Category: Environmentalism

13-46 Economy or Environment, Bad Government is a Whale of a Mess

13-46 Economy or Environment, Bad Government is a Whale of a Mess

Show 13-46 Summary: A blast from Oregon’s past, the national debt continues to blow up, and story from right here in Oregon about how bureaucrats are throwing themselves on the grenade of success. Plus, environmentalists have traded saving whales to killing them – as long as they get their billions of dollars. And those offshore windmills may not be as green as they’re made out to be.

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Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: November 18th & 19th, 2023 | Guests: Jonathan Williams & Terry Johnson

This Week – Economics and Wind Farms

We start off this week’s show with a look back to Oregon’s “Exploding Whale” story. It’s as good a metaphor as anything for the state we find ourselves in. As in the general state of affairs but, yes, state of Oregon too.

Why? Because the exploding whale is a great example of bad ideas by government officials that make a bad situation even worse. And, yet still worse, government officials with those bad ideas don’t get fired. They get promoted up the ladder.

Where in reality does this make sense?

Bidenomics

We welcome back a good friend of I Spy, ALEC’s chief economist Jonathan Williams. With the US House once again passing a continuing resolution or “CR” to keep the government open, we see our national debt soar. Jonathan discusses the deficit and debt and why there’s a lot of hope of finally getting our government’s spending addiction under control with the new House Speaker, Mike Johnson, who is a former member of ALEC from when he served in the Louisiana House. There is also the matter of Moody’s downgrading the U.S. credit rating with our treasury sales taking a big hit. And a story from right here in Oregon of government throwing itself in the way of prosperity.

Because in Lane County, a factory originally built for $1.6 billion by Hynix, a chip maker, has been sitting idle for 15 years. Now, Stratacache wants to open it to make micro-LED screens (the kind you see as menu boards in fast-food restaurants) and will hire 100s of employees. They were even given a $19 million from the State of Oregon to get going. But Lane County is blocking them. Because they are demanding $2 million property taxes.

Can you believe this? (Well, it’s Oregon, so yes. Yes we can.) Three hundred workers at an average of $40,000 each is $12 million dollars of taxable income. Every year. But that bureaucratic whale-exploding mindset has taken over and they’d rather blow up the deal. Sacrifice $12 million to get $2 million. That’s government.

Hint: empty buildings produce nothing.

CFACT: Save the Whales

Who had “conservative organizations sue the government to protect endangered whales” on their 2023 bingo card? Anyone?

Decades ago, environmentalists — the real ones, not today’s latte crop — fought to save the whales. They would risk their lives to put their boats and rafts between whales and the harpoons of whaling vessels.

But that was then. Now there is 100s of billions of free taxpayer cash to be had. What’s a few endangered whale deaths when you can be given billions. If you support the green agenda. And offshore windmills that aren’t green.

What’s that you say? Windmills not green?

We talk with Collister Terry Johnson, a senior policy advisor about their fight to stop offshore wind farms. CFACT sent the government a 60-day notice of intent to sue. This is a legal requirement, giving the federal government time to correct a mistake or rule violation. In this case, violating the endangered species act by plopping all these wind farms off shore. Right in the middle of whale migration areas. Including the Right Whale, which is highly endangered with only about 350 of them left.

If the government fails to take action within the 60-day window, CFACT and The Heartland Institute, will sue. And this lawsuit could have far-reaching implications. Not just stop the Virginia offshore wind, which it’s aimed at. But even shut down existing wind farms.

These wind farms that only exist because of billions of those taxpayer dollars. But, it turns out, a new study has been released that shows that these offshore wind farms may not be “carbon neutral” after all. In fact, they may be putting more CO2 into the air than they help prevent.

Whoops. There goes the whole point of their existence in the green energy sphere.

We only learned about the study the morning of our interview. But you can bet we’ll dig into it in a future show. You can read it here: How Offshore Wind Drives Up Global Carbon Emissions.

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Jonathan Williams’ Segments (1–3)

  • Jonathan’s organization is ALEC – the American Legislative Exchange Council. Find out more at ALEC.org.
    • Encourage your representatives to join ALEC! There are state and city memberships. Help elected officials understand economic problems and the real solutions available to get out of them! Send them this link: https://alec.org/membership/. And you too can join as a private-sector member!
  • Romney and Manchin Call for Commission to Stabilize US Debt (Yahoo News, Nov 9, 2023)
    • How very brave of two people who are leaving the senate.
  • Oregon income inequality grew again in 2021 (KLCC, Nov 13, 2023)
  • Salem payroll tax failing by large margin (Statesman Journal, Nov 7, 2023)
    • A citizen’s group forced Salem’s proposed tax on the ballot.  When people can actually vote on the outrageous they vote it down.
  • Oregon awarded millions to reopen a Eugene tech factory; a property tax fight could stand in the way (OregonLive, Nov 5, 2023)

Terry Johnson Segments (4–6)

  • CFACT issues “intent to sue” over offshore wind, releases new study (CFACT, Nov 14, 2023)
  • THE STUDY:
  • Collister (Terry) Johnson on “Joe Thomas in the Morning” shreds Dominion’s wind project (CFACT, Oct 12, 2022)
  • Repeal the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), Latest  News: Release Of Second Video and Calling For Investigation (Repeal the Virginia Clean Economy Act, No Date)
  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Demonic’ off-shore wind farms are blamed for New Jersey whale deaths: Former SNL star reveals ‘green energy companies’ are sending ultra-loud blasts into water every 10 seconds that make mammals think predators are chasing them (UK Daily Mail, Nov 15, 2023)
  • Oregon tribes push back on offshore wind (Bend Bulletin, November 11, 2023)

Moody’s Downgrade of US Credit

  • Uh oh. Moody’s turns negative on US credit rating, draws Washington ire (Reuters, Nov 10, 2023)
  • Moody’s downgrades US debt rating outlook to negative (The Economic Times, Nov 11, 2023)*“Due to interest rate hikes by the US central bank to curb inflation, the cost of debt for the United States has ballooned, with Washington paying $162 billion more for interest in the last fiscal year compared to 2022.”

Worst Bond Market: Fewer Buyers Willing to Buy US Debt

  • 2022 was the worst-ever year for U.S. bonds. How to position your portfolio for 2023 (CNBC, Jan 7, 2023)
  • 2022: “The Worst Bond Market Ever: By history’s standards, stocks have not performed too badly, but bonds certainly have.” (Morningstar, Nov 21, 2022)
  • Government Bubble Burst: Treasury bond investors have been taking a historic beating. (Wall Street Journal, Oct 18, 2023)
    • “Although most of our national debt was issued when interest rates were low, that debt is quickly rolling over into a high-rate debt environment, and further borrowing continues. Without corrective action, interest costs could total more than $13 trillion over the next decade and $1.9 trillion per year by 2033.”
  • The collapse in Treasury bonds now ranks among the worst market crashes in history (Markets Insider, Oct 5, 2023)
    • Since March 2020, Treasury bonds with maturities of 10 years or more have plummeted 46%,  while the 30-year bond had plunged 53%.
  • Dreadful Treasury Auctions May Continue As Buyers Evaporate (Seeking Alpha, Nov 10, 2023)
    • “The 30-year Treasury auction on Nov. 9 was horrific. It saw one of the widest high-yield to median yield spreads since 1990 as the indirect acceptance rate plunged.”
  • The $24 Trillion Problem Haunting Wall Street (NY Intelligencer, Oct 18, 2023)
    • “When Wall Street sizes up the world’s risks, one way traders make their bets on the future is through the market in U.S. Treasuries.”
  • Demand for 30-Year Treasuries Proves Weak, Sending Yields Surging (Wall Street Journal, Nov 9, 2023)
    • “Primary dealers, big banks who are obligated to finance whatever portion of a Treasury auction isn’t purchased by other investors, bought nearly a quarter of the issuance. [That’s] more than double their average in recent 30-year auctions.”
13-44 Green Hydrogen Can Work – Just Ignore Economics and Common Sense

13-44 Green Hydrogen Can Work – Just Ignore Economics and Common Sense

Show 13-44 Summary: People have been chasing the elusive dream of hydrogen as a fuel source for decades and decades. Billions have been poured into it before now. But there’s no such thing as a bad idea as long as the government is willing to pour even more billions into it. But now it’s even worse as they chase “green hydrogen.” Tune in to hear why hydrogen isn’t viable as a mass production “fuel,” how it isn’t even a fuel, and even far more expensive than it already is if we try to make it the way the Greenies want. And remember how CO2 is the enemy? Yeah not so much, apparently.

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Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: November 4th & 5th, 2023 | Guest: Frank Lasee

This Week – Why Green Hydrogen Doesn’t Make Sense

Hydrogen has been the elusive clean energy society has been chasing for decades. Well before G.W. Bush threw nearly $2 billion at (which went nowhere), scientists were trying to use hydrogen back into FDR’s days and even before then. (The Hindenburg largely derailed the whole idea.) But if clean hydrogen was a pipe dream, green hydrogen is a fanciful nightmare. Especially if you don’t care about things like economics or common sense.

The elusive dream of green hydrogen. Hydrogen is not cheap. And if not handled well, can go boom. See the Hindenburg.
The Hindenburg derailed hydrogen. Rightly so.

In a nutshell, green hydrogen costs 5–6 times more than current methods and does not return as much energy as it costs to produce.

But why let a few dozen billions of narrow-minded taxpayer dollars stand in your way of your grand vision? Especially when states like Oregon and Washington just got handed a billion dollars each of free taxpayer dollars to create hydrogen hubs.

But First: A Big Win!

Thanks to public outcry, which CFACT helped mobilize, Orsted has cancelled its two planned offshore wind farms in New Jersey waters. The Danish company our American taxpayer dollars was funding, pulled the plug. Despite a $100 million penalty for failing to complete delivery. And wrote off a $4 billion loss. Amazing how these “green energy” schemes cannot work without massive government subsidies.

Public outcry works. Don’t be silent. And let’s do that here in Oregon. See Show 13-42 for more information.

Green Hydrogen Defined

We welcome first-time guest, Frank Lasee, a former Wisconsin state senator, president of Truth in Energy and Climate, and a senior policy advisor to CFACT. As you might be able to tell from the name of his organization, there’s not a lot of truth out there in either climate or energy. And nowhere is that more true than green hydrogen.

First off, hydrogen is itself not really a fuel. It’s more akin to a battery because while it has energy, it first has to be created. It would be a bit like creating oil out of various elements first before drilling for it.

Hydrogen must be made; it is not a fuel. It is a storage device, like a battery. If not handled properly, it can go boom! In a great big ball fire.
– Excerpt from “Hydrogen – Will this Green dream prove an expensive nightmare?” by Frank Lasee

What is green hydrogen? The label “green hydrogen” is all about how the hydrogen is made. There are several ways to make hydrogen. One is a simple electrolysis method, applying a current to water that splits the molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.  Your high school science teacher might have demonstrated this. Another is gasification that extracts hydrogen (and other elements) from natural gas with high-temperature steam.

Green hydrogen is extracted from whatever source but must use “renewable” energy to do so. The most common being pushed right now is to use solar and wind as the energy source.

How Green Hydrogen is Made

Except there’s a major problem with “green” wind and solar. They do not produce energy 70% of the time. Barely any wind. No wind. Not enough sun. Darkness. But to make clean, green hydrogen at scale takes enormous amounts of electricity. And water. Lots of water.

To make one kilogram of hydrogen (which has roughly the same potential energy as a gallon of gas), you need 13 kg of water to split. The water is heated to 2,000 degrees. That’s a lot of electricity. And then after it’s split, it has to be superchilled to near absolute zero so it can be pressurized and stored. And that takes another 40 kg of water to cool it.

So for every 1 kg of hydrogen produced, it takes 53 kg of water — and a massive amount of electricity.

What happens if the wind’s not blowing? Or it’s night time? You don’t have to be a paid TV scientist to realize this is not a process you can start and stop because of the unreliability of your “green” power sources. Gosh. You’ll have to supplement all intermittent green energy with coal. Or have massive batteries.

The Green Hydrogen Dilemma

One notion to get past the unreliability of so-called green energy and its unreliability is to tap into hydroelectric dams. Which the Pacific Northwest has plenty of. Except for the last decade, the environmentalists have been busily trying to yank them all out. To “save the salmon.”

Now what? Save the salmon or have green hydrogen?

In fact, the hypnotic allure of billions free taxpayer dollars has put a halt on at least one lawsuit to force the government to pull out dams on the Snake River.

Whoops.

But it’s not just the dams. You’ve got California, which on Thursday emptied 7 billion gallons (7,559,743,200 gallons to be precise) of fresh water from its reservoirs into the ocean. Why? To adjust the salinity levels in a delta to “save the fish.” The Delta Smelt. Of which a grand total of zero Delta Smelt have been seen in annual Fall Surveys since 2017.

Well there goes 142,636,664 gallons of hydrogen they could have made.

Fish or dams for hydrogen? What to do, what to do…

Green Energy: It’s All About Money

Tune in to hear how “green energy” is not green. And it’s not really about energy. What it’s really all about is the money.

And it’s not about “Climate Change” either. Why? Because while we’ve been shrieked at about CO2 emissions for two decades, it turns out they will not only sacrifice fish to get those billions. They’re also willing to emit more CO2 to get those billions.

Just like wearing the inappropriate “green” label for green hydrogen, to get the label “clean hydrogen” all you have to do is not emit more than 2 kg of carbon dioxide per hydrogen produced.

Read it for yourself: The National Clean Hydrogen Standard is 2 kg CO2e/kg H2. That’s 2x the amount of CO2 for every one Hydrogen (H2). See page 75 of the H2IQ Presentation from the U.S. Dept of Energy.

Yes. You can emit twice the CO2 you get of hydrogen. So much for CO2 as the enemy.

Don’t miss the show. That’s just one of much of the green hydrogen nonsense.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Articles/Info Mentioned During the Show

  • Frank Lasee’s website is TruthinClimateandEnergy.com. Be sure to check out this website for great articles and information.
  • Major wind energy developer scraps two big offshore projects (NBC News, Nov 1, 2023)
    • The move by Orsted, a Danish company, adds fresh uncertainty to an industry supporters see as a way to help end the burning of planet-warming fossil fuels.
  • Read it for yourself! Page 75 of the H2IQ Presentation (Dec 2021) from the U.S. Department of Energy states “clean hydrogen” allows for twice the amount of CO2 emissions as the hydrogen produced.
  • Interview with Frank Lasee: “Biden Sabotaging U.S. Energy Grid, Warns Expert” (Conversations that Matter, via YouTube, March 13, 2023)
    • Great example of replacing a gasoline car with a solar cars. Now you’re paying for 3 cars to get the same reliability you had in one.
  • Hydrogen – Will this Green dream prove an expensive nightmare? – (CFACT, Oct 26, 2023)
      • Hydrogen embrittles nearly every metal it comes in contact with.
    • Needs 13x more water than hydrogen made, 40x to cool it
    • The hydrogen lobby duped Congress into $9.5 billion for hydrogen hubs and $100s of billions more for subsidies to make it. These hydrogen jobs will last only as long as the subsidies do.
  • Great Analysis! Why Hydrogen Cars Flopped (YouTube, April 12, 2021)
  • The decades-long elusive dream: “The Truth About Hydrogen” (Popular Mechanics, Oct 31, 2006)
  • Study: ‘True Costs’ Of Electric Vehicles Far Higher Than Most Believe (The Daily Wire, Oct 27, 2023)
  • Auto execs are coming clean: EVs aren’t working (Business Insider, via Yahoo News, Oct 26, 2023)

Oregon’s Green Hydrogen Scheme

More of Frank Lasee’s Terrific Articles & Interviews

  • Bidenomics Is Scarier Than A Haunted House On Halloween (Frank Lasee, Oct 31, 2023)
  • Interview with Frank Lasee from Truth in Energy and Climate (Alliance for Free Citizens, Sept 7, 2022)
    • 8,000 square miles of solar panels to make enough electricity for the U.S. plus 1 million wind mills. We have 75,000 now.
    • Bi directional batteries – so the cars can power the grid, which got its power off the grid.
  • Joe Biden’s Hydrogen Slush Fund Means More Dollars Wasted On The Green Energy Boondoggle (ShoreNews Network, Feb 26, 2023)
  • Don’t Buy Green Hydrogen Hype (Iowa Climate Science Education, Apr 12, 2023)
  • Bidenomics at Work: ‘Green’ Hydrogen Is a Very Expensive Waste of Money (RealClearEnergy, Oct 6, 2023)
  • Frank Lasse article: “The Expensive Impossibility of Green Hydrogen From Part-Time Wind and Solar” (Truth in Energy & Climate, October 25, 2023)
    • “The fact that the world is desperately short of lithium and cobalt for electric vehicle batteries, at the scale they want to force, is dawning on them”
    • “Wind and solar produce little or no energy 70% of the time.”
  • Frank Lasee: Joe Biden’s Hydrogen Slush Fund Means More Dollars Wasted On The Green Energy Boondoggle (ShoreNews Network, Feb 26, 2023)

Related Stories

 

13-42 Winds of War: Billions from Offshore Wind Farms – and Fighting Back

13-42 Winds of War: Billions from Offshore Wind Farms – and Fighting Back

Show 13-42 Summary: Do you remember how environmentalists used to want to “save the whales”? And they were angry at “greedy corporations”? Now, those same environmentalists have figured out they can make billions from taxpayers by forcing states to take definitely-not-green offshore wind farms. Whales be damned. Calling it “green” doesn’t make it environmentally friendly. Calling it “saving the planet” doesn’t make it less greedy. This week, learn about the expensive, inefficient, and environmentally damaging wind farms the Biden administration is eager to shove down states’ throats. And how to fight back. Because right now, they’re trying to shove a windfarm off Oregon’s Southern Coast.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: October 21st & 22nd, 2023 | Guests: Craig Rucker & Jennifer Hamaker

This Week – The Lunacy of Wind Farms

It’s always easy to spend someone else’s money. Just ask any politician. It’s even easier to spend it if those billions (trillions!) you’re spending are going to people who will help re-elect you. Ever since I Spy Radio’s first year in 2011, we recognized that the environmental movement had become anti-development, anti-free-market, and decidedly anti-American.

It just so happens another organization got its own start with much the same realization: The Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow. Or CFACT. CFACT started back in 1985 and since then, they have grown into one of the most trusted, most respected sources of real information and real action to push back against the Far Left environmental movement. And win.

Right now, the Biden administration is giving out billions of free taxpayer dollars in a spending spree making the $130 billion (and counting) to Ukraine look like pocket money. Biden is shoving 100s of billions into wind farms. And, in particular, offshore wind farms.

CFACT on Offshore Windfarms

This week, we welcome Craig Rucker, the president and co-founder of CFACT, to talk about green energy, the billions the Left is making from it, and the billions of taxpayer dollars wasted on these offshore wind farms.

If you are not familiar with CFACT, you should be. Check out their great work, articles, videos, and a lot more on cfact.org.
And if you’re looking for good, reliable, and real facts about “green energy,” Global Warming, and more, be sure to visit CFACT’s Climate Depot.

It turns out these offshore wind farms are most definitely not environmentally friendly. On the East Coast, where there are already more than 3,000 wind farms spread out of 2.3 million acres. And since then, whales have been washing ashore, dead, in unprecedented numbers. Including the highly endangered Right Whale, of which there are less than 300 animals remaining. Why? Here’s a hint. It’s not Global Warming. The only thing that changed in their environment were these wind farms.

But what can we do to stop these? Especially here in Oregon, where greedy developers and government bureaucrats eager to spend 100s of billions of mandated taxpayer dollars have their sights on Oregon’s beautiful Southern Coast.

Tune in to hear how CFACT is successfully fighting back. And how the economics of “green” isn’t green when they start losing taxpayer subsidies.

Don’t miss: Conservation Nation’s (a CFACT project) video, “Save the Whales from Ocean Industrialization.”

Offshore Wind Farms off Oregon’s Southern Coast

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has targeted Oregon’s pristine Southern Coast for one of Biden’s costly offshore wind farms. We bring back Jennifer Hamaker, the president of Oregon Natural Resource Industries (or ONRI), to talk about this multi-billion-dollar windfarm project.

Jennifer, whose family on her dad’s side were commercial fishermen, talks to us what it’s like to grow up in a fishing family. What the way of life means to them. And how these offshore wind farms will endanger that way of life, the fish and birds and mammals in the sea, and the coastal communities.

And for what? A multi-billion-dollar wind farm that will only generate about 1.2 gigawatts of electricity. So greedy green companies can make billions, endangering the marine life environmentalists claim they want to protect, only to generate not even 10% of Coos Bay’s yearly electric? Really?

Help Stop Oregon’s Planned Offshore Wind Farm

ONRI is helping organize resistance to the offshore wind farm scheme. They have gotten the word out about public meetings. And are alerting people to get their public comments in to oppose this windfarm.

Screenshot public comment page for BOEM's offshore wind farm off Oregon's Coast
They kind of hide the comment button. (Click for full size.)

And it’s been working. There has been so much push back, especially at these public meetings, that the bureaucrats have pushed back the deadline for public comments until October 31, 2023.

Submit your public comments today about the planned offshore wind farm off Oregon’s coast. Go here for the main page to read the document if you’d like. Note that they kind of hide the comment button (see the picture before you head there). Or just go here to jump directly to the comment page.

Don’t be silent! Public outcry has been proven to stop these ugly, expensive, colossal taxpayer swindles. Skeptical? Then listen and learn.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Craig Rucker from CFACT (Segments 1–3)

  • Craig Rucker’s organization is The Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow or “CFACT.” Visit them at cfact.org.
  • Be sure to read Craig’s excellent op-ed in The Hill: “A New Study Zaps Biden’s Plan to Transform the Electrical Grid” (Craig Rucker, The Hill, October 3rd, 2023)
    • “The problem is not the addition of wind and solar. The problem is the subtraction of coal, gas and other dispatchable resources [that] we need during this transition…The grid has to have power being fed into it every second of every minute of every hour of every day to keep the lights on.”
  • Want good information to push back against Climate Change insanity and the cult of Global Warming? Then you definitely will want to go to Climate Depot, a project of CFACT.
  • Don’t miss: Conservation Nation (a CFACT project) video, ” Save the Whales from Ocean Industrialization.”
  • “Save the whales” CFACT boats protest offshore wind construction (CFACT.org, Rucker, July 25, 2023)
  • Green cannot survive without massive taxpayer dollars: “New York denies offshore wind developer request to raise rates, throwing more projects into doubt” (Just the News, Oct 13, 2023)
  • Bill Gates sees ‘a lot of climate exaggeration’ out there (Fortune, Sept 20, 2023)
  • Climate Activists Cutting, Burying Trees (Epoch Times, Oct 13, 2023)

Jennifer Hamaker on Oregon’s Offshore Wind Farm Scheme (Segments 4–6)

 

13-35 The Habitat Conservation Plan Designed to Destroy Habitat

13-35 The Habitat Conservation Plan Designed to Destroy Habitat

Show 13-35 Summary: From all appearances, Oregon’s Board of Forestry seems determined to press forward with their disastrous habitat conservation plan (HCP), regardless of how much opposition there is against it. But there are still a couple of chances to stop it. We talk with Jennifer Hamaker of Oregon Natural Resource Industries about the looming vote in Salem this week and what can still be done to stop Oregon from abandoning its state forests for 70 years. Plus, where is all this heading? Are Oregon’s other natural resource industries also on the chopping block?

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: September 2nd & 3rd, 2023 | Guest: Jennifer Hamaker

This Week – The Habitat Conservation Plan

We check in with Jennifer Hamaker from Oregon Natural Resource Industries (ONRI) to get an update on Oregon’s disastrous “plan” for it’s state forests: abandon them for 70 years under a Habitat Conservation Plan. The board had originally pushed the decision back to November but suddenly moved it back to September 6th and 7th — this week. For a 70 year plan, you’d think they’d take the time to get it right. But as we learn, the reality is, they were going to do it regardless. Once again, government has forgotten it works for the people.

Anyone else think they just laugh and laugh at that thought behind closed doors?

Board of Forestry Salem Meeting

Oregon’s Board of Forestry is meeting in Salem, September 6th and 7th, to decide to rubber stamp this disastrous plan. We say rubber stamp because if you read their resolution, the wording is all but identical whether they pass it or not. They will still pursue an HCP. See for yourself:

ODF chair's resolution regarding the Oregon habitat conservation plan
It’s the identical except for “current process.” (click image for full size)

But all that is needed is for one board member to flip their vote to delay the process. A seventy year project needs more discussion. Especially since affected state agencies and school districts, like the Jewell School District, have not known the full consequences or extent of the loss of funding. And the state still has no plans to make up the lost revenue. Revenue, which Tina Kotek calls an “outdated funding model.”

Want to go to the Salem Meeting? The comment period is from 8am – 10 am both days, September 6th and 7th. The Oregon Department of Forestry headquarters is at 2600 State St, Salem (Google map). Even if you can’t testify (all the spots are currently taken), you can drop off written testimony. And just being there in opposition sends the message.

Oregon’s Habitat Conservation Plan Won’t Work

Because Oregon is abandoning 53% of its state forests, with no human activity allowed, this habitat conservation plan — despite its (allegedly) good intentions —  will destroy the habitat it’s intended to protect. Why? Because here in Oregon, we get forest fires. Lots of them. And with lack of management, we get more of them. What do you think will happen in “protected” areas that have zero management. Does the State think squirrels will don fire gear and put them out?

Find out more about Oregon’s HCP at Oregon Stronger Together

What’s this about “no human activity,” you ask? But Oregon’s habitat conservation plan doesn’t do that, you say. They tell us so.

Yes, they do. But like so much of government, the HCP is just one layer. While Oregon’s habitat conservation plan doesn’t rule out human activity, the next layer does. The Forest Management Plan. Ah, yes. There is always another layer to bureaucracy. That way, they can scoff, honestly, about the HCP not stopping human activity. Silly citizens! Oh, but the Forest Management Plan? The plan we’re not talking about? Well, yes. As you’ll hear from Jennifer Hamaker, that plan will keep humans out of the forests.

And the bigger question is: where is all of this heading? If the state is taking these lands offline, in contravention of its own laws, what’s next? Fishing? Farming?

Perhaps this article will give you a clue: “These 14 American Cities Have a ‘Target’ of Banning Meat, Dairy, and Private Vehicles by 2030.”

And that’s why this effort by the “environmentalists” to seize Oregon’s state forests and lands needs to be stopped. Now.

HCP Lawsuit

If the state plows through with its plan, the answer is to do what the environmental Left is already doing. Sue the state. According to a Statesman-Journal article, the multiple lawsuits brought by environmental groups to do more to protect endangered species. ONRI is currently looking for a lawyer to take on this case. That will take a lot of money. Please consider helping them hire an attorney. Unlike leftist “non-profits,” ONRI does not get millions in taxpayer dollars from Global Warming.

We’ll have Jennifer on again to get updates later on in the fall.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Jennifer Hamaker is president of Oregon Natural Resource Industries, or ONRI. Their websites are www.onri.us and www.oregonstrongertogether.com . Please donate to help ONRI stand up for Oregon’s natural resources! Right now, they need to raise funds for an attorney.

Why does Oregon need a Habitat Conservation Plan to govern state forests? (Statesman Journal, Aug 19, 2023)

3 years after historic wildfires, report suggests state contributed (Statesman Journal, Aug 18, 2023)

What’s coming next? “These 14 American Cities Have a ‘Target’ of Banning Meat, Dairy, and Private Vehicles by 2030” (The Federalist, Aug. 19th, 2023).

13-34 The Next New Phases of Global Warming | Totalitarianism

13-34 The Next New Phases of Global Warming | Totalitarianism

Show 13-34 Summary: Trained scientist and meteorologist Chuck Wiese debunks the Global Warming doctrine, especially as it is used as the blame for Maui’s fires and California’s rain. Hottest summer ever? Hardly. But why this matters is because of where those pushing this religion (it’s most certainly NOT science) want to take society. And if you listen close, you’ll hear the stepping stones of the path they’re laying down to Global Warming totalitarianism.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: August 26th & 27th, 2023 | Guest: Chuck Wiese

This Week – The Left’s Totalitarianism

This week, the political Left dropped all pretense that they don’t really want totalitarianism with the arrest and accompanying mug shot of a former president. Attacking one’s political opponent is a hallmark of totalitarianism, which, as good little Marxists, is exactly their end goal.

Think about how completely anti-American that is. Our very first amendment guarantees the right to an opinion and to express it. Now, a former president has been arrested and charged, and his mug shot released for exercising his first amendment rights. For daring to question an election.

If you want to prove to people an election was rigged, a great way to do it is to arrest people who question it.

Blame it on Global Warming

Earlier in August, the Willamette Valley and a lot of the U.S. went through a heat spell — formerly known as “summer.” Now, it’s ALL global warming. And, it was the “hottest summer EVER (!!!)” — emphasis theirs not ours. But was it? We bring Chuck Wiese on to talk about it.

And as if the warmist shrieking wasn’t enough, global warming was immediately blamed (as is literally every single weather event) for the Maui fires and Hurricane Hilary flooding California. Were they?

Global Warming: it’s like racism but for weather

Global Warming Totalitarianism Lawfare

But it’s no longer just global warming marketing and spin to push their ideology to ensure billions of taxpayer dollars flows into the Left’s political allies’ pockets. No, that’s for punters. We’ve entered a new phase of pushing their ideology.

There is no climate emergency. But there is global warming totalitarianism.
But there is global warming totalitarianism. See the report.

Call it Climate Change totalitarianism or Global Warming totalitarianism, the Left has now decided to use the justice system to force its ideology on American society.

This week, we talk about a new ruling out of Montana (see links & info below for more details) that found by Montana granting “fossil fuel extraction” permits, the state was violating its constitutional duty to provide a clean and safe environment.

This is a unique case because Montana is the only state to have a “constitutional right” for a clean environment. Montana’s constitution provides “The state SHALL maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment for present and future generations.”

It’s lawfare. And now the global warmists must be smelling blood in the water because they will soon push constitutional amendments in other states to use the new state constitutional “rights” to force their global warming ideology. And there won’t be any stopping them. Because it’s in the constitutional.

Yeah, well, so was the first amendment.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Global Warming Totalitarianism

Blame it on Global Warming

Trump / Voter Integrity (More on this next time with Chuck)

 

13-28 How Not to Destroy Oregon’s Forests

13-28 How Not to Destroy Oregon’s Forests

Show 13-28 Summary: This week, we’re checking in with Jennifer Hamaker of Oregon Natural Resource Industries, to hear what happened over at the Board of Forestry’s meeting in Sisters, back in early June. ONRI is focused on stopping the HCP, Oregon’s plan to abandon 53% of its state forests. But it’s more than just abandoning them. Oregon’s HCP would hand them over to an abusive kidnapper.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: July 15, 2023 | Guest: Jennifer Hamaker

This Week – Fighting for Oregon’s Forests

We talk with Jennifer Hamaker of Oregon Natural Resource Industries, to hear what happened over at the Board of Forestry’s meeting in Sisters, back in early June. We interviewed her twice in the weeks leading to the BoF meeting (Show 13-19 and Show 13-20) as they worked to stop the HCP. But what happened?

They didn’t win the war but they did win the first battle. Winning outright would have meant the Board of Forestry rejected the onerous Habitat Conservation Plan on the spot. But that’s too much to expect from any bureaucracy. But. They did win a reprieve. And that first battle was a huge win! After ONRI showed up in force, the Department of Forestry pushed back the final decision by a minimum of two months — from September 2023 to November 2023.

Stopping the HCP: Oregon’s disastrous “Habitat Conservation Plan” would abandon over 53% of Oregon’s state forests for over 70 years and end millions of dollars currently generated from sales of timber on state lands.

But is there even more to all this?

We talk to Jennifer Hamaker, the president of ONRI to find out what could be happening behind the scenes and why else the BoF and DoF could be backing away. Because we know it’s not common sense.

Stopping the HCP

It turns out that stopping the HCP is more than just derailing Oregon abandoning the forests. For 70 years. Instead, there’s another element to all of this. Because the HCP doesn’t just abandon the forests. The HCP hands over the forests to a kidnapper.

What’s this, you ask? Yes. The HCP means not just abandoning forests. It hands control of them over the federal government.

We told you there was more to this than meets the eye. Don’t miss this highly insightful show!

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Find out more about Oregon Natural Resource Industries at ONRI.us. And please donate something to help them get the word out, hire an attorney and other critical expenses. Look under the “shop” tab or just go here.
  • Have you signed the petition to stop Oregon’s Habitat Conservation Plan? You can do that at OregonStrongerTogether.com. It literally takes less than 30 seconds to say “No!” to government overreach.
  • It’s back! The ugly, timber-industry-destroying, Al Gore Northwest Forest Plan is getting a revival. “USDA Forms New Forest Advisory Committee” (Northwest Observer, July 8, 2023)
  • Video (Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities)
  • The US has appointed a new panel for Northwest Forest Plan Advisory Committee (OPB, July 12, 2023)
  • Remember when NASA acknowledged climate change occurs because of changes in Earth’s solar orbit, not because of SUVs and fossil fuels? (Sign of the Times, Aug 30, 2019)
  • There Is No Climate Emergency, Say 500 Experts in Letter to the United Nations (AEI, Oct 1, 2019)
  • Milloy climate tweet sets Twitter abuzz; Even Musk admits he is no believer (Junk Science, Jan 2023)

 

13-24 What a Former Communist Activist Can Teach the Right about Winning

13-24 What a Former Communist Activist Can Teach the Right about Winning

Show 13-24 Summary: At a time when Oregon Republican senators had the win locked up, but chose defeat instead, maybe a former communist can teach them something about winning. Farehlee Nelson, a former activist for Earth First and a lobbyist for such organizations as Greenpeace, joins us this week to tell us about her conversion story and her efforts to unify conservatives in Oregon.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: June 17th & 18th, 2023 | Guest: Farehlee Nilsson

This Week – A Former Communist Defects to the Right

Here on I Spy Radio, we’ve interviewed many people who’ve made studying and researching and dissecting and exposing the Far Left their life’s mission. Ron Arnold, Trevor Loudon, JoAnne Nova, Ron Rychlak and Lt. Gen. Ian Pacepa, and too many others to list. But it’s rare that we get to talk directly to a former communist. Who now wants to expose the Left. And teach the Right how to use some of the same successful tactics to win.

Win. In Oregon? Yes, it’s possible. Tune in to hear her journey getting deep into the Left. And her conversion story that woke her up to what the Left was all about.

We’ll have Farehlee back as soon as we can after the Fourth of July. We’ll dig even deeper into tactics and operations. And one thing we’d definitely like to know about: infiltrating your enemy.

Because something is seriously wrong with Oregon’s elected “Republicans.”

Oregon Republican Senate Walkout Update

After last week’s show with Senator Dennis Linthicum, things were looking great to stop HB2002. Not to mention stopping a bunch of other terrible bills Oregon’s democrats were ready to shove through with their slim margins.

All Republicans in the Senate had to do was continue to deny quorum and the bills were dead. Just hang on for another couple of weeks.

But then out the blue, Senate Minority Leader, Tim Knopp, gave in. Strike the colors and raise the white flag. He and at least two other republicans gave the democrats the bodies they needed for quorum.

What happened?

Don’t miss next week. We’ll talk with Sen. Dennis Linthicum to find out what happened.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

13-20 Oregon’s Habitat Conservation Plan = Goodbye Timber – Part 2

13-20 Oregon’s Habitat Conservation Plan = Goodbye Timber – Part 2

Show 13-20 Summary: This week, we welcome back Jennifer Hamaker from ONRI to continue our discussion about Oregon’s latest plan to lose money. Because Oregon’s Habitat Conservation Plan will do both. Over 640K acres will be impacted. A loss of millions and millions to schools, emergency services, and so many other agencies that depend on those timber sales. And how are they going to replace those lost funds? Some schools have already said they will have to shut down. And of course, unmanaged forest lead to forest fires, so there goes all that potential revenue. Literally up in smoke.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: May 20th & 21st, 2023 | Guest: Jennifer Hamaker

This Week – Oregon’s Habitat Conservation Plan, Pt 2

We welcome back Jennifer Hamaker, the president of Oregon Natural Resources Industries (ONRI), to continue our discussion about Oregon’s Habitat Conservation Plan. Or HCP.

Last week, we learned the basics about Oregon’s Habitat Conservation Plan. Or should we say, Oregon’s Disastrous Habitat Conservation Plan. because it’s not going to do what they think it will. Probably because most environmentalists are angrily typing away about the forests. From downtown Portland’s coffee shops. What do they know about Oregon’s state forests? Well. They’re read a lot, one supposes. But have they worked there? Have they worked at mills? And we don’t mean the coffee kind.

It Grows Back, Stupid

Oregon’s School Trust Fund was set up when Oregon became a state. It would provide an ongoing source of funds for schools when the state sold timber harvested from state lands. But now, elected and non-elected democrats and environmentalists and activists want to end that. They’d love to wean the state off this fully renewable, fully sustainable perpetual income. Yes, democrats. The trees grow back. But why earn money when you can just tax them for it?

Jennifer walks us through what Oregon’s Habitat Conservation Plan will do to the forests. And the state’s School Trust Fund. There are over 200 public beneficiaries who get millions from this fund. Schools and police and fire and other services. All of that money is about to disappear. If this HCP goes through.

So, how do they plan on replacing those funds? Just where are they planning to get new funds from?

One guess: taxes.

Plan of Action to Stop ODF’s HCP

So how do the sane people of Oregon stop Oregon’s Habitat Conservation Plan? By speaking up. By letting the Oregon Department of Forestry know what you think of their plan.

And that’s easy! Head to www.OregonStrongerTogether.com and sign the petition. It literally takes 30 seconds to do. At the top of the page, you’ll see “HCP Petition” go there. Fill out the simple form with your name and address. That’s it. Done.

ONRI is looking for more people to head to Sisters, Oregon, on June 7th to be there, in person, at ODF’s public meeting about their HCP. Pack the room. For more details, head to ONRI.us. Please note that at this time, the ODF is keeping the exact time and meeting place a secret. That’s why you should head to ONRI’s webpage and sign up for alerts. Just scroll down the page and look for the big “subscribe” button.

Finally, and definitely not least, please donate to ONRI to help alert people to what is happening. ONRI is trying hard to get the word out but needs donations to buy ads on radio, tv, and digital spaces. Whether $25, $50, or more will help them buy an ad or two. Some websites looking for support say, “buy me a coffee.” Think of this as buying them an ad.

And what’s really cool is the ad you help them buy can be heard by 1,000s of people. So help them out! Head to ONRI’s website. The donate button is under the store tab. Or you can click here and jump to it.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Mentioned During the Show

What’s Coming

Not Mentioned but Related

  • Standing Up for Rural Constituents (Karen Budd-Falen, Feb 18, 2021)
    • This. “The Trump Administration’s position on State and local government approval prior to federal land acquisition … has now been eliminated by Biden [through an executive order]. That Order claims that allowing local governments to have a voice in land acquisition directly impacting their counties “undermined” the program.” Wow.
  • Will “Fly-Over Country” Have a Voice to Protect Private Property Rights under Endangered Species Act (Karen Budd-Falen, Apr 5, 2021)
    • “This agreement is likely the first step at trying to eliminate regulations that give State governments, local governments, and Indian Tribes a greater voice in designation of critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act… These 2020 regulations require[d] the Fish and Wildlife Service to substantively consider ‘economic, national security and other relevant impacts’ of the designation of critical habitat on private property and federal lands.”

 

 

13-10 Major Victories from Major Defeats | How Republicans can Win in 2024

13-10 Major Victories from Major Defeats | How Republicans can Win in 2024

Show 13-10 Summary: This week, for once, the host of the I Spy Radio is doing all the talking. Normally, I Spy is all about researching our guest’s topics, asking questions, and letting them do the talking. But recently, the Salem’s Capitol City Republican Women group invited Mark Anderson to be their speaker at a luncheon. His spoke on how Republicans can recover from major defeats, like they saw in 2020 and 2022. Using lessons from history, combined with some pivotal I Spy Radio Shows to illustrate what’s happening, he describes how Republicans can win in 2024. So on today’s show, he gives it again to our radio audience.

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of June 2021
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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: March 11th & 12th, 2023 | Mark Anderson

This Week – Mark’s Speech to the CCRW Luncheon

Salem’s Capitol City Republican Women invited I Spy’s host, Mark Anderson, to give a speech on Thursday, March 9th. This week’s show, he gives it again to his entire radio audience. Note that we cut  about 7-10 minutes from the speech to fit into a a broadcast radio “hour.”

After the show airs on our network of stations, we will post the full-length speech as the podcast version.

How Republicans can Win in 2024

Mark begins the speech with what the Hungarians faced in 1241 when they were invaded by the Mongols. In the wake of a devastating defeat that saw 1/4 of his countrymen killed and virtually all of Hungary’s towns and cities destroyed, King Bela IV had to face the brutal truth: that his country and its army were completely unprepared to deal with invaders like the Mongols.

But, as Mark highlights, major victories can come from major defeats. By facing the brutal facts. Using King Bela’s reforms, combined with pivotal past I Spy Radio shows to illustrate what is happening now, Mark examines how Republicans can win in 2024. And beat the Mongol Marxists destroying America.

Disinformation and Cognitive Warfare: The New Battlefield

Disinformation by Ron Rychlak book cover
Order the book!

One of the pivotal series of shows discussed in his speech was I Spy’s series of shows on disinformation. If you have not yet read Disinformation by Lt. General Ion Pacepa and Ron Rychlak, you need to. It explains so much about what we are experiencing in America today. As our own government uses tools of manipulation, cognitive warfare, launching disinformation campaigns against unsuspecting Americans. Mark explains how we know for sure that the “Russia collusion” hoax was in fact a disinformation campaign.

One last thing. When it comes to fighting disinformation, it requires influencers and the weight of reality and truth. For example, the truth and reality of the January 6th footage. Not the edited versions the January 6th tribunal was releasing The day after his speech, there was an incredible letter from democrat Dr. Naomi Wolf, apologizing for being taken in by the Left’s and the government’s propaganda. It is a long letter, but well worth the read. Because it shows that the spell of disinformation can be broken.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Dr. Naomi Wolf: Dear Conservatives, I Apologize (Outspoken with Dr Naomi Wolf, March 10, 2023)
  • My “Team” was Taken in By Full-Spectrum Propaganda
  • See our shows on disinformation with the co-author of the book, Ron Rychlak
  • Battle of Mohi (Encyclopedia Britannica)
  • Battle of Agincourt (Britannica, no date)
  • PBS still spreading the disinformation about “Hitler’s Pope”: “Vatican documents show secret back channel between Pope Pius XII and Hitler” (PBS, June 7, 2022)
  • Former Public Health Officials Undermine Public Trust with Conduct Unbecoming Scientists (Epoch Times, March 10, 2023)*”Fauci and Collins owe the country an apology… [Two] of the nation’s top public health officials obstructed the proper deliberative process essential to fashioning proper policy responses to the emergency.”