Instead of sipping champagne while making up fantasy stories of melting polar ice and dying polar bears, Wright challenges narratives and promotes policies that will not only help our nation, but the rest of the world.
Posted by Leslie Eastman
President Donald Trump’s current cabinet is a marked upgrade from the one he had in his first term.
Take, for example, the Department of Energy. When he was first nominated to head the agency, I reported that entrepreneur Chris Wright did not believe in the climate crisis hysteria. Rather, he is a proponent of ensuring our nation has inexpensive, efficient, and reliable energy.
Nor does he believe in ginned-up data from climate cultists, who want to pretend that solar and wind options are every bit as reliable and efficient as fossil fuels and nuclear. So, when confronted with the happy talk from the International Energy Agency on their “data”, Write said the organization needed to be reformed or the U.S. would no longer be a member.
In a July 15 interview with Bloomberg, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he has told Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), his agency must either reform its forecasting methods or face potential U.S. withdrawal from the organization. This development reflects growing tensions between the Trump administration’s energy priorities and the IEA’s focus on clean energy transitions.
Wright’s criticism centers on the IEA’s reports and projections, which he and other critics of the agency argue are overly optimistic about renewable energy adoption and fail to adequately prioritize energy security. The debate underscores a broader ideological divide between the U.S. administration and many other western governments over global energy policy and could impact international cooperation and domestic energy strategies.
…Wright laid out the U.S. position in the Bloomberg interview, stating, “We will do one of two things: we will reform the way the IEA operates, or we will withdraw.” He expressed a preference for the former, saying, “My strong preference is to reform it,” in hopes his discussions with Birol and others can influence a return to the more balanced approach which formerly characterized IEA’s modeling approach.
Apparently, the IAE forecasts indicate the need for fossil fuels will “peak” before 2030...then go into decline.
…[T]he IEA’s annual World Energy Outlook (WEO), which it previously styled the “gold standard of energy analysis”, has proclaimed the “Age of Electricity”, consistently projecting that demand for all three fossil fuels will peak before 2030 before going into permanent decline.
“That’s just total nonsense,” responded Wright, who was CEO of a US$2.8-billion oilfield services company before joining Donald Trump’s cabinet and taking over responsibility for his new boss’ analytically challenged “Drill, Baby, Drill” agenda. In an interview during a conference at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University, Wright told Bloomberg he’d said as much to IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.
“Wright’s criticism of the agency that gets millions of dollars in US funding is in line with Trump’s broader pro-fossil fuels thrust,” Bloomberg writes.
The IAE’s assertion defies all logic and reason. Take, for example, the more plausible projections of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC):
This forecast starkly contrasts with OPEC’s outlook, which anticipates oil demand rising to 123 million barrels per day by 2050, up from around 105 million bpd today.
OPEC has repeatedly criticized the IEA’s predictions as “dangerous,” warning they could lead to energy market volatility.
Furthermore, it is clear that the IAE numbers are not factoring in the energy-greedy artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. There are likely quite a number of them that will be built, and all of them will require a steady source of a great deal of energy that green energy cannot supply.
Interestingly, the biggest US grid ( PJM Interconnection, serving about 65–67 million people across 13 states and the District of Columbia) lacks the capacity to take on these facilities, according to a watchdog group.
“There is simply no new capacity to meet new loads,” said Joe Bowring, president of Monitoring Analytics, which is the independent watchdog for PJM Interconnection, the grid that extends from Washington to Chicago. “The solution is to make sure that people who want to build data centers are serious enough about it to bring their own generation.”
Artificial intelligence is driving the biggest US surge in electric demand in several decades, adding stress to grids that have proven vulnerable to extreme weather. PJM, which is home to the highest domestic concentration of data centers, has endured such tension for more than a year.
Tight supplies on PJM led to a record $14.7 billion in an annual auction last year. (The auction provides a key revenue source for generators within the system.) The results of the next auction, which are scheduled to be released late Tuesday, are expected to show capacity prices match or exceed all-time highs as the growth of data centers, especially for artificial intelligence, accelerates, according to Barclays Plc.
Ignoring economics and physics has real-world consequences. Just ask Spain.
Instead of sipping champagne while making up fantasy stories of melting polar ice and dying polar bears, Wright challenges narratives and promotes policies that will not only help our nation, but the rest of the world.
Personally, I like that in my Energy Secretary.
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Perhaps Climastrology should be treated as the religion it is? And therefore ineligible for US funding as an established religion?
More like a cult.
And, climate religion can’t or shouldn’t be taught in public schools. So, when that is stopped, they’ll have to create Climate Parochial schools- taught by feminists and trans. 🙂
IEA is an utterly worthless organization even by its own definition. In Wikipedia, it states, “The core activity of the IEA is providing policy advice to its member states and Associated countries to support their energy security and advance their transition to clean energy.”
So, it does no actual work other than providing policy advice to ‘member states’ regarding the supposed joys of wind and solar power generation. Fire everyone who works there, level the building in Geneva (naturally) to the ground. And no one would notice anything different.
The IEA was founded during the 1973-74 oil embargo to assist coordination with oil consumers to help mitigate the impacts of the artificial shortage (ensure the security of oil supplies). Add energy transition to their charter is bogus.
Worth the read.
https://www.iea.org/about/history
In 2022, IEA embraced the net-zero fantasy.
>>> Story Tip:
Turbulence is increasing. Here’s how the aviation industry is trying to smooth things out – BBC Future
Hey! Lets Rock and Roll!
Between June 16th and July 20th, my wife and I flew from LAX to JFK, JFK to London, London to Krakow, Helsinki to London, London to JFK and JFK to LAX. What turbulence. Among the smoothest flights we’ve ever taken. So do we learn from our lived experience, or believe some “scientists”? Do we believe our own lying eyes?
I’m curious regarding the altitude of the flights you mention. Above 30,000 feet the atmosphere is generally less turbulent. Further, I don’t know where the “increasing” turbulence is supposedly occurring – and don’t care.
While you and the missus were flying around, I was in Kittitas County, Washington State. The wind has been turbulent most of that time. While this may have been slightly more than an average year, it is well known that everything in the region is slowly migrating to Idaho. Ask the locals about wind and they answer What Wind?
Might turbulence be increasing due to increase number of wind farms each disturbing the earths ability to cool the surface leading to more convective air?
Increasing turbulence linked to increase CO2 concentrations? Probably not.
More model output, pretending to be relevant.
BBC => British Bovex Cultists
First, it is the BBC.
Second, it starts out with climate change.
Third, they want AI to solve the problem.
Once past those annoyances, there is some interesting things to read, such as proposed modifications to air craft to minimize the effects of turbulence.
Also note, there is a general lack of wind speed measurements above the earth’s surface. Weather sounding balloons and aircraft aloft provide most of what is measured.
What is not said is one of the primary factors in the number of aircraft turbulence incidences is that massive growth of air travel in the past decade or so.
Back in the mid-70s I took a DC10 flight. We hit turbulence. Plane dropped substantially and rose incredibly fast. This was pre-CO2 causing climate change that affects life, the universe, and everything.
“one of the primary factors in the number of aircraft turbulence incidences is that massive growth of air travel in the past decade or so.”
Never disturb the BBC lies by stating the obvious!
“Turbulence incidents like these are increasing as a result of human-caused climate change.
Severe clear-air turbulence (Cat), meaning very rough air that is invisible to satellites, radar and the human eye, has increased 55% since 1979 – when reliable meteorological records began,
according to research by Paul Williams, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading.”
According to someone paid to repeat even more lies…..
And how much has air travel increased since 1979??
“the price per mile to fly decreased by 40% from 1990 to 2016, making air travel more accessible to a larger number of people.”
Apparently freight and pax combined has grown by about 9x in that period. Airlines for America. IATA.
The IEA has no foundation to stand on, other than their own hubris and paper-thin Belief System.
I bet they fold like a cheap suit.
Sadly the IEA expanded and now includes nearly all of the IPCC members. They voted the expansion of its mission.
The infestations keep expanding.
IEA has been untrustworthy and biased for a very long time. There are a number of examples taken from their ‘official’ WEO for 2010 given in essay ‘IEA Fictions’ in ebook Blowing Smoke. 15 years later, same old same old. I doubt IEA (Paris based) can be reformed. Better to just withdraw.
> IEA has been untrustworthy and biased for a very long time.
What part of “International” was the giveaway?
Winning.
Dogs that bark don’t bite.
So either you take the US out of the IEA or you just shut up. That wokerati lefty fungus is not to be negotiated with, it’s to be eradicated.
Or does anyone really believe that lefties will ever change?
Clearly you don’t know any posties.
My three Auscados (Australian cattle dogs—a true breeding mixture originally from crossing domesticated Australian dingos with sheep herding Scot border collies— aka Blue Heelers) almost never barked when herding my Wisconsin dairy cows. They only nipped (gently bit) the cattle rear leg heel tendons to move the herd along. Hence the Blue Heeler common name, because their fur coat was typically a ‘blue’ mix of black, grey, and white, with maybe just some brown just on the ears and muzzle.
Got any pictures of them? I always like to see a new dog variety I’m not familiar with. Took a quick look online with no luck.
Blue Heeler or Australian Cattle Dog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oynD-f44_tg
My Auntie use to breed them, had Royal Show champion 3 years in a row (decades ago)
Lovely dogs so long as you give them plenty of exercise and don’t let them get aggressive.
13 Essential Facts About The Blue Heeler: The Australian Cattle Dog – Animalko
Thanks!
Breaking: Oil and gas guy installed as head of DoE wants more global focus on oil and gas. News at 11:00.
Breaking: Climate Cultists are enraged by the fact that common sense and facts are now taking over once more in place of myths, fantasies, and lies. Film at 11.
Here in Wokeachusetts, the climate cultists don’t even know that the tide has changed. They’re just going along to decarbonize the entire state to save the planet. Cost is no object.
What fuel do they propose for space heating in winter?
What fuel do they propose for firetrucks and snowplows?
Do these people have any brains?
Space heating: electric.
They do understand that there might be some need for ff for agricultural, logging, firetrucks, snowplows and the like. So, they make up for that by whatever can be done to remove CO2 from the air. One easy way is to lock up all the forests. Of course they don’t realize even if that was feasible and we gave up on wood products, there is only so much the forests can hold.
As for brains- no, very little. Well, many are “highly educated” in this state with so many colleges- but when it comes to the climate, they are brainwashed by the relentless propaganda, all day every day. And, of course, the climate cult is part of the “progressive” vision of utopia.
How do you decarbonize if you allow people to live.
Approximately 18.5% of the human body, by mass, is carbon
We exhale approximately 20,000 ppm of CO2 with each breath.
Breaking: Energy guy installed as head of Department of Energy wants more global focus on energy. News cancelled due to teleprompter malfunction.
Not an “Energy Guy” any more. He’s divested, and his old outfit, Liberty, is getting out of oilfield service and into portable power. His future will be in the 47 nomenkatura, getting insider tips in advance.
Listen to what he says and watch what he does. Hey, his last name is not Pelosi.
Finally some sensible policies. If we can eliminate all subsidies for unreliable solar and wind we will be golden.
If we can achieve balance in “all of the above” we win.
I see you’re thrilled about it. 🙂
Breaking. Guy committed to reliable, affordable energy focusing more on oil and gas and not unreliable religious symbols. Fixed it for you.
Breaking — World runs on oil – who knew! – Gotta grease those wind turbines…when they are turning… haha!!
After spending over thirty years in the oil and gas industry I can honestly say that the IEA is about as much use as a chocolate teapot, their ridiculously over priced reports always state the obvious and Fatih Birol is just a blithering idiot.
Deep Six them, they are corrupt and add no value except the tips they leave for the waiters at their nearby bistro.
Actually, it’s worse. In re their 2010 WEO, they had actually done a survey of the annual decline rates of the 700 (or so) world’s largest conventional oil fields comprising about 85% of global conventional crude production (defined as crude viscosity > 10, reservoir porosity > 5%, reservoir permeability > 10 mD). Published the resulting conclusion in 2008. Their 2010 WEO asserted the exact opposite—because they got political heat (mainly in Europe) in 2009 for their 2008 conclusions from their 2007 massive fact survey!
Why would one want tea in their chocolate?
More of tea in the chocolate, eh?
There’s considerable irony in at least one of the IEA’s predictions when it forecasts oil demand peaking within five years before going into decline. This might sound plausible if evidence existed to show fossil fuel demand dropping worldwide, but when sales of EVs are faltering, coal plants are still being built at a steady pace and where they’re being retired, they’re being replaced by natural gas, it’s apparent fossil fuels will dominate the world’s energy generation for much longer than the climate alarmists would care to admit. And when the numbers show that fossil fuels still provide 82% of the world’s primary energy, the IEA’s claims are just wishful thinking designed to reassure unrealistic environmentalists and renewable energy proponents. .
“President Donald Trump’s current cabinet is a marked upgrade from the one he had in his first term.”
You said a mouthful. That first cabinet had a few stars – Pompeo comes to mind – but was mostly a waste is oxygen. This time around he vetted them carefully and has provided them with unparalleled leadership and support.
The biggest users of electricity need to pitch in and help build new fossil fuel and nuclear generators. Wind and solar can not support the grid everybody knows that even the CAGW cultists otherwise they wouldn’t need battery backup and imaginary dispatchable generators that we don’t have yet.
Oh, please! Please! PLEASE!
What is it that Yoda said? ‘Don’t try; do!’
The actual Yoda quote, from Star Wars IV (actually the first—my then young son was an addict) is:
”Luke, do, or do not. There is no try.” After which Yoda used the Force to raise Luke’s crashed X ship out of the muck on Dagobah.
I believe it was “not do” but otherwise well met!
In fact, the IEA produces fake charts. The charts are tilted to support the energy transition narrative. This pair of IEA charts, together, illustrate the methods. in 2018, the lower chart made clear that a) most renewable energy came from traditional biomass,TB, (primarily wood) and b) biomass was peaking, as was well known. The IEA, in 2019, just omitted TB, the top chart, so the desired narrative of ‘ever growing’ renewables was restored. It is a clever lie. The amount of energy produced without TB, is far smaller. That, too, is ignored.
‘Our World in Data’ is no better. One may use the IEA and OWD charts, but not as supplied. One must modify them to tell the truth.
So far, Statista charts appear to be ‘just the facts’ Mam’. But, always check.
It’s overdue.
Yank all funding and throw IEA out of US permanently.
They’re based in Paris, France not Paris, Texas.
Good, throw them out of US, permanently.