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Obama's Approval Ratings -- and Energy

By Craig Shields
July 20, 2010 | 7 Comments

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It’s fairly obvious what lies at the core of president Obama’s dwindling approval ratings: none of the things he apparently stands for are happening to the satisfaction of the electorate. While he’s aggressively taking action on healthcare reform, immigration, and protecting us from the criminals on Wall Street, the progress he’s making is the product of huge compromises whose end products are garbled, wrong-headed garbage that wind up pleasing no one.

Of course, the same political exigencies that create such a mess in areas like healthcare exist in Obama’s energy policy as well. For example, it’s business as usual in continuing the billions of dollars in subsidies for oil and gas. How sincere are we about eliminating our dependence on oil when tax-payers are spending $72 billion per year supporting this industry and artificially driving down the price of gasoline?

Having said that, it’s clear that the current administration has been far more active than its predecessors in supporting the development of clean energy. Yes, a lot of this support is the stimulus money handed out under ARPA-E. But it’s clear that Team Obama is extremely bullish on renewables in ways that extend far beyond.

The examples of this are all around us. The Bureau of Land Management, which rubber-stamped thousands of leases of public land for the oil companies while putting a moratorium on solar thermal applications just a few years ago, is making a huge change in its position. For example, driven by the Obama Administration's desire to double clean energy capacity in two to three years, the BLM is in the early stages of rolling out a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on 24 solar energy study areas, amounting to about 700,000 acres of land.

Anyone with any sense of decency is sickened by the corruption in Washington, by the oil companies’ 7000 lobbyists extorting huge sums of cash and all manner of other support from our elected leaders. Yet, even with all that overt criminality, it appears that advocates for clean energy are making progress.

Craig Shields, editor of 2GreenEnergy.com and author, Renewable Energy -- Facts and Fantasties (2010).

Bioenergy, Geothermal Energy, Green Power, Hydropower, Hydrogen - Fuel Cells, Ocean Energy, Solar Energy, Wind Power, Energy Efficiency

The information and views expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of RenewableEnergyWorld.com or the companies that advertise on this Web site and other publications. This blog was posted directly by the author and was not reviewed for accuracy, spelling or grammar.

7 Reader Comments

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SolarEnergyConsultant

July 21, 2010

An all out effort is needed by Obama administration & staff with the support of both the US House of Representative and the US Senate and it is so appear that obstructionist to change is in the credit markets that do not want true competitions .

True market changes can only happen to realistically create rapid development in new jobs by looking at and establishment of an public - owed Green Bank & Green Bond which would be an economic alternative to the current financial systems has refuse to come to the table an be a full and honest players at the table.

The current banking systems are not true brokers to be creative and imaginative enough to produce new forms of credit market initiatives that would easy the lending process exclusive for renewable technology applications for residents, commercials, and small businesses entities.

The long awaited feed-in-tariff models must be introduce within the USA asap at least to began to meet the acceleration of an overall target goal of jobs creation that can be created within the development of an new green economy and immediate energy infrastructural changes that will bring balances to our environment.

Could it be due to the hidden stock holder behind these Banks are held hostages from change due to their investments in a old an adequate and costly outdated energy investments portfolio.

Are they still looking for that long dog days of Oil prices going higher and increasing dividends to the share holders due to market manipulations helping the tumbling of the world economy.

Increases in Oil prices and old dates energy systems are the number one drive of of inflation within the Global market impacting food and impacting every conceivable industry and aspect within the market.

These issues are not knew it been around for a over 100 years even when Thomas Edison wrote the book on the WAR of Currents his argument is now thorning us today.

Wisdom2See

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edward-wilhelm-75955

July 21, 2010

Team Obama is bullish alright , masters of double talk .It only appears the clean energy people are making progress. Meanwhile , the oil companies money are buying them clean out one by one , and the feds are taking over the banks so that corrupt govt will control who gets financing at all. At the same time feds are buying up land for "protected eco areas". It's a deep rabbit hole my friends. We are like sheep , and the wolves look like us.

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jeff-anderson-44139

July 24, 2010

There are a number of reasons for president Obama's dwindling approval ratings. First one is the health care bill. Things you don't know will hurt you. Some of the things in the bill are minimum coverage levels. The problem with this is that low income people will be forced to buy more insurance than they could afford. Employers will need to reduce the number of employees so that they can afford to remain in business. Those benefits that your employer was giving you, well they are now taxable. Example: A school teacher gets about $26,000 in benefits a year. This will be taxable income under the health care bill. This is one of the reasons the federal government is expected to hire 16,000 additional auditors. All those tax cuts you got during the Bush years in office will expire at the end of this year. So if you make more than $7000 you will be paying federal income taxes. Also the tax rates at every income level will be going up. Your paycheck you will be seeing a lot less of it, if you still have a job. The stimulus money the government has largely been squandered. As proof of this the last two quarters for this year the economic indicators have been down. The only reason some companies are making profits is because they were forced to make cuts in expenses (employee reduction). The national dept has climbed to over $47,000 for every man, woman and child in this country. So for a family of 4 the national dept would be $188.000. Oh then there is the interest payments on all that dept that will need to be paid. That's OK it will be like a second mortgage payment.
The reason illegal immigration has become such a big problem is because the federal government has been ignoring it for decades. You have illegal immigrates who have been here so long they have got married had children and their kids are going to school. What the Obama administration wants to do is one of two things give the illegal immigrates amnesty, or nothing. They can now get government benifits.

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jeff-anderson-44139

July 24, 2010

The writer of the article said "business as usual in continuing the billions of dollars in subsidies for oil and gas. How sincere are we about eliminating our dependence on oil when tax-payers are spending $72 billion per year supporting this industry."
The truth about this is what he is talking about is called the Intangible Drilling Cost Tax Deduction.
The Intangible Drilling Cost Tax Deduction (IDC) allows for the intangible expenses associated with drilling to be one hundred percent deductible in the first year of operation. Such intangible expenditures of drilling include the wages of laborers, necessary chemicals, grease and mud, to name a few. These types of intangible expenses make up a majority of the expenses associated with privately funded drilling, making this a valuable tax incentive for investors.
The second one is the Tangible Drilling Cost Tax Deduction (TDC) this allows for a one hundred percent tax deduction for the costs of equipment.
These are the expenses a company pays for to drill a well. These costs reduce the profit a company makes. This helps promote domestic energy
Production rather than buying oil on the international market. This helps create jobs here.
Instead of making business less competitive by increasing their operation cost. We should be encouraging a more competitive market against foreign markets. Repeal the health care bill. Reduce the size of the government. Reduce the complexity of running a business. This will result in more jobs being created. Get Americans working not drawing a never ending unemployment check.
I'm all for solar. I'm of the opinion if you want it you should pay for it. I have done so.
The PV system on my house produces more electricity than what I use. The excess power the electric company writes me a check for. Total cost of electricity and natural gas was $85 last year.
Yeah you can do it but there is a price tag to do it.
Actions speak loader than words.

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mitch3

July 28, 2010

The Stimulus monies went mostly to build bigger government which is an additional cost to taxpayers. If we want to see clean energy build jobs as well as decrease our dependency on foreign oil and imports from China we need to have the renewable playing field leveled. To install small hydro for example, which by the way is an excellent renewable energy, the service agencies need to streamline the licensing process, the energy pricing regulations need reform and tried and true methods of storage and generation need the same benefits as solar and wind; without these elements the whole process of becoming energy independent will be bogged down with two variable renewables , solar and wind leading to more curtailment, the need for more transmission and dying companies whose product can pay for it's self without taxpayers dollars. The idea that America will plug their cars in for storage, agree with demand response results and install solar or wind in their backyard is a pipe dream and only realistic when the economy is sound, and we're years from that due to increased size of government and national debt causing tax increases that stifle economic growth. This administration has foregone capitalism for socialism and that will delay energy independence.

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jeff-anderson-44139

August 3, 2010

With the national debt increasing at a rate of 3.5 billion dollars a day is very scary. To reduce this debt the US could just print more money, and reduce the debt by inflation. This is why so many people are buying gold. This would help protect your cash against inflation. China is a major holder of US debt has said they would go to war if the US tried this tactic.
This would reduce the value of the loane with the US significantly. A strong economy makes it more possible for people to buy into renewable energy.
This can be illistrated by poor person living in a old home. Due to the high cost to heat the home the person cannot afford to insulate, or buy better windows for the home. They are basicly trapped at this point. If they could afford to improve the house they could then save money on their utility bills.

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phil-manke-79191

September 8, 2010

So - the cat is coming out of the bag- not a "nice kitty". The "fed"; the federal banking system which has had free reign for decades of our monetary system, has instigated world wars and rampant inflation as the cost of progress, all at the expense of the working classes for the profit of the "smart, educated, exploitive wealthy classes. They appear to retain an intention of continuing business as usual, based on the in-ability to pass any meaningful energy, et.al., reform in congress, even tho countries like China and India are obviously becoming more advanced day by day. They are making smart and valued use of their number one asset- People! In this "good ole USA", people appear to be exploitable fodder for the wealthy classes and the banking system that exploits them. The federal banking system (FED) answers to no one, can throttle, in secret, the whole world economy, and at great peril. Can you say "9-1-1" without wondering. All this is brought to you by a government bought and paid for by the rampant capitalism that some diehards still embrace fully as the flagship of true democracy. Unchecked capitalism is a parasite on a successful industrial economy. The lack of government oversight on it is the cause, and will not be corrected as long as the will of the people is to gain control of more wealth than they need. It is called "greed". Those who aspire to this lifestyle ethic, educated or not, are it's lackies.

Make no mistake- business as usual will bring another war, and at collossal cost.

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