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The Fossil Fuel-Backed ‘Philosopher’ Shaping the Megabill Clean Energy Cuts – Truthdig

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The Fossil Fuel-Backed ‘Philosopher’ Shaping the Megabill Clean Energy Cuts – Truthdig

After Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., denounced the law once known as the “Big Beautiful Bill,” largely over its proposed Medicaid cuts, which he said would threaten insurance coverage for many North Carolinians, he called out the bill’s problematic approach to energy — and one climate crisis denier credited with helping to craft those provisions, in particular.

“It’s another classic example where think tanks and people that haven’t worked a day in business are setting policy in the White House without a clue about what they are potentially doing to our grid,” Tillis said Sunday night, just hours after announcing he would not seek re-election in 2026. “I had an Alex Weinstein, who is a self-described philosopher and expert in this area in my office, talking with three people, practitioners that actually work in it.”

Alex Epstein, author of the pro-fossil fuel books “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels” and “Fossil Future,” seems to have recognized himself in that description (despite the senator’s apparent confusion about his name). The following day, Epstein published a Substack presenting his version of events, writing that he had recorded his own comments during a “secret meeting” with the senator.*

NPR

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Plugging old wells is important. It’s neither easy nor cheap : NPR

But while old wells might be forgotten, they never go away. After decades, this plugged well started to leak.

"Grass didn't grow," Burns said. "The pine trees kept dying. And there was another tree that sat there, and it died."

Leaks from defunct oil and gas wells are a problem for more than just plant life. The chemicals that leach up from deep underground, including benzene and arsenic, can harm human health and leach into water reservoirs. And any remaining natural gas that works its way into the atmosphere contributes to global warming. Natural gas is almost entirely composed of methane, a greenhouse gas that's far more potent than carbon dioxide.

Millions of oil and gas wells have been drilled in the U.S. since the oil industry was launched in the 1800s. A small number of those might conceivably be repurposed for something else — making geothermal power, for instance. But the vast majority will someday need to be plugged.

Doing that properly is neither easy nor cheap. And if plugging isn't done properly, it might not last — as Burns discovered.

Eco-Worthy Solar Tracker Install – Better Than Ever with Bifacial Panels | Remote Off-Grid Cabin

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We're powering up like never before! In this video, we install the new and improved Eco-Worthy Solar Tracker—now featuring bifacial solar panels for maximum efficiency. This upgraded system is a game changer for our life at the remote off-grid cabin deep in the wilderness of Northern Michigan.

After taking down our old setup, we’re finally putting the tracker back up—and this version is better than ever. Watch as we walk through the full install, share why this system matters so much to our daily life off-grid, and show you how well it performs in action.

I think a lot about Climate Change Action, but I often wonder at what cost …

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I think this is a point that needs to made and not glossed over. If you want to transition the energy system, that fine, but there is going to be real human and environmental costs to doing that. There is going to be enormous amounts of political power used and abused, community destroyed, serious environmental derogation. Maybe it’s worth it as climate change will be rather bad, but we should proceed with caution.