nonniey Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Looks like Congress and the Administration is bound and determined to follow the Global Warming Piper. This from George Will. "WASHINGTON -- The Spanish professor is puzzled. Why, Gabriel Calzada wonders, is the U.S. president recommending that America emulate the Spanish model for creating "green jobs" in "alternative energy" even though Spain's unemployment rate is 18.1 percent -- more than double the European Union average -- partly because of spending on such jobs? Calzada, 36, an economics professor at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, has produced a report which, if true, is inconvenient for the Obama administration's green agenda, and for some budget assumptions that are dependent upon it. Calzada says Spain's torrential spending -- no other nation has so aggressively supported production of electricity from renewable sources -- on wind farms and other forms of alternative energy has indeed created jobs. But Calzada's report concludes that they often are temporary and have received $752,000 to $800,000 each in subsidies -- wind industry jobs cost even more, $1.4 million each. And each new job entails the loss of 2.2 other jobs that are either lost or not created in other industries because of the political allocation -- sub-optimum in terms of economic efficiency -- of capital. (European media regularly report "eco-corruption" leaving a "footprint of sleaze" -- gaming the subsidy systems, profiteering from land sales for wind farms, etc.) Calzada says the creation of jobs in alternative energy has subtracted about 110,000 jobs from elsewhere in Spain's economy. The president's press secretary, Robert Gibbs, was asked about the report's contention that the political diversion of capital into green jobs has cost Spain jobs. The White House transcript contained this exchange: Gibbs: "It seems weird that we're importing wind turbine parts from Spain in order to build -- to meet renewable energy demand here if that were even remotely the case." Questioner: "Is that a suggestion that his study is simply flat wrong?" Gibbs: "I haven't read the study, but I think, yes." Questioner: "Well, then. (Laughter.)" Actually, what is weird is this idea: A sobering report about Spain's experience must be false because otherwise the behavior of some American importers, seeking to cash in on the U.S. government's promotion of wind power, might be participating in an economically unproductive project..... Click Link for rest of article. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/06/25/tilting_at_green_windmills_97168.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
National Defense Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 yawn. why not look at the numbers yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 yawn. why not look at the numbers yourself? The ones that say wind energy costs more? Naturally we here are putting more of them up here though...and I do thank you for paying for it:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bliz Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 The ones that say wind energy costs more?Naturally we here are putting more of them up here though...and I do thank you for paying for it:D Wind is a miniscule part of the green movement in this country. I think it's a common misconception among people opposed to money for green building (not ascribing this to you) that all of the money is going to windmills and solar panels, which is basically the stone age of green. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Indeed, the real green movement is money is into certain pockets:D I'm progressive enough to take a cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Califan007 The Constipated Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 The White House transcript contained this exchange:Gibbs: "It seems weird that we're importing wind turbine parts from Spain in order to build -- to meet renewable energy demand here if that were even remotely the case." Questioner: "Is that a suggestion that his study is simply flat wrong?" Gibbs: "I haven't read the study, but I think, yes." Questioner: "Well, then. (Laughter.)" PLEASE tell me that part is taken horribly out of context lol...because if not, holy moses :doh:... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 Our Tough-Luck President Solyndra, a key to White House's green-energy policy, pulls public offering due to an auditor's fear that it might not remain a going concern. http://online.barrons.com/article/SB50001424052970203296004575352982133405348.html You've never heard of Solyndra? That's strange, because it was supposed to be the cornerstone of Obama's vaunted green-energy future, but now is a king-size political embarrassment. Solyndra, recipient of a $535 million Department of Energy loan guarantee, last month cancelled a $300 million initial public offering because auditor PricewaterhouseCoooper said its operating losses and negative cash flow raise doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern. Ouch! .. WILL THE EXTRA LAYER OF bureaucracy help Chu protect taxpayers? Well, this month, the DOE awarded loan guarantees to Abengoa Solar, part of Abengoa, a Spanish outfit whose U.S. shares (ticker: ABGOY) trade in the pink sheets, and Abound, a Colorado-based photovoltaic-film maker. Abengoa Solar got $1.45 billion in guarantees to build plants in California and Arizona. Its profits depend heavily on subsidies from the government of economically troubled Spain. Abound Solar received a $400 million grant to ramp up production of cadmium telluride photovoltaic panels. Here's a coincidence: Russ Kanjorski, nephew of Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski, is a marketing executive at Abound, which got a $3 million federal grant in 2008. He previously had been a principal of Cornerstone Technologies, which got $9.2 million in earmarks from Kanjorski and then went bankrupt. A spokesman for Abound says Russ Kankorski had no role in the loan-guarantee negotiations. Let's hope for the sake of American taxpayers that Obama's rotten luck changes soon. http://hotair.com/archives/2010/07/10/obama-touts-400m-loan-to-solar-company-run-by-corrupt-congressmans-nephew/ Russell Kanjorski’s old coal technology company already fleeced the government of $9 million in earmarks, and the government has decided to reward his new solar power company with another $400 million in loans. Brilliant. If Kanjorski’s company or the Spanish company default on their loans, taxpayers will be on the hook for paying back 80% of them, according to the Department of Energy. To get an idea of how much of a scam the Kanjorskis’ Cornerstone Technologies was, watch this Fox News exposé on Rep. Kanjorski’s corrupt earmarks (the whole segment is worth watching but the part on the Cornerstone scandal begins at the 6:30 mark): added Oh did I mention Spain is cutting their costly subsidies to solar there?...wonder why? http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/06/16/spain-reportedly-to-cut-solar-subsidy-30-for-existing-plants/ The government wants to close the big gap between the real cost of producing power and the subsidized price consumers pay for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thiebear Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 It would be nice if every Gov't building was solar powered/Wind powered. And also if you can get the nice 30% off if you get your house solar/wind to help the grid. The nepitism is rather disturbing but should be fixed and we should move on to a better company. I'm putting GIbbs into the stupidest Press Secretary ever.. he is not helping his boss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I don't have a problem with windmills but Robert Gibbs is a terrible, terrible WH Press Secretary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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