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Wednesday 25 January 2017

The US-EPA is getting a makeover...

Finally the EPA is being dealt with.

There are likely many that would view the restructuring and re-purposing of The Environmental Protection Agency as some act of vandalism by a new US administration, We have seen decades of increasing politicisation , corruption and legislative over-reach which have little if anything to do with "protecting the environment".

I don't particularly care to copy 'n paste other people's stuff so - two links to articles at Watts Up With That (WUWT)

The Beginning of the End of EPA


and

Why the constitution gives Trump the power to tell @EPA what to do




There are considerable parallels between the antics of the EPA and the UK's EA - many of the accusations of misbehavior levelled against the EPA have been similarly leveled at the EA...

UPDATE
Looks like the EPA might be cut from 15,000 staff to 5000.

Press briefing on the new US administration's aims:


See the BBC's Roger Harrabin writhing about 58:45 into the video

Interesting and quite wide ranging briefing. An antidote to most of the media coverage - if you want to actually know your enemy or want to find out what the Trump administration is likely to do.

Monday 16 January 2017

Woeful Windmills

The UK's windmills are at it again ... 

Less than 1.3% of supply is now being produced and coal + gas turbines are pegged in the red.


Pitiful

and a day later

pretty much the same



however in - Germany last year....
How did they mange that? 

Sunday 15 January 2017

Not Much of a Surprise.

It would appear that the Environment Agency have extended the licence for Weaver's Mill out to 2019.

On the last working day before Christmas break - they waved through the application to extend - even though there is no viable scheme for Weaver's Mill. The owners of North Mill have not been advised of the decision - a predictable gesture from officials whose bias and bad faith have polluted the last 6 years at Avoncliff.

I originally claimed that the EA didn't send out advisory emails to participants in the statutory consultation. 
This was not true.

The email for some reason got classified as spam by my service provider .... apologies to anybody at the EA who might have been incensed by a false accusation ....


The decision document can be read HERE

Why put a condition on a license  - and when that condition is clearly broken it's waved away with an unspecified explanation and some coaching of the applicant...

Perhaps a few people might take a few minutes to read this piece on the state of hydro power on our rivers and streams - by somebody with 30+ years of experience in the matter. Not much has changed at the EA in the 20-ish years elapsed since Mr. Goring submitted his memo....

The ROI from here might just make Weaver's Mill think twice about a scheme...

50 years to break even at that rate?
(assuming zero maintenance)

FYI at the moment  HSBC will generously give you about half that ROI
- on the same investment
- so maybe it's a bargain

Osman Goring on Small Hydropower


Published in 2015