Presentation to the
Annual Meeting of Flathead Electric COOP, March 21, 2009.
by
Edwin X Berry, Ph.D., Climate Physicist
A
statement by our COOP says:
"Trustees and management are committed to finding the lowest-cost, most environmentally friendly sources of power..."
But, as they say, the devil is in the details.
If we
define environmentally
friendly to mean carbon dioxide is bad, we will triple our
future electric rates ... and devastate Flathead County.
This definition is more significant than any management difference among the candidates which, at best, might affect our electric rates by 10%.
As a
Climate Physicist and Certified Consulting Meteorologist with
experience in business and corporate management, I offer my unique
ability to help on the most critical issue before us: how we deal
with environmentally friendly.
Here is how environmentally friendly is affecting our energy:
1. In the year 2000, America planned 150 CLEAN coal-electric power plants.
2. The Greens redefined "clean" to make carbon dioxide "dirty."
3. The Greens then stopped 82 of these plants under Bush and expect to easily stop the rest under Obama.
In the name of being environmentally friendly, Obama has promised:
1. To "Tax" ALL carbon dioxide emissions, business and personal,
2. To "Bankrupt" coal-electric power plants and
3. To "Skyrocket" our energy costs.
What if
there is NO man-made global warming?
Two weeks ago, I attended the International Conference on Climate Change. All 700 scientists at this conference, including me, will assure you that carbon dioxide does not and will not cause global warming. (Interrupted by applause.)
The science IS settled. Carbon dioxide IS environmentally friendly. We should NOT have to pay for carbon emissions, carbon footprints, carbon credits, carbon taxes, cap & trade and carbon sequestering.
But the politics is NOT settled. Global warming is NOT about our environment. It is about our freedom.
Here are some facts about our energy:
1. Our standard of living is proportional to our energy use. Always has been and always will be. Obama wants to cut our energy use by 80%.
2. America has the largest coal reserves in the world. Most of them are right here in Montana. Our governor signed California's climate-change initiative and he wants to inject carbon dioxide into the ground. He is not aware that he is wasting our money and our resources.
In summary:
· We must FIND reliable, low-cost, clean energy.
· BUT we must WIN the political war so our energy companies can PRODUCE reliable, low-cost, clean energy.
· I am the ONLY candidate who can help us win this political war.
Our
atmosphere is stable. Our freedom is not!