Environment Archives - Voice For Liberty

$Voice for Liberty Radio: Hydraulic fracturing: A conjured-up controversy?$

Aug

Voice for Liberty Radio: Hydraulic fracturing: A conjured-up controversy?

In this episode of Voice for Liberty Radio: Dwight D. Keen is former chairman of the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association. He spoke to the Wichita Pachyderm Club on the topic "Hydraulic Fracturing: A Conjured-up Controversy" on August 8, 2014. In the shownotes for this episode you can find the link to the short video that was shown as part of his talk. Also, you will find links to the handouts he distributed. Here's Dwight Keen at the Wichita Pachyderm Club on August 8, 2014. Shownotes Link to video shown during the presentation: Hydraulic Fracturing Handout: A fluid situation:…

Jun

By Bob Weeks

Misguided faith

A big "thank you" to Mike Smith for his rebuttal to an op-ed printed in today's Wichita Eagle. In the commentary, which was signed by more than 60 members of the clergy from across the state, the writer states: "As people of faith, we believe it is our moral responsibility to care for all that has been entrusted to us." I think the moral responsibility of people of faith is to refrain from telling lies. And while we're at it, people of faith should stop using the coercive power of government to force others to conform to their prescriptions for…

Mar

By Bob Weeks

Are you worried about global warming?

To the extent that global temperatures are rising, and the extent that mankind is the cause, we should be concerned about global warming. Climate change I meant to say, please excuse me. It's no wonder that the term global warming has been replaced by climate change. As the following two charts show, the models that are in common use by climate scientists have predicted rising temperatures, but actual observations of temperatures have not conformed to predictions. Temperatures have been level in recent years. Here's a simplified chart of the temperatures predicted by climate scientists compared to actual temperatures. A more…

Apr

By Bob Weeks

Recycling debate short on reason

Responses to a news story on recycling indicate that the issue is driven more by emotion and misinformation than reason. Recently I was interviewed by Carla Eckels of KMUW radio for a story titled Recycling: Is It Really Necessary? (Audio is available at that link.) The story was based on my research and opinion that in some cases, recycling is an economically beneficial activity. But for the household setting, it is not. (One point I meant to make, but forgot to, was that how wonderful it is that we have enough wealth that we don't have to recycle household waste.…

Apr

By Bob Weeks

For Gasland 2, there will be no dissent allowed

The maker of FrackNation writes "Our mistake was to believe the Tribeca Film Festival’s claims to want diversity of opinion and people who are passionate about film." Documentary filmmakers Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney made FrackNation in response to the errors and lies in the anti-fracking film Gasland. Now there is Gasland 2, and McAleer and a group of farmers tried to see the film. It didn't go well. In January, as FrackNation was being released, I interviewed McAleer. You can read my report at FrackNation to tell truth about fracking. I asked this question: "So why are progressives and…

Jan

By Bob Weeks

FrackNation to tell truth about fracking

Documentary filmmakers Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney have produced a feature film that will help America understand the truth about fracking. Fracking -- short for hydraulic fracturing -- is a method of oil and gas production by injecting pressurized fluid into rock formations. Along with horizontal drilling, this technology has lead to a rise in the production of natural gas, leading to much lower prices for consumers, and to the possibility of U.S. exports. FrackNation, the film that McAleer and McElhinney made, is set for premier on AXS TV on January 22, 2013 at 9:00 pm eastern. I spoke to…

Feb

By Guest Author

Occupy Koch Town protestors ignore facts

Below, Paul Soutar of Kansas Watchdog provides more evidence that the campaign against Wichita-based Koch Industries regarding their alleged involvement in the Keystone XL pipeline is not based on facts. Besides this article, U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo of Wichita has also written on this issue in The Democrats continue unjustified attacks on taxpayers and job creators. Another inconvenient fact is that if the Canadian oil is not sold to the U.S., it will be sold to and consumed in China. If we are concerned about greenhouse gas emissions leading to climate change, it should be noted that it doesn't matter…

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Fracking movie proposed

Americans are just starting to become aware of the tremendous potential of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as a method of producing oil, and especially, natural gas. Kansas has recently seen a flurry of activity in this area, and fracking is expected to provide many thousands of jobs for Kansas, along with cheaper energy. Filmmakers Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer produced the 2009 film Not Evil Just Wrong that uncovered the myths and misinformation spread by radical environmental extremists. Now the two have looked at fracking and hope to produce a documentary film on this topic. They hope to use a…

Dec

By Guest Author

CSAPR not friendly, not a ghost

The following piece by Kansas Representative Dennis Hedke (district 99, Andover and parts of far east Wichita) illustrates another way in which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) overreaches. Hedke is a geophysicist by training and profession. Every citizen on the planet bears a responsibility toward stewardship of the environment. In the United States we have been blessed by much improved air and water quality over many decades of dedicated effort. There are, however, practical limits as to how far to push the envelope of "clean." The article presented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Wichita Eagle…

Sep

By Bob Weeks

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback on wind energy

Recently Kansas Governor Sam Brownback wrote an editorial praising the benefits of wind power. (Gov. Sam Brownback: Wind offers clean path to growth, September 11, 2011 Wichita Eagle) Brownback has also been supportive of another form of renewable energy, ethanol. But not everyone agrees with the governor's rosy assessment of wind power. Paul Chesser of American Tradition Institute offers a rebuttal of Brownback's article, which first appeared in a Bloomberg publication. Chesser writes: "Apparently Gov. Brownback has overlooked the horrid results of efforts in recent years to spur the economy and employment with government renewable energy 'stimulation' from taxpayer dollars.…