The Center for American Progress affiliated attack group “Forecast the Facts” is turning on the CBS News magazine “60 Minutes” for reporting truthfully on the issues surrounding green technology last Sunday.
See the press release below and the full video from CBS News follows.
For Immediate Release January 9, 2013
Contact: Anna Zuccaro, anna@fitzgibbonmedia.com, (914) 523-9145
Benghazi Redux? 60 Minutes “Cleantech Crash” Segment Severely Misleads Viewers
Climate Group Forms Online Petition in Demand of Public Editor
Washington, DC — On January 5th, 60 Minutes aired a segment entitled “Cleantech Crash” and made false accusations regarding the nation’s clean energy economy. The broadcast failed to mention that the clean energy industry has actually been booming, and that the increasing and severe threats of climate change makes the transition from fossil fuel pollution an economic necessity.
Not only did the “Cleantech Crash” segment mislead viewers, it threatened our ability to confront the global warming crisis.
Fortunately, 60 Minutes can still set the record straight: by appointing a Public Editor, the program can see to it that this particular broadcast is investigated, ensure that all future reporting serves the public interest and deliver more accurate information about climate change to their audience.
“Those who watched 60 Minutes this past Sunday might be under the impression that cleantech is dead, our hope for a much-needed green energy economy down the tubes,” said Forecast the Facts campaign director Brant Olson. “Fortunately for the world and unfortunately for good investigative journalism, 60 Minutes got the future of clean energy technology wrong—very wrong. 60 Minutes should appoint a Public Editor to restore its damaged reputation.”
Take a stand with us and sign the petition to demand the appointment of a 60 Minutes Public Editor, which will be delivered to Jeff Fager, Chairman of CBS News and Executive Producer of 60 Minutes: http://act.forecastthefacts.org/sign/sixty_minutes_public_editor.
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THE VIDEO:
From the YouTube video description:
Published on Jan 5, 2014
Despite billions invested by the U.S. government in so-called “Cleantech” energy, Washington and Silicon Valley have little to show for it. Lesley Stahl reports.
The key components in “green technology” require rare earth elements. China strategically purchased and moved the technology to China.
The Chinese have pressured companies to move their high technology manufacturing to China by withholding rare earth elements or in the case of high tech magnets used in wind turbines and electrical cars, China purchase the only US Company that manufactured the magnets and then moved the entire company (manufacturing machines included to China.)
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/china/101118/china-GM-magnets
So should Americans be concerned about Chinese ownership of an American company like GM? For now, given that the stake is relatively small, it’s difficult to foresee any significant risk. But as a cautionary tale, consider another sale to China, in 1995, involving a GM subsidiary called Magnequench. ….. …..Because of their durability, small size and cheap cost, Neo magnets are critical to modern electronics. They are in multitudes of products, ranging from computers and smart phones to the Pentagon’s smart bombs. Without them, the revolution of small digital devices we now depend upon would have been impossible.
Among the greatest challenges to making Neo magnets is obtaining the Neodymium, which is exceedingly difficult to extract from its ore. While Magnequench initially sourced its Neodymium from a mine in California, it just so happens that the bulk of the world’s Neodymium (as well as other rare earth elements) is found in China.
The day after China’s deal to keep Magnequench in the U.S. expired … …the entire operation, along with all the equipment, disappeared,” according to a report by the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS). China now has more than a hundred facilities producing Neo magnets, according to the report. The U.S. industry is essentially nonexistent. In order to produce smart bombs, the Pentagon now reportedly needs to source magnets from China.
As China ramped up production of Neodymium and other key rare earths, they priced mines elsewhere out of the market. The United States — formerly the largest supplier of rare earths — ceased mining them in 2002. Now China produces 97 percent of the world’s supply. In recent years, Beijing has dramatically cut rare earth export quotas, in an effort to get companies that use these materials to relocate to China, and to bring their technology with them.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/315543/economy/agricultureandmining/china-sets-rare-earth-export-quota-for-second-half
Since the time I saw Leslie Stahl telling us how smart Al Gore was because he made sooo much money by putting his money where his mouth is (Climate trading Schemes) I’ve wanted to ask her if she also thought that Bernie Madoff was a genius.
60 Min is abandoning their liberal/democrat script? hmmmmmmmmmmmm very interesting.
I’m with those who are shocked that 60 minutes is doing investigative reporting again. Suppose it is only right to give credit when its due.
Either they (Forecast the Facts) really are that stupid, or they think that people at CBS are stupid enough to fall for it.
Hey you bunch o’ meatballs at FtF… ja ja ja ja
SNAP OUT OF IT.
Gerard says:
January 9, 2014 at 5:57 pm
Poor soul, having to resort to HP is truly an act of desperation.
Bill H says:
January 9, 2014 at 6:16 pm
“60 Min is abandoning their liberal/democrat script? hmmmmmmmmmmmm very interesting.”
Cleantech cronyism is passé and therefore fair game. Today, cronies get free money from the Fed for zero interest. Cronies have moved on. Top crony Uncle Warren moves Canadian oil with trains.
Typical left….when your meme is challenged, don’t debate….CENSOR!!
William Astley says:
January 9, 2014 at 6:10 pm
“The key components in “green technology” require rare earth elements. China strategically purchased and moved the technology to China.”
So passé. Rare Earth prices have been falling for 2 years now. Mountain pass mine in Cali reactivated, other projects ongoing. West has reacted on strategic threat. Not that expensive anyway.
If you want an in depth fact check try this link.
http://www.energytrendsinsider.com/columns/rsquared/
The following article provides the same video which has worked for me the last few days here in Sweden:
60 Minutes Skewers ‘Cleantech’ Energy | National Review Online
http://www.nationalreview.com/planet-gore/367648/60-minutes-skewers-cleantech-energy-greg-pollowitz
troe says:
January 9, 2014 at 6:23 pm
I’m with those who are shocked that 60 minutes is doing investigative reporting again. Suppose it is only right to give credit when its due.
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Can’t say exactly when it started, but in recent months, several instances have been brought to my attention when CBS actually did the right thing and performed as real journalists instead of propaganda flacks.
“Public Editor” is some kind of censorship? I can not see it in CBS’s future.
And this criticism of green tech? Is CBS changing course?
The sad paradox created when US banks are allowed to “invest” in these industries and commodities without regulation and allowed to monetize them[ extract capital and spin what remains off to the highest bidder or bankruptcy] .The difference between the Chinese and US “Investment”? The Chinese are in it for the long haul, not a fast buck….. Which in my opinion is the whole ballyhoo over AGW in the first place. Scholars/scientists looking for the next stipend. The Emperor needs new clothes after all…
January 9, 2014 at 5:51 pm | Geoff Sherrington says:
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http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-cleantech-crash
I don’t feel that 60 Minutes dd a very thorough job on their research. For example,Leslie
claimed that Tesla Motors,which received I believe around $400 million in govt loans,
was a success story. But Tesla Motors did not need, and did not use that money – they
paid the money back before they made one cent of profit. They accepted the money becase they feared they MIGHT have a need for same.
Alan Robertson says:
January 9, 2014 at 6:39 pm
“Can’t say exactly when it started, but in recent months, several instances have been brought to my attention when CBS actually did the right thing and performed as real journalists instead of propaganda flacks.”
Obama can be taken down now as he doesn’t stand for re-election; must be dismantled to make Hillary appear as saviour.
Forecast the facts is one meaningless , dopey name
Wow,
don’t block the exits, cus they will be popular now.
The smell of our money (tax dollars) being wasted is unmistakable!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MDVrmSEZEKg&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DMDVrmSEZEKg
“So should Americans be concerned about Chinese ownership of an American company like GM?”
That would be excellent. Then the Chinese taxpayers could fund the next GM bailout.
I copied this link and sent it to http://forecastthefacts.org/contact_us/ along with a nice note about their socialist attitude. I suggest everyone else to the same…
I wouldn’t be to sure about that:
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2013/12/09/why-chinas-renewables-industry-is-headed-for-collapse/
I’d be happy to serve as Public Editor.
I’d envision recommending an investigation of CAP and FtF, of course…
MarkG says:
January 9, 2014 at 7:12 pm
“So should Americans be concerned about Chinese ownership of an American company like GM?”
That would be excellent. Then the Chinese taxpayers could fund the next GM bailout.
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Most folks don’t know that 22 billion, with a B, went to union funds.
How much did the US and Canada spend on that GM thing in the end?