Visitor essay by Larry Hamlin
The L A Occasions lengthy marketing campaign of politically pushed and flawed local weather alarmism propaganda editorials which incorporates the Occasions incompetent and misrepresented claims for the yr 2022 local weather outcomes as uncovered in a current WUWT article (proven beneath) has now moved on to a different contrived editorial falsely attributing the current excessive pure fuel costs in California to “instability of fossil fuels” an assertion so outlandishly distorted and politically labored it might make each Russian Premier Putin and Pravda proud due to the Occasions unabashed disinformation behind this declare.
This newest Occasions editorial utterly conceals the worldwide huge failure of unreliable renewable power that can not be dispatched to satisfy electrical system load demand with that flawed efficiency final result leading to large technology capability demand shortfalls that required massive elevated use of fossil fuels that have been unplanned for and consequently functionality restricted.
This world huge renewable power failure drove world nations to depend on emergency fossil gas purchases from unreliable and unsavory excessive priced power market gamers together with Russia that then additional used this case to try to blackmail these nations into ignoring Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine or face curtailment of desperately wanted fossil fuels that have been required to make up for the catastrophically failed efficiency of unreliable renewable power in these nations.
The Occasions editorial proven beneath utterly conceals the worldwide huge failure of unreliable renewable power which is on the coronary heart of the current fossil gas worth and availability pure fuel power market debacle outcomes.
Happily, different much less renewable power advocacy biased, and politically contrived local weather change propaganda pushed media publications have addressed California’s current pure fuel worth hike points extra utterly and competently than the distorted Occasions editorial together with a collection of complete articles lately finished by the Orange County Register.
The Register editorial proven beneath will get to the center of the coverage failure by California politicians that delivered this pure fuel availability and excessive worth power debacle.
Key gadgets from the Register editorial are introduced beneath:
“Pure fuel costs have surged in California. The price of the commodity is up 314% from a yr in the past, in line with SoCalGas.
In the remainder of the nation, nonetheless, the worth of pure fuel just isn’t surging. In some locations, pure fuel futures are the bottom they’ve been in 17 months, whereas in California, pure fuel presently prices 5 occasions the benchmark U.S. worth.”
“However one thing could be finished about it. California may produce extra pure fuel in-state, because it did up to now. Ten years in the past, manufacturing in California was double what it’s right this moment.”
“General, California makes use of extra pure fuel than any state besides Texas, and nearly one-third of it’s used to run energy vegetation that generate electrical energy.
But state leaders hardly ever if ever acknowledge actuality with regards to power coverage, preferring to fake that the usage of “fossil fuels” will likely be utterly phased out, on an ever-accelerating timetable.”
The ridiculous L A Occasions editorial addressed above insanely emphasised the necessity to speed up the usage of unreliable high-cost renewable power which in fact would solely exacerbate the states, nation and world huge current pure fuel availability and worth power debacle.
The Register article concluded with this real-world evaluation of California’s pure fuel power debacle:
“Californians are struggling this winter as a result of politicians desire lofty speeches on local weather change to rational discussions about vital industries and infrastructure.”
The Register additionally revealed an article that examined in additional element the problems which have prompted the state to expertise pure fuel worth hikes as proven beneath.
The article highlights many various pure fuel power market situations and complexities which have accounted for the pure fuel worth hikes in California. Examine this evaluation of the state’s pure fuel debacle to the incompetent and politically contrived failures to current and talk about such points that comprised the Occasions propaganda editorial.
“Southern California residents, prepare for a extreme case of sticker shock as your pure fuel payments throughout the area soar greater than double this winter, in line with the area’s two chief utility corporations.”
“Although fuel payments have a tendency to extend barely throughout the winter as extra fuel is used to fight chilly climate, each corporations attributed the speed will increase to corresponding hikes out there price of pure fuel — which, for a slew of interconnected causes together with the California drought, sudden extreme chilly snaps throughout the nation, and Russia’s conflict in Ukraine has jumped about 128% since November.”
“To make issues worse, pure fuel provide has not saved tempo with the elevated demand and U.S. pure fuel exports to Europe are up considerably, placing a good higher pressure on availability.”
“Europe depends closely on Russian fuel for its power wants — particularly throughout the wintertime with heating,” stated Brian Peck, the College of Southern California’s Transnational Regulation and Enterprise Heart director in a Thursday, Jan. 5 interview. “And in order a part of the U.S.-led effort to supply Western assist for Ukraine, they’ve requested Europe to wean itself off of reliance on Russian fuel.”
“However for the EU, which will get greater than 40% of its liquified pure fuel from Russia — an outright ban on the gas wasn’t attainable with out main financial penalties for its residents. Biden’s deal to broaden fuel shipments to the EU, Peck stated, aimed to assist wean the gathering of nations off of Russian pure fuel over the following 5 years.”
“The U.S. has pledged to assist exports of liquefied pure fuel to assist Europe wean itself off and change into much less reliant on Russian oil, which might then lower fuel revenues to Russia’s regime,” Peck stated. “(It additionally) assist(s) insulate Europe from Russia’s restrictions on fuel till Europe can wean itself off the provision.”
“Worldwide relations aren’t the one issue stressing the provision of pure fuel in Southern California. Together with the brand new yr, the state celebrated a way more grim milestone: Its fourth yr of extreme drought.”
“Although a majority of California’s electrical energy remains to be generated utilizing pure fuel, in line with the state’s Power Fee, about 10.2% of all California electrical energy is created with hydropower. The state’s shrinking water provide, although, has pressured a good heavier reliance on pure fuel for electrical energy manufacturing in recent times.”
“And since 90% of California’s pure fuel provide is imported — largely from West Texas, the Rocky Mountains, and the 4 Corners space — the state depends closely on the well being of an enormous interstate of transport pipelines to obtain its share of the provision.”
“Capability alongside that essential interstate pipeline has suffered in current months, in line with the U.S. Power Data Administration (EIA), as wholesale suppliers in West Texas, considered one of California’s foremost importers, have handled a collection of upkeep points.”
“Pure fuel storage capability in California’s underground reservoirs — three of that are within the Los Angeles space — has additionally been drastically diminished in recent times.”
“Pure fuel ranges in storage services throughout the Pacific Area — which incorporates California, Washington state, and Oregon — have been 25% decrease in December than a yr earlier, in line with the EIA, and 30% beneath the five-year common. “In Northern California, Pacific Gasoline and Electrical’s injections, to rebuild pure fuel inventories, haven’t saved tempo with earlier summers,” the EIA added.”
The Register revealed yet one more article addressing the many causes behind the states pure fuel worth hikes within the article proven beneath.
“None of us lives in Hearst Citadel. But my pure fuel invoice shot from $44 to almost $300 within the span of two months. Kay Kearney’s is projected to hit $368 in January — greater than 3 times what she paid this time final yr. And Burl Estes is staring down a $397 tab for having the audacity to maintain heat.
“It’s not sustainable,” stated Kearney, whose house in Backyard Grove is a modest 1,500 sq. ft. “We preserve the thermostat at 68, when raining and chilly. Flip off the heater when it’s nicer. With the present financial points and inflation what are we to do? There’s nowhere left to chop again.”
The article will get all the way down to the center of California’s obsession with unreliable renewable power and ill-considered rejection of fossil fuels that was completely hid and ignored by the L A Occasions editorial as follows:
“We’ll speak concerning the highly effective supply-and-demand forces at work right here in a second, however first, the nitty gritty, at the very least in line with some consultants: Politics, with maybe a splash of greed.
With good intentions and pure coronary heart, kind of, California hurtles headlong towards 100% renewable power. We snub fossil gas energy vegetation and pure fuel storage services in our quest to quell world warming. However we don’t but have sufficient dependable — and inexpensive — power to switch them.”
In regards to the challenges of provide and demand the article notes:
“You’ve heard loads about “good storms” and darkish tales of market manipulation. However the official clarification, in line with the U.S. Power Data Administration, is an easy story of provide and demand.
Demand: From the Canadian border to the Mexican border, the West Coast has been shivering because of widespread, below-normal temperatures that drive us all to sleep with socks on. This will increase demand for pure fuel — which is, by far, the best supply of our power provide for all however eight hours of the day, when the solar is shining and solar energy is plentiful, in line with the California Impartial System Operator (which runs our electrical grid).
Provide: Sadly, provide has dropped exactly as demand has shot up. People up north aren’t delivery pure fuel down our manner as a result of they’re chilly, too. An interstate pipeline in Texas that feeds the West Coast has been down for upkeep. And we’re simply not banking as a lot pure fuel as we’d; storage ranges on the West Coast are low, as one can see within the story of the troubled Aliso Canyon pure fuel storage facility, which is allowed to function at 60% of capability and is on the chopping block.”
The article concludes:
“Even when costs drop dramatically, the underlying problems with switching from fossil gas to inexperienced power stay. California’s insistence on doing that rapidly means no funding in new pipelines and new storage, which implies we’re pressured to depend on the costly spot market.”
“The targets are simply too far-fetched and unrealistic — except you need to inflict main financial ache,” stated Hiatt of USC. “The issue is, a lot political capital has been constructed into this that nobody desires to confess they did one thing flawed. Simply push ahead till one thing breaks.”
A extra sober, and fewer painfully costly method: Plan for an extended transition interval, he stated.”
The L A Occasions editorial was politically contrived and employed concealment, ignorance and grossly insufficient misrepresentation of worldwide huge unreliable renewable power failures that drove the large world want for elevated use of pure fuel and different fossil fuels. The Occasions editorial introduced nothing however flawed propaganda hyping ridiculously inept assist for extra unreliable renewable power mandates that have been on the coronary heart of the current world huge pure fuel availability and worth enhance power debacle.
