Comments by Scott Edward Anderson Subscribe

On Contrarian Investors Take Stage at Mid-Atlantic Cleantech Investment Forum

Thanks, Rick, for your kind words about my posting. It's nice to have been missed.

 

I agree with what I believe you express at the end of your comment that we need to fix the current drama of partisan squabbling and let the investors do their thing.

 

We can't afford not to.

 

On Global Clean Energy Investment $243 billion; US Drops to 3rd

Completely agree with you, Paul, especially with your sentiment that we should "dispassionately identifying the capabilities and limits of all energy sources, and then selecting those which will provide our needs economically."

And on the nuclear side, the opposition has successfully blocked adoption of the latest technologies and dealing with the waste and spent fuel issues.

--Scott

 

On Science branding: Global Warming v Climate Change

The age-old question! A few years ago, I wrote about and linked to a piece Seth Godin did on the subject -- along with another term with which I was wrestling: Global Warming & Other Misnomers: http://www.thegreenskeptic.com/2006/03/global-warming-other-misnomers.html and Seth Godin and the trouble with Global Warming: http://www.thegreenskeptic.com/2006/03/climate-change-seth-godin-on-trou... Scott

On American Voters Want EPA, Not Congress, to Set Standards

I don't disagree with much of what you say, Ed.

I agree that the EPA is not capable of solving the global warming "problem" any more than international bodies have been able to.  I believe we need to get beyond global warming and concentrate on unlocking our human potential for adaptaion and innovation to address what changes may be coming our way, however great or small.

I also agree that the "proper role of US EPA is developing and implementing regulations to achieve the objectives of legislation passed by the Congress and signed into law by the President."

That said, the Supreme Court ruled by a 5-4 vote in 2007 that, under the Clean Air Act, the EPA "has the authority to regulate heat-trapping gases in automobile emissions. The court further ruled that the agency could not sidestep its authority to regulate the greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change unless it could provide a scientific basis for its refusal." (NY Times, April 3, 2007)

My post was reporting on the results of a recent survey that found Americans "strongly trust the EPA to deal with clean air standards more than Congress."

If the Supreme Court and the American people believe the EPA should fulfill the Clean Air Act, they should be allowed to do so. 

I want to make sure Administrator Jackson performs her duties in a way that is fair and balanced and kept in check.  And I agree with you that "She should not be permitted to do so with impunity." 

(Nevertheless, I still think "taking out to the woodshed" is a poor choice of metaphor.)

Thanks for the dialog.

 

 

On Trying to Change a Climate Skeptic's Mind? Don't Bother

“Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts," Richard Feynman said. 

I think natural gas cogeneration is essential, easy, cheap and available. We need to fire on all cylinders, in my opinion.  If we can address the issues with fracking, natural gas is a real win.

 

 

On State of the Union: 80 Percent Clean Energy by 2035? I'm Skeptical, Mr. President

How can we cut coal to 20 percent?

On State of the Union: 80 Percent Clean Energy by 2035? I'm Skeptical, Mr. President

Point taken. Far be it for me to make it even more difficult. I used "renewables" once and in the China comparison, but was really referring to "clean energy."  We correct the text and title.  Thanks, Ed.

On My Interview with Sheeraz Haji of Cleantech Group

Thanks for your comment.  I respectfully disagree that battery swapping exactly mimics the gasoline station model. Were that the case, we would drive into a gas station and have our empty tank swapped for a full one. In the current model, the gas tank is good -- weather conditions permitting -- for the life of the car and gets refilled (or recharged) as needed.  My concern about the battery swapping technology is around the ease of use and consumer adoption.

In other words, until battery charging is as fast and easy as filling our tanks is today, it will be tough to get the majority of consumers/drivers to adopt the new technology.

 

On While We Consider, China Constructs

I don't yearn for any such thing. Rather, I'd like government to get out of the way of private enterprise and stop dicking around with subsidies for polluting industries and lip service to renewables. We've wasted a good long time when we could have been shoring up our position as leaders in this space. That's not messy, that's stupid.