, against Brown's Climate Executive order is that it oversteps the authority of the Governor to restrict property owners on how they can develop their property.

Here's an Oregon Catalyst report on Oregon's related war against cars that seems to being pushed by those leading the state's bureaucracies.

Oregon’s war on cars | The Oregon Catalyst

(posted by Elvis Clark on January 4, 2024)

So, the carbon dioxide emission reductions that the state of Oregon is wanting to impose on the state's natural gas utilities are not enforceable now as a result of this Oregon Court of Appeals decision against the DEQ's carbon reduction mandates.  Both Northwest Natural and Cascade Natural Gas Corporation had sued the Environmental Quality Commission which oversees Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), wanting to stop the drastic CO 2 emission cuts that are to be imposed on the natural gas utilities.

It sounds like this ruling is just of a technical nature, which DEQ can overcome by simply serving proper notice and defense of why the DEQ is seeking to reduce natural gas emissions from the use of natural gas in Oregon by such and such amount.  Then again, there is some discussion by representatives of the DEQ to appeal this Court Decision to the Oregon Supreme Court.  But if it is just a mere technicality that can be easily corrected by DEQ, why then would these DEQ representatives feel the need to appeal the matter to the Oregon Supreme Court?

Here's the Oregon Chronicle's reporting on this climate court decision:

Court rules Oregon’s landmark climate change regulations invalid in case brought by gas utilities – Oregon Capital Chronicle

((Posted by Elvis Clark on December 21, 2022)

An Oregon Company, called NuScale, is touted as having one of the only federally approved economical modular nuclear power concepts.  It is said to be economical because NuScale's nuclear power modules can be manufactured off-site and plopped onto a nuclear plant site, generating carbon free electricity.  The nuclear waste would be stored on-site in fortified drums.  It is said to have fail safe methods of shutting if the nuclear unit becomes unstable.

NuScale had sold its first project to a Utah municipal utility.  Now this Utah utility is suing NuScale for overpromising in its offer and contract with the utility.  Here is the link to Oregon Public Broadcasting's (OPB) reporting on this lawsuit:  

Portland nuclear power startup NuScale hit with investor lawsuit - OPB

I myself have been skeptical about nuclear power replacing existing power generating systems.  America doesn't seem to mind some of its warships being powered by nuclear modular units; but when it comes to civil nuclear power, the political history of nuclear power (recalling the movie the "China Syndrome" dramatizing the near melt down of the Three Mile Island power plant in Pennsylvania) should make us skeptical of claims that there will be a rebirth of nuclear power in the U.S - even with the latest nuclear technologies (such as that of NuScale).

(posted by Elvis Clark on November 24, 2023)

In a unanimous ruling, a panel of judges for the Ninth Circuit Court of Federal Appeals strikes down city and state bans against utility natural gas service.  The 1975 federal law called the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) made the federal government largely responsible for regulating  natural gas appliances (gas stoves) and equipment (natural gas furnaces) - thereby making the federal government sole regulator for natural gas utility service access.

If you recall former Milwaukie Mayor, Mark Gamba, forced a City Resolution that if carried out would ban natural gas utility service connections for new construction in the City of Milwaukie.  Gamba also wanted to ban, by the year 2035, existing natural gas use by homes and apartments.  And this is still a goal of the current City of Milwaukie Council and staff, if not for this most recent 9th Circuit Court ruling.

Eugene actually passed a ban on natural gas service for newly constructed buildings in its city.  Supposedly, this ban could be voted on by Eugene voters sometime later this year, as a City Referendum Petition collected enough signatures to qualify putting the Eugene natural gas ban law before voters - for their approval or rejection.

The Ninth Circuit Court ruling against natural gas bans just came down this last Monday, April 17, 2023.  The Ninth Circuit Court case pitted the California Restaurant Association against the City of Berkley California, which had passed a law banning new natural gas connections.  California restaurants sued because they wanted to preserve the ability to cook with natural gas stoves.

The Ninth Circuit Court ruling against city natural gas bans should prevent Milwaukie from banning people's freedom to choose between electricity and natural gas heating and cooking.  Amen.  Sometimes, even liberal courts like the 9th Circuit, throw freedom lovers a bone or two.

Here are my main notes for the 9th Circuit Court ruling striking down City natural gas bans:

The [9th Circuit Court] panel held that the Energy Policy and Conservation Act preempts the Berkeley ordinance. The panel wrote that, in this express preemption case, it addressed the plain meaning of the Act without any presumptive thumb on the scale for or against preemption. The Act expressly preempts State and local regulations concerning the energy use of many natural gas appliances, including those used in household and restaurant kitchens.

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

CALIFORNIA RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION, a California nonprofit mutual benefit corporation, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. CITY OF BERKELEY, Defendant-Appellee. No. 21-16278 D.C. No. 4:19-cv-07668- YGR

OPINION Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of California Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, District Judge, Presiding Argued and Submitted May 12, 2022 San Francisco, California 

Filed April 17, 2023

Before: Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain and Patrick J. Bumatay, Circuit Judges, and M. Miller Baker,* Judge.

“The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (“EPCA”)

And by preventing such appliances from using natural gas, the new Berkeley building code does exactly that. We thus conclude that EPCA preempts Berkeley’s building code’s effect against covered products and reverse.”

Here's the link to this amazing ruling against City natural gas bans:

https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2023/04/17/21-16278.pdf

(posted by Elvis Clark on April 20, 2023)