IMF Book Says Counties Should Tax Fossil Fuels Higher
The International Monetary Fund, a liberal quasi-governmental organization released a new book yesterday in which they say countries like the United States don’t tax energy, particularly fossil fuels, enough. For the first time ever the IMF lays out what it says is the appropriate level of taxation on coal, natural gas, diesel fuel and gasoline for 156 countries. Of course global warming nuttery plays a major role in their calculations–got to reduce that darned carbon dioxide, ya know (the stuff you breathe out with every breath). IMF chief Christine Lagarde made up some cockamamie excuse why the IMF is concerned about so-called environmental damage instead of sticking to monetary policy. At a gala event last week in Washington, DC, Lagarde, who arrived from Europe on a fossil fuel jetliner and was chauffeured to the event in a fossil fuel powered limousine, said countries shouldn’t wait for everyone to agree. Just start taxing the #$@! out of their citizens now–to force them to give up those evil, nasty fossil fuels. Oh, and don’t forget to chip in a few billion to the IMF along the way…
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Two “independent” administrative law judges for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission have dealt what could be a major blow to Sunoco Logistics’ request to have the Mariner East NGL (natural gas liquids) pipeline declared a public utility. The two judges–David Salapa and Elizabeth Barnes–handed down a decision yesterday that denies Sunoco’s request to have 18 pump and 17 value stations (in 31 locations) that would need to be built along the 300+ mile pipeline exempt from local zoning ordinances. If the pipeline is considered a public utility it would be exempt from local ordinances. Without that exemption, Sunoco Logistics faces a nearly impossible task of trying to gain permission to build the necessary new stations. Below is a copy of the decision, and MDN’s background on this important pipeline project, along with a “where do we go from here” analysis…
The Department of Energy (DOE) under the guidance of Secretary Ernest “Hair” Moniz, at the direction of the White House, has been on a fools errand to cut down on methane emissions, claiming such emissions are a “potent greenhouse gas” (although the earth isn’t actually warming). Still, when the boss says jump, you say, “How high?” So the DOE has been conducting methane round tables with various environmental and industry participants to try and figure out how they can regulate methane emissions to cut them down to size. The fifth and final round table was held and yesterday Sec. Moniz and the DOE issued several new initiatives to help cut down on methane emissions, part of the larger Obama Administration “Strategy to Reduce Methane Emissions”…
Yesterday the 70,000-member Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) along with several individual landowners filed an appeal in their Article 78 lawsuit that was dismissed by a lower court in Albany County, NY earlier this month. You may recall that the JLCNY sued NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Dept. of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens, and state Health Dept. Commissioner Nirav Shah over their refusal to deliver fracking regulations (see