Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer are two of the wealthiest anti-fossil fuels crusaders.
In June, Bloomberg promised to spend another $500 million eradicating coal and starting to target natural gas power plants too.
Yet, USA Today failed to connect the dots between either billionaire and the left-wing groups, including the Rocky Mountain Institute, it turned to as experts in an anti-natural gas story Sept. 9.
“As Earth faces climate catastrophe, US set to open nearly 200 power plants,” the USA Today headline proclaimed.
Elizabeth Weise’s article began with a dire, apocalyptic vision of climate change impact: “Powerful hurricanes. Record-breaking heatwaves. Droughts that bring ruin to farmers. Raging forest fires. The mass die-off of the world’s coral reefs. Food scarcity.”
She then seized upon United Nations claims that carbon emissions must be drastically reduced before complaining that utilities are still investing “heavily in carbon-polluting natural gas.”
USA Today found 177 natural gas plants planned, announced or under construction in addition to roughly 2,000 in operation.
She quoted gas opponents Michael Brune of the Sierra Club and analysis from the Rocky Mountain Institute that claimed to prove natural gas plants don’t make financial sense. Brune called gas a “ticking time bomb” and insisted “new plants can’t be built.”
But both groups have financial ties to media mogul Michael Bloomberg that were not disclosed in the story. RMI is also linked to Steyer through its Trustees Board Chair Edward White.
White is the managing partner of Fahr, LLC “the umbrella entity for business leader, philanthropist, and renewable energy advocate Tom Steyer’s business, policy, political, and philanthropic efforts.”
Bloomberg has committed at least $600 million towards the Sierra Club’s efforts to shut down all U.S. coal plants (and to start opposing gas plants).
Bloomberg also announced a $2.3 million grant as part of “America’s Pledge” to RMI and the University of Maryland in May 2019.
RMI’s website brags about being the co-leader for analytical work for Bloomberg’s “American’s Pledge” efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
She also turned to alarmist climate scientists and “clean energy advocates” to further bolster arguments against natural gas, while leaving arguments for natural gas such as its reliability until very late in the story.
Duke Energy spokeswoman Erin Culbert told USA Today it was striving for “cleaner energy,” but isn’t convinced solar and wind alone will be reliable and cost-effective for their customers.
“Continued use of natural gas is key to our ability to speed up coal retirements, and its flexibility helps complement and balance the growing renewables on our system,” Culbert said.
Read more at NewsBusters
The USA enjoys the highest standard of living on earth …ever … thanks to fossil fuels . The question is why do these hedge fund billionaires want to short
the USA ?
Maybe they actually think they haven’t already gotten a big enough
piece of cake .
Any warming we get in the current cycle of climate change is a net positive . Higher levels of CO2 the greater the greening of the earth . Why do they have a problem with that ? And now we find out officially that the climate models to sell the hysteria are bogus .
So what exactly are these people wound up about ? A short list :
– Population control
– Global governance
– A desire to accelerate the return to Lords and Serfs (eliminate the pessky middle class )
– Good old fashion money via tax payer theft
– A mental health condition that they actually believe humans
can control the earths temperature by playing around with a trace gas who’s
abundance greens the earth
Maybe all the above . Could it just be they actually hate the USA ?
I read the article and several critical points are completely missed: 1.) U.S GHG emissions are at 25 year lows. America is the undisputed LEADER in CO2 reductions, most of that coming in the power generation sector and about 70% of that is due to natural gas conversions, NOT renewables. 2.) Fossil fuels account for 95% of our transportation fuel & industrial heat and 65% of our electricity generation. 3.) After TENS of billions of dollars in investment over the past 15 years, renewables only account for 4.5% of U.S primary energy. Look it up on the EIA website. 4.) Lastly, there are (now) over two dozen peer reviewed scientific studies, including a 2016 (Obama) EPA comprehensive study that all have the same top line finding: NO evidence systematic groundwater contamination due to fracing. All just FACTS that are conveniently left out of any discussion about our energy TRANSITION. Articles like the one in USA Today are a terrible disservice to our country and do NOTHING to advance an intelligent, informed debate about energy & environmental policy. Somehow, this discussion has to change…
It may not advance an intelligent debate, but it does advance the Democrats’ talking points. Which is their goal because climate change is not a top priority to most voters in a general election. They (the media) are working overtime to change that.
Steyer has suppressed his earth has a fever agenda a bit but claims corporate america is the new bad . No explanation offered but its hard not to wonder about the trillions in offshore tax havens . So he might have a point if that’s what he is getting at .
Any warming we get in this cycle has as many benefits as draw backs and humans are sure not going to change the climate direction to any meaningful
amount so why blow $trillions on this false narrative ?
Haven’t we had enough of government creating billionaire enrichment programs ? All regular people get is artificially high energy prices and the poorest a choice to eat or heat . The billionaires and Hollywood actors are still buzzing around in airplanes and buying that soon to be submerged waterfront property .
Warming is actually good so maybe fix some real problems … like straws or
that ocean of plastic the size of Texas sitting out in the ocean .
The rounders pumping scary global warming should be able to figure a way to
make a fortune off plastics . Maybe a plastics off set program .
Bloomberg and Steyer two wealthy hypotcrites oppose Fossil Fuels while using Fossil Fuels they both need to Leave America and Never ever return
Congratulations to Julia A. Seymour and those making comments for some excellent points.
Some people may oppose natural gas because it is a fossil fuel and they know nothing else. As we all know, others have agendas. I will point out again that off all fossil fuels, methane, what natural gas is made of, has the highest ratio hydrogen to carbon, so its carbon emission are lower than other fuels.