Rants And Raves, Friday Morning -- And Just Think: The Friday Night News Dump Is Yet To Hit (After End Of Today's News Cycle) -- October 2, 2015

Remember that hurricane that was going to hit New Jersey this weekend, the same hurricane that was then going to go west over Cincinnati? [Track the winds here -- live.]

Here's where we stand today:

The storm won't even hit Georgia or the Carolinas based on the current model. Even the Los Angeles Times seems disappointed.

"The models have become much more in agreement, and we are pretty confident the hurricane is going to pass well offshore of the East Coast of the U.S.," he said.

That didn't mean the danger was over.

That's what happens when you load "politically correct" algorithms into computer models to drive the "extreme weather" agenda.

Two days ago we have the hurricane tracking to hit New Jersey, Washington, DC, and NYC and now it won't even hit shore. (But we will see lots of rain reports over the weekend.)

But Matt Damon can tell us that 100 years from now, if we do nothing, the earth's temperature will rise 2.4 degrees (Fahrenheit or centigrade, doesn't matter; the numbers are just made up, anyway).

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Part Of The Scam

Of course, the EIA is part of President Obama's "global warming" scam. Sucking up to the president, the EIA reminds us that even if the hurricane doesn't hit land (like Agore was hoping), there could still be some rain on the east coast.

Because of the storm's proximity to the coast, high winds, rainfall, and flooding will potentially affect energy infrastructure such as power transmission and distribution lines, petroleum refineries, natural gas processing plants, and distribution terminals.

Portions of 11 states along the East Coast have already experienced heavy rainfall and, in some cases, flooding prior to Hurricane Joaquin, all from an on-land storm system moving through the region. Hurricane Joaquin could amplify these effects, even if the storm does not make landfall. --- EIA 

By the way, these New Jersey hurricanes can be devastating. I was in Westfield, NJ, in 1971, when Tropical Storm Doria hit. I don't recall anyone suggesting Tropical Storm Doria was due to any climate change. It was due to weather, I believe.

Yesterday, by the way, we noted some very light drizzle in early afternoon here in north Texas; no doubt, this was due to Hurricane Joaquin. I'm thinking maybe I should stock up on some bottled water.

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Speaking of Cincinnati And The Storm

The good news is that as soon as the mayor of Cincinnati saw that storm track he knew he had to do something about global warming.

WLWT is reporting that the mayor of Cincinnati will raise property taxes so that his neighbors can install rooftop solar energy. Taking advantage of the city's largess, a homeowner can install rooftop solar for as little as $14,000 instead of the full $23,000 cost -- and let the neighbors pay for the difference. What's not to like?

Mayor John Cranley announced the new rebates for home solar systems, along with the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance.

Cranley said the city will offer up to $1,500 in rebates for the installation of a new home solar panel.

Paired with federal incentives that can cut the cost by 30 percent, the Energy Alliance thinks now is a prime time to invest in solar.

“Solar technology has transformed -- the single panel on your roof generates far more electricity today than it did a couple of years ago, and that makes it more cost effective for all of us,” said Andy Holzhauser with the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance.

He said the cost to install solar on your home is around $23,000. With federal incentives and the new city rebate, that cost can be driven down to under $14,000.

I assume the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance is a consortium of solar energy companies.

Two days ago GOP presidential contender Ben Carson was asked a most ludicrous question: what would be the first thing he would do as president if a hurricane hit the coast? Ben answered honestly, "I don't know." But he missed an opportunity to say, that as president, the first thing he would do would be to announce a federal program to subsidize solar energy panels if installed before the hurricane hit.
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How To Screw Up An Energy Bonanza: Let The Government Get Involved
Wow, talk about a huge screw-up. A few months ago it appeared that Israel was on her way to becoming energy independent. In fact, things were looking so good, it was likely Israel was going to be able to supply natural gas to her neighbors, generating an incredible balance of payments (to help pay for their Air Force which they will need to defend themselves from Iran).

But it appears not to be. The Israeli government got involved and screwed things royally. Can a democratic government screw things royally, or can only monarchies like Great Britain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia screw things royally? But I digress.

Reuters/Rigzone is reporting:

When the Leviathan gas field was discovered off the coast of Israel in 2010, it was pitched as a game-changer -- a vast energy reserve that would transform the economy and bolster public finances for years to come.

Five years on, poor policymaking, political infighting and a battle between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the antitrust commissioner over a lack of competition mean Leviathan remains undeveloped.

Meanwhile, Egypt has made a larger discovery that could make it a more attractive investment.

The case sends a worrying message to investors and may make them wary of the natural resources sector in Israel, which has struggled to diversify its economy much beyond technology.

Instead of billions of dollars in exports and tax revenue from the gas deposit over the next 25 years, analysts are now concerned Israel will end up with negligible additional income and may be forced to revise down its growth projections.

"It seems like (government leaders) are making every possible mistake," said Bank Leumi Chief Economist Gil Bufman.

"The government got mixed up. They counted how much they could make from this gas but forgot what they have to do to make it come true." 

This story represents the extreme opposite to what happened in the Bakken. I've always said the Bakken was three things:

• Bakken, the geographical location
• Bakken, the laboratory where oil and gas industry tried new methods (across the board)
• Bakken, a working relationship involving private enterprise, individual landowners, and state agencies

It looks like Israel got one out of three.