China just insured us of falling energy prices

 A few days ago China and the US agreed to improving the environment, and thus the climate.  Clean air is good, keeping glaciers on the mountains is good.  But the right is pissed, war on coal and all that, some on the left says it is to weak, some of both says it will let China cheat.

Here's why it is good, really really a good deal for everyone.  Lower prices.  Yes, much lower prices, prices that will undercut oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear.  Why, how?   Well for starters the newest wind turbines are already the lowest form of energy and home solar is already lower than retail utility, and it's now sometimes competitive in solar farm wholesale situations too.  But with the economy of scale in the production wave coming our way to meet the goals of this agreement, prices will fall, a lot.  China may or may not meet the exact numbers of their goals but they are already dwarfing everyone else in their clean energy growth rate.  Add to that, last week they changed their electric rates, the rich, or people in a mansions or fancy apartment, or a company that makes a lot of money, your energy rates just went up.  They want even the rich to turn off the lights.  Also they just added a $6 a ton import duty on most coal to drive up costs at plants to stimulate conservation.

Then today, India announces they will stop importing coal in 3 years or less.  This is a stunner for Australia, their supplier.  Instead they will boost their own mines but mostly launch a giant wind and solar growth plan.
A sad note, in the US black lung suddenly jumped to numbers not seen since the 1970's.  Mines are cheating on their safety and health requirements, and no one is doing a damn thing about it, fines go unpaid, the Senate and Congress stand up for these bastards.  The industry will blow down a whole mountain ruining the community and wilderness, it will do little to prevent it's men from getting black lung, it's an industry that does not deserve to prosper.

Back to that war on coal thing.  It's actually a war on smoke, not coal.  You should know the laws gave each state a target to clean up air.  The utilities can buy scrubbers, and wind and solar, geo-thermal, what ever it takes to meet the standards, including closing coal fired plants if they don't want to install smokestack scrubbers.  These scrubbers are a product, industry here makes them, installs them, it's a business, it creates good jobs, and electric rates only go up a few pennys a month for each of us, don't listen to this shit about millions or billions it costs us, it lets you create jobs for a few cents, and you get clean air too. If they want they can still burn their beloved coal.

NPR had 3 full time reporters covering the environment.  Last week they cut it to 1 who can work on it 1/2 his time.  Lets see, I seem to remember that as Bush 43 left office they demanded for npr to keep it's support they had to let a right winger head up NPR.  Talk about a sleeper cell of terrorist.