Pain and misery under Hochul’s zero-emissions fantasy plan

 With the start of the new year, New Yorkers are set to have their worlds turned upside down — and all for a fanciful green-dream plan that comes with sky-high costs and mountains of other pain yet is almost certain to fail, and won’t even do much good if successful.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers triggered the nightmare back in 2019 with their delusional Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, setting wholly unrealistic “mandatory” milestones to force the state off fossil-fuel energy and dramatically lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Gov. Kathy Hochul eagerly picked up the ball, and in December, a panel stacked with rubber-stampers pushed through a plan they preposterously claim will enable the state to meet those goals. Hochul’s agencies will now spit out specific rules and regulations based on the plan.

It’s pure delusion. Consider: By 2030, just seven years from now, the law requires a 40% cut in emissions over 1990 levels, and 85% by 2050. Yet as of 2019, emissions had dropped only 7% despite years of effort.

The law also requires a shift to renewable energy for electricity, with 70% online by 2030 and 100% just a decade later. Yet that will mean ramping up juice for wind- and solar-energy resources several times over, a herculean (and expensive) undertaking.

(And too bad for communities that don’t want towering windmills or massive solar-panel farms in their backyards.)

In total, the state will need as much as 124 gigawatts of power by 2040, per the New York State Independent System Operator, which oversees the electricity market — though it warns “even that might not be sufficient.” Which means tripling the state’s current generating power by adding 83 GWs in new capacity, plus making up for plants that close, all in just 18 years. For context, the state built just 12.9 GWs over the past 23 years.

The shift to wind and solar also means other new zero-emissions power sources will be needed for when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun won’t shine. Yet get this: There are no such commercial sources available at the moment. The plan itself admits a projected shortfall in electric supplies “will require identifying and developing solutions for dispatchable technologies.” Imagine planning the state’s energy future on a hope that some new technology will be discovered.

No wonder critics doubt the state can meet even its 2030 goals, let alone those beyond. Gavin Donohue, who heads the Independent Power Producers of New York, says it’ll take pure “magic” to make the plan work. And if it fails, and supplies run short, New York faces crippling blackouts, which could cost lives and property damage, as Empire Center energy expert James Hanley notes. That could cascade even to areas outside the state.

Meanwhile, all New Yorkers will personally have to make big-time sacrifices — and not just because of the skyrocketing energy bills they’ll face. As the plan states bluntly: “Every sector [of the economy] will see significant transformation over the next decade and beyond.”

Prefer gas-powered cars to zero-emission ones? Forget about buying one in New York after 2035. Indeed, in just seven years, the plan projects 3 million electric vehicles on New York’s roads.

It also wants New Yorkers to switch to heat pumps, with up to 2 million to be installed by 2030; buildings will have to phase out fossil-fuel sources for heating. Manufacturers will also need to shift to new technologies, with steep costs passed to the public.

And that’s just the start: As Hanley put it, the plan dictates “what types of consumer products New Yorkers will be able to buy . . . how much workers in the green economy will be paid” — those who work on renewable-energy projects get a union-rate premium — “how quickly reliable sources of electricity will shut down and what types of businesses will be bribed to set up shop in the state.”

Price tag? Some put it at a whopping half trillion bucks or more — though where the money will come from is anyone’s guess. (Pro tip: Hide your wallet).

And if, by some miracle, the plan does work, what do New Yorkers get for all that pain and expense? A reduction in global emissions by the state’s share: all of 0.4% — though, as Hanley also points out, that benefit will be enjoyed by the entire world, not just New Yorkers.

In the meantime, nations like China and India will be boosting emissions, wiping out any gains by New York. Greenies in the state will feel great about their contributions, though they’ll do virtually nothing to tame rising temps.

It’s absolute madness — putting New Yorkers through a risky, painful exercise with virtually nothing to be gained. And here’s the kicker: The entire justification is based on the myth that humans face catastrophe unless warming is slowed.

Yes, temperatures are rising. But as Bjorn Lomborg observes, citing UN figures, unchecked climate change means the average person in 2100 will be “only” 434% better off, instead 450% without climate change. “That is not a disaster,” he quips.

Hochul’s push to go through with this folly is certain to spell pain and misery for the state. The only way out is for New Yorkers to convince her and lawmakers to ditch the plan and start from scratch.

https://nypost.com/2022/12/31/brace-yourself-for-misery-under-hochuls-zero-emissions-fantasy-plan/

Chase the American Dream in 2023

 For most Americans, the new year is a time to come together as families and communities.

According to a recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll and the Archbridge Institute’s Human Flourishing Lab, nine out of 10 conservatives and liberals agree the holiday season is a time to be thankful and disconnect from the negativity that surrounds them. In addition, Americans view the winter holidays as a time to focus on social connections and the things that make life meaningful. 

The American Dream should inspire similar feelings of optimism, hope, and nostalgia, as it too has the power to bring people across the political spectrum together. I say nostalgia because many people declared the death of the American Dream in recent years. But is that what the data show? What do Americans think about the state and health of the American Dream?

People across the United States share a positive and hopeful narrative about the American Dream. In 2022, most Americans said they either have achieved or are on their way to achieving the American Dream. Only a small minority, 18%, said it is out of reach. Notably, this trend was consistent across age groups, race, education, and income. Similarly, the vast majority of Americans think they have the same or more opportunities than their parents, and that their kids will have the same or more opportunities than them. Together, these findings point to a universal hopefulness around the American Dream. 

Across the board, Americans of diverse backgrounds and values believe the American Dream and the land of opportunity are alive and well. But what exactly is the American Dream? James Truslow Adams provides this definition in his book The Epic of America:

That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man and woman, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement…It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of a social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.

As Truslow’s definition shows, the American Dream is about aspiration. It focuses on the pursuit of opportunities rather than outcomes. It is about building new and better institutions, path-breaking innovations, opportunity-laden enterprises, and chasing fulfillment beyond material goals for you and the next generation. 

Interestingly, and in line with Truslow’s definition, more than 80% of Americans list freedom of choice in how to live and having a good family life as essential to living the American Dream. Issues such as owning a home and having a successful career ranked in the middle, while becoming wealthy was the lowest concern. 

So, why do people continue to proclaim the death of the American Dream? Economists have defined the American Dream as being upwardly mobile, or in a technical sense, out-earning your parents at the same age. And by this definition, research by Harvard’s Opportunity Insights has found the health of the American Dream is fading. However, researchers have yet to uncover the root causes of stagnating mobility, and a recent study has called these results into question. Moreover, this narrow definition leaves little room for the holistic vision shared by Adams and the American public.

As a Hispanic-American immigrant living my own American dream, I believe it is important to preserve the American Dream as a hopeful, aspirational, redemptive, and unifying narrative. It has been a motivating factor for many immigrants, from Latin America and around the world, most of whom are American Dream voters. It fills us with hope, unites us in our diversity, and reduces polarization by encouraging us to adopt positive-sum thinking. 

As we celebrate the new year, I encourage you to join me in being thankful for the American Dream – wherever you are in your journey. Take the time to think about your American Dream. How can you live a better, richer, and fuller life?

Go a step further and ask your friends and family, “What is your American Dream?” By chasing your own dream or helping others achieve theirs, you can keep the ideals of the American Dream alive at dinner tables across the country.

Gonzalo Schwarz serves as president and CEO of the Archbridge Institute in Washington, D.C.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2022/12/31/chase_the_american_dream_in_2023_148672.html

US suffering second biggest home price correction of post-WWII era

 The U.S. housing market is experiencing its second-biggest home price correction of the post-World War II era.

Macro Trends Advisors founding partner Mitch Roschelle attributed the massive correction to Americans' uncertainty for the markets and their "uneasiness" regarding the economy. He explained on "Varney & Co." Friday that the "shoe to drop" would be if the nation starts to see a rise in unemployment, which could cause a "leg down" in the housing market.

"A couple of things are going to cause it to turn in the opposite direction, meaning home prices are going up. One is certainty. And when you don't know if interest rates are going to go up or not. I think that is what is driving a lot of people away from buying because they just don't know if rates are going to be cheaper in two months, and they're just going to wait," Roschelle explained to FOX Business' Ashley Webster. 

"And the other thing is uneasiness regarding the economy. And I think the shoe to drop there would be if we start seeing layoffs, and we start seeing unemployment starting to rise, I think that could be something that causes a leg down in the housing market in a big way."

Roschelle's comments come following the massive power shift happening in the real estate market. Arguing that the power has "completely shift[ed]" away from the sellers, further "constraining" the nation's struggling housing supply. 

"Right now, I would say it's a buyer's market. I think the power has completely shifted from seller to buyer. Doesn't mean you don't see some bidding wars because again, I think statistically across the country, we're at 3.3 months supply. So that's still relatively low," Roschelle said.

"So, if there's a house that hits the market that's perfect, and it ticks all the boxes for buyers and there are buyers out in the market, I think you could see sporadically bidding wars, but mostly, you know, it's one or two people chasing that house. And we're not seeing that. We're not."

In addition to the real estate markets' supply and demand problem, the average home price is expected to plummet from its pandemic-induced peak.

According to Fortune.com, housing prices in the United States in October 2022 are 38.1% above March 2020 levels. Roschelle predicts that the average home price will have to drop by 10% to 15% from its peak in 2022. 

"My 10% to 15% [prediction] is from the peak in 2022, that where we land in terms of average home prices being down 10 to 15%. Which if we're talking about the stock market, it would certainly be seen as a correction, but not a bear market. The thing to remember is that from February 2020, home prices went up as much as 40% to where we are today," the housing expert explained. 

"So what we're doing is we're giving back perhaps at most, a third or a quarter of the gains that we realized. But that doesn't help somebody who just bought a house at the top of the market and now has something that's lost 10%," Roschelle concluded.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/real-estate/us-suffering-second-biggest-home-price-correction-post-wwii-era

How Did EVs Handle America's Arctic Blast?

 by Ross Pomeroy via RealClearScience.com,

There are now an estimated 1.7 million electric vehicles (EVs) on U.S. roads, compared to roughly 400,000 in spring 2018. That means that a lot more Americans are experiencing the joys and pitfalls of EV ownership, from silent, swift acceleration and emission-free driving on the positive side to slower fueling times and shorter driving ranges on the negative side.

More Americans are also learning that frigid temperatures affect EVs differently than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, chiefly by cutting into their driving range to a greater extent. While a typical ICE vehicle might have its range reduced by 15% to 25% in below-freezing temperatures, an EV's range will be slashed 20% to 50% depending upon driving speed, temperature, and interior climate preferences. Combustion reactions occur more inefficiently at colder temperatures, accounting for the range decline in ICE vehicles. But cold slows the physical and chemical reactions in EV batteries to a larger degree, limiting the energy and power the battery can deliver to the motors. Moreover, while ICE vehicles utilize otherwise wasted heat from the engine to warm car interiors in winter, EVs use electric heaters to perform much of the climate control, further draining the already hamstrung battery.

The Arctic blast that chilled much of the "Lower 48" last week showcased the EV range hit to more Americans than ever, and also yielded a few more lessons.

EV owners sounded off about their experiences on social media and subreddits. Here are a few of the takeaways:

1. EVs are not ready for frigid road trips. 

I warned about this in August: Driving an EV on the highway in extreme cold will produce a range loss of 40% or more. EV owners of various brands traveling for the holidays shared numerous stories verifying this annoying (and potentially dangerous) reality. Drivers traveling in temperatures at or around zero with a headwind could go only 100 to 150 miles before needing to stop and recharge, depending upon the car, significantly increasing travel time. When they did charge, they had to deal with another disconcerting problem with EVs and winter...

2. EV fast-chargers operate much more slowly in extreme cold, if they work at all.

 The colder the EV battery, the slower the rate of charge that it will accept, making "fast-charging" in subzero temperatures a potentially miserable and plodding experience. Think a 45 to 60 minute charge instead of a 25 to 35 minute one. To top it off, users reported that fast-charging equipment, particularly from Electrify America, often just didn't work in temperatures below -10 °F. Tesla's proprietary Superchargers didn't seem to have the same reliability issues. The generally sorry state of charging infrastructure shed light on another takeaway...

3. EVs driven in regions with a cold winter need to be charged at home. 

Preferably with a garage. Owners simply can't rely on public infrastructure in its present state with current battery technology. However, this situation could easily change in five to ten years with novel batteries that suffer less range loss and more widely available chargers, preferably housed indoor.

4. Aside from range issues, EVs handled the Arctic air well. 

Owners reported that their cars started without issue, drove well (albeit with slightly reduced power), and heated quickly thanks to their fast-acting electric heaters. For drivers who didn't need to worry about traveling long distances, their EVs were functional, comfortable, and relatively untroubled by the cold.

https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/how-did-evs-handle-americas-arctic-blast

Treasury delays new restrictions for electric vehicle tax credits, drawing Manchin’s ire

 The Treasury Department and IRS announced on Thursday that they are delaying restrictions on which electric vehicles can be eligible for tax credits under Democrats’ climate and tax bill from earlier this year, drawing ire from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). 

The legislation, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, removed caps on how many electric vehicles would be eligible for consumer tax credits, but added new stipulations regarding the manufacturing of and sourcing of minerals for electric vehicle batteries. 

The law says that these stipulations will take effect when the Treasury issues guidance for their implementation, which was supposed to happen “not later than December 31.”

But the Treasury said on Thursday that the guidance will not be ready until March and that in the meantime it will continue to use prior battery capacity requirements to determine if a vehicle can meet the credits. 

The stipulations in the Inflation Reduction Act were expected to create some new hurdles, requiring that at least 50 percent of the value of the battery components be manufactured or assembled in North America in order to be eligible for a $3,750 credit. 

Another $3,750 credit is available to electric vehicles if 40 percent of the value of the minerals contained in its battery are mined or processed in countries where the U.S. has a free trade agreement. In lieu of being mined or processed in such countries, the minerals could instead be recycled in North America to meet the second requirement. 

Industry stakeholders said that the minerals requirements was expected to be particularly difficult to meet and could hamper electric vehicle adoption in the short term. 

The provisions were likely included to secure Manchin’s support for the legislation, as the senator had previously raised concerns about electric vehicle tax credits and the supply chains for the minerals used to build them. 

Manchin, in a written statement on Thursday, slammed the Treasury’s announcement. 

“The intent of the Inflation Reduction Act was clear — bring our energy and manufacturing supply chains onshore to protect our national security, reduce our dependence on foreign adversaries and create jobs right here in the United States,” he said. 

“The information released today from the Treasury Department outlining how they will be implementing the commercial and consumer EV tax credits bends to the desires of the companies looking for loopholes and is clearly inconsistent with the intent of the law,” he added. 

The senator called on the department to “pause the implementation” of the credits until the guidance is issued. 

The Treasury, meanwhile, said that its latest announcement, which also includes information on the expected guidance, “reflects months of working through significant complexities and consulting with technical experts across the federal government on battery components and critical minerals.”

The agency noted that it is in the process of reviewing thousands of public comments on the issue. 

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3791956-treasury-delays-new-restrictions-for-electric-vehicle-tax-credits-drawing-manchins-ire/

Buttigieg Knew: State AGs Warned Transportation Agency Of Airline Debacle Months Ago

 Shortly before Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in September that airline issues would 'get better' before the holidays, a bipartisan group of attorneys general warned him that regulators' lax oversight over the industry was about to lead to chaos.

According to The Lever, federal officials stood by as Southwest Airlines executives, "flush with cash from a government bailout," showered themselves in cash and dividends, instead of shoring up fundamental issues that have contributed to this week's travel mayhem.

Four months before Southwest’s mass cancellation of flights, 38 state attorneys general wrote to congressional leaders declaring that Buttigieg’s agency “failed to respond and to provide appropriate recourse” to thousands of consumer complaints about airlines customer service. -The Lever

"Americans are justifiably frustrated that federal government agencies charged with overseeing airline consumer protection are unable or unwilling to hold the airline industry accountable," the AGs wrote in August, urging Congress to pass legislation which would arm state officials to enforce consumer protection laws against airlines.

On August 2, New York AG Letitia James sent Buttigieg a letter raising the alarm over "the deeply troubling and escalating pattern of airlines delaying and canceling flights," especially during the holidays. The letter made several recommendations, including;

• Require airlines to advertise and sell only flights that they have adequate personnel to fly and support. Perform regular audits of airlines to ensure compliance, thoroughly investigate airlines with excess cancellations, and impose fines on airlines that do not comply.
• Require airlines to provide partial refunds to passengers for any cancellation that results in a rescheduled flight which the passenger accepts but that is later or longer than the originally purchased flight.
• Require airlines to provide full refunds and additional payments for cancellations that require passengers to cancel their flights and assume additional costs, such as flights on other airlines, rental car reservations, gas, or hotel stays, in order to make it to their destination.
• Require airlines to provide full and prompt refunds to passengers, at passengers’ request, if flights are delayed for longer than a time period established by the FAA.
• Impose steep fines for domestic flight delays of more than two hours and international flight delays of more than three hours that are not weather-related

Congressional lawmakers put pressure on Buttigieg nearly six months ago.

Nearly six months ago ⁦@BernieSanders⁩ & I called for Buttigieg to implement fines & penalties on airlines for cancelling flights. Why were these recommendations not followed? This mess with Southwest could have been avoided. We need bold action. https://t.co/wVH4iAezfx

— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) December 29, 2022

One week after the letter from the Attorneys General, Buttigieg told The Late Late Show With James Corden that the airline experience "is going to get better by the holidays," Lever reports.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/buttigieg-knew-state-ags-warned-transportation-agency-airline-debacle-months-ago

Why families are fleeing certain states and moving to others

 Americans were on the move last year as the pandemic waned, with 36 million people changing addresses mostly in search of new jobs or to be closer to family, data show.

The numbers are almost evenly split, showing 64% changing their addresses for a new job or to reunite with family members, the latest United Van Lines study showed. And while employment was at the top of the list, this reason has declined 19% over the past two years, while being closer to family jumped 13%.

The next biggest reason for moving was retirement at 18%, followed by a lifestyle change (14%), health reasons (6%), and cost of living (7%).

“This new data from United Van Lines is indicative of COVID-19’s impact on domestic migration patterns, with 2021 bringing an acceleration of moves to smaller, mid-sized towns and cities,” said economist Michael A. Stoll with the University of California, Los Angeles.

“We’re seeing this not only occur because of Americans’ desire to leave high-density areas due to risk of infection, but also due to the transformation of how we’re able to work, with more flexibility to work remote,” he said.

But when it comes to businesses, the cost factor is rated first for those that moved between 2020 and 2022. As expected, California, with its high costs and extensive regulations, lost the most companies. Ninety-four corporations, including Tesla, Chevron, and Hewlett Packard, left the Golden State, mostly for a better profit margin, a BuildRemote study showed.

The states that lost the most residents are California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, according to the United States Postal Service change of address data for 2021. California lost 101,000 households, while runner-up New York saw 75,000 families leave. These two states have traditionally been the most expensive in the nation while also having the dubious honor of being leaders in crime and homelessness.

The traditionally low-cost southern states received the greatest influx of new residents, the USPS said. The leaders were Texas, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia — all Sunbelt states where families could escape the freezing temperatures from four of the five exodus states.

Interestingly, states receiving the most incoming families were all blue, while those that gained residents are red, with the exception of Georgia, a swing state.

Moody Analytics economist Adam Kamins suggested that people aren’t necessarily moving because of politics but rather wanting a better quality of life.

“So the biggest reason why people are moving to red states has to do with the fact that red states generally are cheaper,” Kamins told Yahoo Finance. “There's more plentiful land. Housing costs are a lot lower, so they can get a bigger house. … It might mean warmer weather. It might mean parts of the Mountain West, just better scenery than you might get on parts of the East Coast. That is the single biggest set of factors, more than any one policy that's driving it.”

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/what-states-are-people-moving-to-united-states

Winter weather upends water systems across the Deep South

 A cold snap blanketing the Deep South has upended water systems as local officials struggle to repair widespread leaks and broken pipes, forcing some people to take drastic measures to get by without reliable access to running water.

Breakdowns in infrastructure arose in rapid succession after days of freezing temperatures in areas where extended periods of frigid weather are abnormal.

The water woes are acute in places like Jackson, Mississippi, where the water system partially collapsed in late August and has had repeated weather-related breakdowns. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said the city is dealing with a “worst case scenario” on Tuesday.

Lumumba declared a local state of emergency Monday evening as Jackson’s troubled water system failed to produce adequate pressure because of broken and leaking pipes. Crews have spent days working to identify leaks, but city officials said pressure remains low or nonexistent. The Environmental Protection Agency is assisting with the effort to repair broken water lines, Lumumba said.

“We are dealing with an old, crumbling system that continues to offer challenge after challenge,” he said.

Tekemia Bennett said she hasn’t had any water since Friday. She and her four children woke up with no water on Christmas day.

“Christmas was very much like the Grinch came and stole it. I could not cook for my children. It was more like we were in survival mode,” Bennett said.

People flocked to water distribution sites set up by the city, but the lines were “as long as the eye could see,” Bennett said. She got on line two days in a row before eventually giving up.

Flushing a toilet without any pressure requires large quantities of water, a hot commodity in Jackson. So she began to cover her toilet bowl with plastics bags and trash can liners.

“We are actually defecating in bags and tying them up and throwing them in the trash,” Bennett said.

Throughout the Deep South, hundreds of leaks from broken pipes were draining water towers faster than treatment plants could replenish them.

Selma, Alabama, was in the third day of trying to find leaks and started Monday to shut down major lines and interrupting service to try to isolate where the biggest leaks were happening, Mayor James Perkins Jr. said in a statement.

Water crews in Florence, South Carolina, finally succeeded Tuesday in getting the water pressure back up after having to follow just about every water line in the city to find a large, but hidden, leak, officials said.

Widespread water problems also continued in Georgia. Sara Lips, a spokesperson for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, said at least 16 water systems statewide were experiencing problems.

Officials on Monday began distributing water in Clayton County, a suburb just south of Atlanta, after burst pipes caused many customers to lose water on Sunday.

“It’s not a great feeling, and we are sad because on Christmas, I woke up to make tamales and realized we had no water,” Maria Landeros, a 30-year-resident of Forest Park, told WXIA-TV in Spanish.

Bottled water was being distributed Tuesday in Memphis, Tennessee, where authorities urged people “to limit all non-essential water uses.” An NBA game went on as planned Tuesday night in the city, though the water issues meant only canned or bottled drinks were available.

Up to 15% of Memphis Light, Gas and Water water customers are without water in Shelby County, the most populous county in Tennessee, because of inadequate water pressure. “Most of the cause of that lack of pressure are the water leaks in privately owned buildings, particularly from fire-suppression equipment,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said.

The utility said late Monday that leaks had been found in more than 2,400 leaks in private facilities, including 45 broken commercial sprinkler systems.

The water issues started on Dec. 24 when the utility said it experienced multiple line breaks because of freezing weather and power outages. The breaks resulted in a significant loss of pressure to the drinking water system.

The publicly owned utility, which serves more than 440,000 customers in Memphis and Shelby County, ordered an emergency drought management plan on Monday, barring non-essential water uses such as washing cars while the utility works to find, fix or isolate main breaks and broken water services.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water CEO Doug McGowen said in a statement Tuesday that “we are heading in the right direction to recover from this water distribution crisis,” with pressure being restored, but urging continued conservation for now. He said 31 water main breaks had been repaired, with work continuing on eight more. After asking businesses to let workers stay home Tuesday, McGowen said they could return to normal operation Wednesday.

In Kentucky, the Meade County Water District asked its 5,000 customers to conserve water. But then it said in a statement that because of the cold temperatures and increased demand, it was unable to keep up and would temporarily cut off service to some areas so that tanks could refill.

Parts of Asheville, North Carolina, were experiencing water outages or were advised to boil water. The city said Tuesday afternoon that a water production facility in the southern part of the city has been unable to produce water since Dec. 24, and the problem has been exacerbated by line breaks because of extremely cold temperatures.

The city said in a news release late Tuesday that it anticipated the water facility to produce water at reduced capacity on Wednesday. Those without water, however, shouldn’t expect to receive it for another 24 to 48 hours, according to the news release.

Officials encouraged people across the South to drip faucets during the prolonged cold snap because water moving through pipes is less likely to freeze. But as soon as the temperature rose above 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius), they said people need to stop the drip. That thaw also means frozen, broken pipes will suddenly begin leaking.

Water expands when it freezes, bursting pipes that aren’t protected. Then when the temperature rises, those broken pipes start leaking hundreds or thousands of gallons of water.

In Sun Belt cities like Jackson, water systems aren’t standing up the tumultuous weather. Tens of thousands of Jackson residents in the Mississippi capital were also left without running water for days during a cold snap in 2021, only for the water system to fail again in late August.

Jackson’s water system is set to receive $600 million from the federal government after it was included in the $1.7 trillion spending package passed by Congress last week. But Bennett vowed that she won’t be living in the city this time next year.

“I know they say it get’s worse before it gets better. But I can’t wait until it gets better no more,” she said.

https://apnews.com/article/disaster-planning-and-response-climate-environment-water-shortages-south-carolina-utilities-c6574f78137e50261cb06d0262b772d0

NYC Electric Garbage Truck Plans Hit Wall As Trucks "Conk Out" Plowing Snow in Just 4 Hours

 In a move that absolutely nobody could have seen coming, New York City is scrapping its brilliant idea for electric garbage trucks after finding out the truck simply "aren't powerful enough to plow snow".

The pipe dream of converting the city's 6,000 garbage trucks from gas to electric in order to try and limit carbon emissions (because there's no other problems that need to be dealt with in New York City right now) is "clashing with the limits of electric-powered vehicles," Gothamist wrote this week.

The city's current trucks run on diesel and can be fitted with plows in the winter. 

Despite the shortcomings, the city Department of Sanitation' has already ordered seven electric rear loader garbage trucks, custom-made by Mack, the report says. Those trucks cost an astonishing $523,000 each and are to be delivered this spring. 

Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch told the NYC city council earlier this month: “We found that they could not plow the snow effectively – they basically conked out after four hours. We need them to go 12 hours. Given the current state of the technology, I don't see today a path forward to fully electrifying the rear loader portion of the fleet by 2040."

“We can't really make significant progress in converting our rear loader fleet until the snow challenges are addressed,” she continued.

Many other cities don't use their garbage trucks to plow snow, the report notes. Places that get a lot of snow, like Denver, have their own committed light duty trucks outfitted with plows, which operate more efficiently. 

New York City, however, has committed to plowing each street and doing so by putting the city's 2,100 trucks to work to clear the "equivalent of 19,000 miles of street lanes". 

In addition to...well, not being able to get the job done, charging has also been a holdup with electric trucks, Tisch said: “..this charging infrastructure requires additional space and often new electrical utility connections that can require substantial capital investments."

Harry Nespoli, the president of Teamsters Local 831 union representing sanitation workers also isn't sold on the idea: “How much power do they have? Can they run 12-hour shifts without a charge? I don't know.”

Sanitation spokesperson Vincent Gragnani concluded: “​​With current technology, full electrification isn’t possible now for some parts of our fleet, but we are monitoring closely and really hope it will be.”

Let us know how that turns out, Vinny.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/nyc-electric-garbage-truck-plans-hit-wall-after-trucks-conked-out-plowing-snow-after-just

Texas Refineries Could Take Two Weeks To Fully Restore Operations After Storm

 by Tsvetana Paraskova via OilPrice.com,

Most refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast have begun procedures to restart operations that were disrupted by the massive winter storm late last week, but a full return to normal output of motor fuels could take up to two weeks for some facilities. 

The freezing temperatures affected refinery equipment and caused issues at the steam and co-generation units at some refineries, sources with knowledge of the situation told Reuters on Wednesday.

Pemex’s Deer Park refinery and Motiva Enterprises’ Port Arthur, the biggest refinery in the United States, could see their restart stretched out to the first or second week of January, sources familiar with the refineries’ operations and schedules told Reuters.

Winter Storm Elliott led to hard-freeze warnings issued for all the states along the U.S. Gulf Coast, where most of the U.S. refining capacity is located.   

As of Friday, December 23, as much as 1.5 million bpd of the Gulf Coast’s refining capacity was shut down due to the freezing temperatures, per Reuters estimates.

Refineries run by Motiva Enterprises, Marathon Petroleum, and TotalEnergies outside Houston were shut late last week. Operations at other refineries in Texas, run by ExxonMobil, Valero Energy, and LyondellBasell, were also disrupted by the severe winter storm.  

In total, the extreme winter weather affected some of the output at refineries along the Gulf Coast that process a combined 3.58 million barrels per day (bpd) and deliver around 20% of U.S. motor fuels.

Last week, the national average gasoline price dropped for a seventh consecutive week, but it’s not certain this week will bring another decline in gasoline prices, due to the rally in oil prices and the refinery outages due to the storm, according to fuel savings app GasBuddy.

“We’re still waiting for the national average to fall below $3 per gallon, something that is suddenly a bit less likely given the extreme cold weather, interrupting refining operations in the south, curbing gasoline production and potentially driving prices up slightly,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said on Tuesday.

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/texas-refineries-could-take-two-weeks-fully-restore-operations-after-storm