Biden nominee wants oil & gas companies to go bankrupt
President Biden's nominee to lead a branch of the Treasury Department, Saule Omarova, said in a recently resurfaced video that she supports the idea of energy industries going "bankrupt" to combat climate change.
The Cornell University law professor, who has been nominated to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, first made the remarks during a February "Social Wealth Seminar" event hosted by the Jain Family Institute, a nonprofit research organization. The nonprofit group American Accountability Foundation (AAF) recently dug up the clip from her discussion at the event and posted it to social media.
Naming the coal, oil and gas industries, specifically, Omarova said "a lot" of the "small players" in those industries "are going to probably go bankrupt in short order," adding: "At least we want them to go bankrupt if we want to tackle climate change, right?"
Omarova during her presentation was making the case for a U.S. National Investment Authority – a proposed federal agency that would work with the Treasury and the Fed to allocate public and private capital to green infrastructure companies, according to Data for Progress.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/treasury-saule-omarova-energy-industries-bankrupt
******************************************UK: Drivers reveal why they don't want to switch to electric cars
A flurry of new reports have laid bare a reasons why swathes of drivers are still unwilling to switch to electric cars, with concerns on the Government's ability to deliver suitable infrastructure, range anxiety and cars being quickly outdated.
The studies were published during the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, where a rapid transition to EVs is being highlighted as a key factor to help nations meet net zero targets.
But despite the reservations, the UK's automotive trade body says pure-electric cars will outsell diesels next year, as the recent boom in EV demand takes its first internal-combustion victim ahead of the ban on sales of new petrols and oil-burners from 2030.
A new study by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has found that many drivers are deterred from making a complete switch to fully electric vehicles as they have little faith in the Government's ability to deliver the necessary infrastructure.
It comes after local authorities voiced their concerns about a 'lack of coherent strategic direction at a national level, including no articulation of the vision for the future and lack of clarity over the role authorities were expected to play in delivering EV charging infrastructure'.
A survey of 3,404 UK licence holders found that almost two thirds (63 per cent) are not confident that the politicians will able to create a sufficient infrastructure for there to be a smooth transition to fully electric vehicles by the government's own deadline at the end of the decade.
The report was revealed the same day that a British firm announced its plans to install 190,000 public charging points across the country before 2030, with most of the new devices funded by government-issued subsidies.
RSC's survey there is enough public hesitancy about the transition to electric motoring that it could potentially derail MPs' efforts to reduce air pollution levels, with over a third (34 per cent) of the panel said they do not intend to purchase a fully electric vehicle in the next decade.
Crucially, however, almost half (46 per cent) did not feel they had enough information to make an informed decision about whether their next car or van should be a fully electric vehicle or not.
Professor Tom Welton, president at the RSC, said: 'After we heard that the Government is delaying its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, this research shows there is much work to be done to fully convince the public at large of the merits of switching to fully electric vehicles – but more pressingly, that efforts to deliver critical infrastructure for both charging and recycling EV batteries should be a government priority.
'We must improve the flow of information around the government's plans for transitioning to an entirely electric vehicle network, the ecosystem to support this and electric vehicles capabilities, all of which can help drivers to make informed purchasing decisions.'
Well over a third (40 per cent) of drivers polled by the RSC expressed concerns that EVs might have a negative impact on the environment, with over half of them (57 per cent) worrying there may be a lack of recycling options for electric vehicle batteries.
Another 55 per cent are concerned by a shortage of the natural resources used to produce the batteries for EVs.
A third of all respondents said they were unlikely to buy an EV until their batteries contain less 'increasingly scarce and precious elements'.
Range anxiety still a concern despite latest EVs covering over 300 miles on a single charge
Almost all UK drivers overestimate the number of breakdowns as a result of problems with EV charging infrastructure and vehicle range, according to a new report by the AA.
In 2020, its patrols attended around 13,000 electric vehicle breakdowns, of which just under 4 per cent were for vehicles running out of charge. This figure has halved in the last few years.
However, only 1 per cent of 14,500 drivers polled could correctly estimate the frequency of this issue, with the average guess being two thirds (65 per cent) of all EV breakdowns were due to the main driving battery running out.
The reality is that the top two breakdowns for combustion engine vehicles and EVs are the same, with tyres and the smaller 12-volt battery being the main causes of faults.
Drivers were also asked what they believed to be the average distance an EV could travel on a single charge, with only a quarter (25 per cent) correctly identifying a range of up to 200 miles.
Some 6 per cent believed the latest models are providing less than 100 miles from a single charge.
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Rolls-Royce gets funding to develop mini nuclear reactors
Rolls-Royce has been backed by a consortium of private investors and the UK government to develop small nuclear reactors to generate cleaner energy.
The creation of the Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) business was announced following a £195m cash injection from private firms and a £210m grant from the government.
It is hoped the new company could create up to 40,000 jobs by 2050.
However, critics say the focus should be on renewable power, not new nuclear. Currently, about 16% of UK electricity generation comes from nuclear power.
Small modular reactors are nuclear fission reactors but are smaller than conventional ones.
The investment by Rolls-Royce Group, BNF Resources, Exelon Generation and the government will go towards developing Rolls-Royce's SMR design and take it through regulatory processes to assess whether it is suitable to be deployed in the UK.
It will also identify sites which will manufacture the reactors' parts and most of the venture's investment is expected to be focused in the north of the UK, where there is existing nuclear expertise.
Rolls-Royce's share price jumped by 4.2% to 147.85p each following the announcement.
Rolls-Royce SMR said one of its power stations would occupy about one tenth of the size of a conventional nuclear plant - the equivalent footprint of two football pitches - and power approximately one million homes.
The firm said a plant would have the capacity to generate 470MW of power, which it added would be the same produced by more than 150 onshore wind turbines.
Warren East, Rolls-Royce chief executive, said the company's SMR technology offered a "clean energy solution" which help tackle climate change.
Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said SMRs offered opportunities to "cut costs and build more quickly, ensuring we can bring clean electricity to people's homes and cut our already-dwindling use of volatile fossil fuels even further".
"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the UK to deploy more low carbon energy than ever before and ensure greater energy independence", he added.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59212983
*************************************Last homes in asbestos-riddled Australian town to be demolished, but some want to stay
Nobody seems to be taking into account what it means that there are elderly people still living there. So if asbestos is so bad for you how come? Shouldn't they all be dead?
What it shows is that the toxicity of asbestos is very low. You only get ill if you have been breathing in a lot of it for many years. So the hysteria about it is greatly exaggerated. Asbestos products in peoples homes ("fibro") are no threat to health at all
The former asbestos mining town of Wittenoom has claimed many lives, but it is not enough to deter some who proudly call it home.
After years of compensation offers, the WA government will turn to forcibly removing the remaining properties, under a bill expected to pass Parliament.
It is hoped the clearing of the former town site will reduce the attraction for visitors, who ignore significant health warnings of asbestos fibres on the ground and in the air at Wittenoom. Just 12km away lies three million tonnes of asbestos tailings.
Peter Heyward moved to the area in the 90s and said he knew of the dangers but enjoyed the lifestyle. "This is just beautiful living here," he said.
"Looking at the mountains, you get the view of the savanna and you're right beside a gorge that's got water all year round."
Long-term resident Lorraine Thomas said she had options if she was forced to leave, but she hoped to live out her life in Wittenoom. "This is home, and I haven't got anywhere else that I've found in this state or in this country that I'd like to call home," she said.
"They can't move the hills, the whole area… I love the weather. "No person can take that from me."
The WA government's planned eviction and demolition would come with an undisclosed amount of compensation.
Mario Hartmann is one of the residents who recently took up an offer to hand over his property, but it has not kept him away. "It's too cold down south so I come in winter to enjoy the warm weather," he said.
Tourists warned to stay away
With more West Australians exploring their own state during the pandemic's travel restrictions, Mr Hartmann noticed a surge in visitors.
"This year I've never seen that many people come here, some days you would have 50, 60 cars going out [to the gorge and the asbestos tailings]," he said.
It is an alarming figure for Curtin University Associate Professor Alison Reid, who has examined the health impact of the mine.
"People [who visit Wittenoom] are putting themselves unnecessarily at risk," she said. "We know that the risk of mesothelioma [a rare cancer] can occur with low exposure, so I think in that case it should be closed."
At least 1,200 former Wittenoom residents and workers have died from lung cancer and mesothelioma, according to a database maintained by UWA's Occupational Respiratory Epidemiology Group.
"The Flying Doctors used to hone in on the town of Wittenoom from the blue haze on the horizon and that was the dust…that's how the workers and the people in the town got exposed, through that dust. "It has made Western Australia have the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world."
The area is no longer on official maps, it was declared a contaminated site and the state government have repeatedly warned the public against visiting.
Lands Minister Tony Buti said visitors posed a risk to the wider public because cars could spread particles beyond the area.
"There is no question that this area is one of the saddest chapters in WA history," he said. "However, we must be realistic, and the fact is it's unlikely Wittenoom will ever again be a safe place to live or visit."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-12/wittenoom-closure/100599722
***************************************My other blogs. Main ones below
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM )
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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Jim Hansen and his twin
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