Energy

The Undead Corporate Welfare Programs For Automakers

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on The Undead Corporate Welfare Programs For Automakers

They’re at it again! Originally created by Congress in 2007, the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program provided low-cost government loans that were subsidized, and then in part eaten as we now know, by hapless and strung-out American taxpayers. In 2011, it was left behind as dead, but now the government wants to bring that zombie back.

The Shale by Rail Revolution: A Lasting Phenomenon

by Oilprice.com •  • Comments Off on The Shale by Rail Revolution: A Lasting Phenomenon

The US shale revolution is leaving its marks. In 2009, the US surpassed Russia as the world’s largest producer of natural gas. In May, production exceeded imports for the first time in 16 years. In 2020, the US might overtake Saudi Arabia as the top oil-producing nation. But there aren’t enough pipelines in place to handle it.

An Inconvenient Truth: How Carbon Trading Is Enriching Polluters and Destroying the Environment

by Don Quijones •  • Comments Off on An Inconvenient Truth: How Carbon Trading Is Enriching Polluters and Destroying the Environment

By Don Quijones: Hyper-connected Goldman Sachs has managed to manipulate and profit from every financial bubble since the Roaring Twenties. And now they’re doing it all over again with the creation of a carbon trading bubble. But Goldman is not the only one with skin in the game.

Germany’s Government-Sponsored Export Machine Takes Aim At Greece, Argument Breaks Out

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Germany’s Government-Sponsored Export Machine Takes Aim At Greece, Argument Breaks Out

When going overseas, Chancellor Merkel doesn’t leave home without planeloads full of executives from Germany’s most coddled companies – exports being the core of foreign policy. And if these deals get snagged on the rusty nails of payment risks, it’s up to the government to help out with guarantees, even if they’re infested with conflicts.

“Who Could Trust Such A Company?” – The Big Fat Lies About Radiation Exposure Of Workers At Fukushima

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on “Who Could Trust Such A Company?” – The Big Fat Lies About Radiation Exposure Of Workers At Fukushima

The nuclear fiasco in Japan has shaken the omnipotent nuclear industry – and government agencies that aided and abetted it. Yet they still obfuscate the consequences of the triple melt-down. Latest revelation: the number of workers at the plant with cancer-inducing radiation doses in thyroid glands was eleven times higher than disclosed last December.

Austrian Steelmaker Offshores Production To … Texas

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Austrian Steelmaker Offshores Production To … Texas

Voestalpine, an Austrian steelmaker with 46,000 employees, saw its revenues decline by 4% last year. It blamed the “cooling down of the global economy,” and “dwindling momentum in Asia (especially China).” Now it’s under pressure to cut costs. Hence offshoring to cheap countries! China or Indonesia? Nope.

Nuclear Lobby’s Latest Spin: It’s All Just “Fear” Of Radiation

by Contributor •  • Comments Off on Nuclear Lobby’s Latest Spin: It’s All Just “Fear” Of Radiation

Contributed by Christina Macpherson: According to the nuclear industry, the real hurdle to developing nuclear power isn’t cancer, birth defects, genetic instability, risks of nuclear accidents…. It’s simply overcoming the fear of radiation.

Akie Abe, Shinzo Abe’s Antinuclear Wife

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Akie Abe, Shinzo Abe’s Antinuclear Wife

Abenomics has its detractors – in peculiar places – and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe must be experiencing some interesting pillow talk. His wife has attacked one of the major components of his economic policies, the nuclear power industry.

Industry Insider: Creative Destruction And Opportunity In The Bloodied Solar Industry

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Industry Insider: Creative Destruction And Opportunity In The Bloodied Solar Industry

“Yes, the industry is in collapse mode, but it is not all bad, it is just a healthy shakeup needed in a maturing industry,” an insider wrote in an email. Then he offered what he called “a slightly less gloomy take on the industry and with 50% more silver lining as well.”

Next Shoe To Drop: Shoddy Solar Panels From China

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Next Shoe To Drop: Shoddy Solar Panels From China

The solar-panel price war waged by state-subsidized Chinese companies killed a slew of manufacturers worldwide. Now, much of solar-panel manufacturing takes place in China. To stay alive, they cut costs – and corners. Defects are ballooning. And “cheap” solar panels suddenly get very expensive. A cruel twist for an already threatened industry.