Say Anything Blog

Let ask, additionally, what has Dorgan’s stance on oil development in ND been? Where does he fall on ethanol, which competes with wind for subsidies. Why would wind provide additional labor when oil would not? Where would Dorgan fall on imminent domain used to condemn the acreage for electrical right of way?

I bet you can find more inconsistencies in all of that.

The sad truth is, he’s typical of the other politicians in that they all have failed to provide leadership in forming a comprehensive energy strategy. Mostly because of politics and because we didn’t need one when we had cheap oil.

We have a windy state.  It is an alternative NRG source.
The cost of transmission lines is huge.
Giving a subsidy is cheaper than having the state put in the lines (which is sad because he who owns the lines will enjoy the profits)

I recall hearing from a potential wind investor that the cost of the transmission lines is something close to 100k per foot?..not sure if that is an accurate number but the investors I know backed away from investing in ND wind due to that cost….

Here’s one for you.
‘Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.’ - Ronald Reagan

I will say this, eventually transmission lines will be an issue just due to infrastructure degradation. However, the question of a national grid vs the smaller non-collective grids is one that deserves some strategic focus.

Here in Texas, Ercot has pros and cons but at least we didn’t have rolling blackouts. That’s when “supply and demand” meets “supply and delivery.”

Just follow the money.

No Free Lunch

Pickens is well aware that Dorgan and his fellow Dems have it in for the oil companies and those affiliated with that industry.

In other words, Pickens knows which way the wind is blowing!

(Sorry!)

“Capitalism is optimism monetized.”

Let ask, additionally, what has Dorgan’s stance on oil development in ND been?

He’s for it, which means he’s a terrible hypocrite.  He hates the oil companies nationally, but when he’s here at home where oil development is driving the booming economy he’s just fine with them.

We have a windy state.  It is an alternative NRG source.
The cost of transmission lines is huge.

If wind were competitive with other sources of energy in the state (such as coal, which we already have, and nuclear power which we should be looking into) I’d say we should clear way the red tape so that transmission lines could be built.  They are, after all, infrastructure.

The problem is that wind has a lot of problems.  It’s much more expensive to produce than coal, natural gas or even nuclear energy.  And it’s not a constant energy supply.  There’s no way to store up wind energy so that it can continue to meet demand even during periods of low wind (which, interestingly enough, tend to happen during peak periods of demand such as when it’s really hot or really cold).

I don’t have a problem with wind per se.  I have a problem with politicians trying to shove wind down our throats.

Which is also my objection to ethanol.

The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

What happens when the wind stops blowing and where do we get the energy then?  I don’t know about you but there aren’t enough JackAsses is the world that will make up for this issue. 

Wait a minute, there are plenty of us peons that won’t have a dime or a job left after this is shoved down our throats, so there you go, this must be where all those jobs are coming from.

T. Boondogle has to know this so why is he pushing for this when we actually will still need 2 to 3 times the number of windmills proposed to produce the reliable amount of energy predicited?

I can answer that, it all about the Benjamins baby!!!!

“We cannot blow ourselves out of this situation.” WJC

Wouldn’t the money involved to outfit Kansas, say with these contraptions be enough to build nuke reactors to service the whole midwest, working 24/7 and last 100 years?

Dorgan and his fellow travelers want the government to ration energy.
They will decide who is worthy to get any.

No Free Lunch

ND is an extremely windy state.  There would be few days where harvesting wind NRG would not occur.  In fact we have so much wind that there is additional expense to add additional gearing to the mills.

I am a believer in wind NRG.  Granted it is expensive to get set up and there will be costs to maintain the mills, but the wind is free and it is clean and it is a ‘non- depleting’ resource.  We should have been looking at wind and solar more deeply these past 40 years.  If we had spread the cost over that length of time, we very well may have been in a different place today.

Pickens is well aware that Dorgan and his fellow Dems have it in for the oil companies and those affiliated with that industry.

In other words, Pickens knows which way the wind is blowing!

What the dems don’t realize is T Boone Pickens wants to drill as well. This wind energy is most costly than it is good.

Check out:
Goon’s North Dakota Red Neck
Goon’s World

No one has investigated the effect of removing megawatts of energy from prevailing winds in the various states that Boondoggle wants the rate payers to subsidize his latest money making scheme that include tax rebates (more ratepayer money).

Removing this much energy from the wind may have an unforeseen effect on the weather patterns that are governed by wind.