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SWAMP People and Organizations Against Making America Great, Foreign & Domestic

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About three decades ago I became curious of those people and organizations that seemed to work in earnest against the best interests of the U.S.A. My interest began with EPA “Violations of New Source Review” How did they affect me? It was directly. Myself and our team were consulting and providing performance improving modifications (“modifications” was a dirty word with the EPA when NSR is considered) with numerous electric Utilities to improve capacity, fuel flexibility, heat-Rate (efficiency improvement) and to reduce emissions. What reward did we get for improving efficiency, reducing the cost of power generation and reducing emissions? The plant owners were fined and in some cases the plants were prematurely retired and shut down. As for my company, we just lost some business and moved on to the next opportunity. But….I remember at the time…wondering why the EPA rules that already seemed anti-American became even more restrictive and seemed to be headed toward outlawing coal for power generation? Ultimately EPA Rules leading to the “Self-Sabotaging” of our reliable power generation. That was a time when about 50% of America’s electricity was generated from coal fuel and the U.S. enjoyed amongst the lowest cost electricity in the world, the Grid was reliable and affordable. Then the Obama Administration boldly did move to literally demonize and outlaw new coal power generation plants with the “EPA Endangerment Finding” in 2010.

A reminder, Obama and his EPA created the EV Mandate in 2012. Then the escalated “War on Coal”.

Fast-forward to 2025 and now facts are coming out that perhaps the “Self-Sabotaging” of our electric grid was not driven by policies to clean the air and water. Perhaps a more sinister motivation? Here are twenty references that implicate certain U.S. politicians and China’s influence. The EPA Rules went beyond clean air and water and in my opinion, were anti-American.

Background of Propaganda

The SWAMP is comprised of many nefarious actors, both foreign and domestic. Some are as innocent looking as TIME Magazine and Dan Rather on CBS News. Thank you Chris Martz, Tony Heller, James Woods, Krudkrew147, and John Stossel for these reminders of the greatest scientific hoax in history. The misinformation on science, demonization of coal and hydrocarbon fuels has literally crippled the industrial production of western civilization and helped to transfer manufacturing and the wealth it provides to China. Here are some of the domestic sources of the mischievous Climate propaganda.

Then there are three more examples I saw on “X” :

Tony Heller post on X of U.S. Temperatures since 1895, this year is lowest avg. temp since 1895: https://x.com/JunkScience/status/1952071289738612810

John Stossel on Junk Science Scares on X : https://x.com/JohnStossel/status/1952126581146824848

James Woods on “X”, An instructive title: “Climate Change, The All Purpose Scam”: https://x.com/RealJamesWoods/status/1952088800026317097

Posted on “X” by Krudkrew147 Captures the true facts in one meme. Was it a hoax or successful Propaganda by the CCP?

History of Energy Foundation China, according to Influence Watch

The enemies of common sense energy policies are not only foreigners. Note the American NGO’s listed in Influence Watch. To me, this is troubling, to see respected NGOs and American businesses that are aiding and abetting the CCP.

The Energy Foundation was founded in 1991 when three foundations – the MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Pew Charitable Trusts – recruited recent Stanford University graduates Hal Harvey, Tom Strand, and Eric Heitz to start an environmental initiative. Energy Foundation China was launched in 1999 with support from the Hewlett and Packard foundations.  In 1999, the Packard Foundation helped to establish Energy Foundation China, with offices in Beijing.  In 2020, Energy Foundation China separated from the Energy Foundation, whilst retaining the legacy EIN number. 

Like others knowledgeable in power generation, I thought, these are actions to deliberately weaken America. They could not be done better by our country’s mortal enemies if they were in charge of the EPA themselves. So, that is where I am coming from. The purpose of this article is to review the history of Applied Political Science 1990-2023 enemies within the U.S. Some are foreign and some are domestic.

Here are previous articles that I wrote on Influencers of U.S. Environmental Policies that literally caused the Self Sabotaging of our power generation infrastructure.

Conclusion

The past fifteen years of anti conventional energy policies will be difficult to overcome. I applaud President Trump and his outstanding Cabinet members for their efforts to correct past anti-American environmental and energy polices. However, I fear that we have gone a bit past the tipping point of NOT building enough new generation capacity to replace that which has been shut down and in most cases, destroyed. The about 125,000 MW of coal power generation shut down since 2010 cannot be replaced by new coal or nuclear plants of similar capacity by 2030 due to supply-chain limitations. Obama, Pelosi, Biden and the Democrats have weakened our electric power generation infrastructure. Why do they seem to have a stronger allegiance to China than to the U.S.A.?

My hope and prayer is that the American people will wake up and force the Democrat politicians to begin to support Pro-American energy and environmental policies. Based on what I have observed over the past 15 years, this will be difficult for many NGOs, wealthy individuals, politicians and Bureaucrats to support restoring American Industrial productivity, as we had before Obama’s Presidency. Rebuilding the supply-chain of talent, manufacturing capacity and the “American Can Do” attitude will be hard unless the half of our country stuck on resisting Trump wakes up and supports America First.

Respectfully and very truly yours,

Dick Storm, August 7, 2025

83 References for further background (updated August. 8, 2025)

  1. China AI powered by coal plants: https://open.substack.com/pub/stephenheins/p/headline-china-vs-us-ai-supremacy?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
  2. Chinese Companies listed on U.S. Stock Exchanges: As of March 7, 2025, there were 286 Chinese companies listed on these U.S. exchanges with a total market capitalization of $1.1 trillion. That valuation increased by $250 billion from the start of 2024, when this table tracked just 265 Chinese companies listed on U.S. exchanges with a total market capitalization of $848 billion.
    Since January 2024, 48 Chinese companies have listed on the three U.S. exchanges, raising $2.1 billion in combined initial public offerings (IPOs). https://www.uscc.gov/research/chinese-companies-listed-major-us-stock-exchanges  
  3. Influence Watch Report on Energy Foundation China:    https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/energy-foundation-china/
  4. State Armor Report on Energy Foundation China, (very comprehensive, lots of references) https://statearmor.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/State-Armor-Who-is-Energy-Foundation-China-Report.pdf
  5. This report reveals much of what is wrong with the EPA. 114th Congress Report on Obama Carbon Policies and Influence of Green Groups: http://www.scientificintegrityinstitute.org/USSEWP080415.pdf
  6. Washington Examiner: Gina McCarthy CEO of NRDC: https://eelegal.org/washington-examiner-gina-mccarthy-and-nrdc-together-again/
  7. Ken Braun’s article on Jennifer Graham background at Capital Research Center, “Green Watch”: https://capitalresearch.org/article/bonkers-about-batteries-the-unauthorized-biography-of-jennifer-granholm/
  8. Dept. of Interior Sec’y Deb Harland on Utah Land which has energy reserves: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/15/deb-haaland-national-monument-protections-joe-biden-trump
  9. E & E News June 6, 2023. How Green New Dealers became Washington Power Players: https://www.eenews.net/articles/how-green-new-dealers-became-washington-power-players/
  10. .Profile of the Department of the Interior, compiled by Robert Stilson of CRC: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-department-of-the-interior/
  11. Capital Research Center (CRC) on Profile of Biden’s head of the Department of Energy: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-department-of-energy/
  12. CRC on the Biden head of EPA: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-independent-agencies/#environmental-protection-agency
  13. CRC on the Biden WH Council on Environmental Quality: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-executive-office-of-the-president/#council-on-environmental-quality
  14. CRC on the Biden WH Office of Domestic Climate Policy: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-executive-office-of-the-president/#office-of-domestic-climate-policy
  15. CRC on the Biden Office of Science and Technology Policy: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-executive-office-of-the-president/#office-of-science-and-technology-policy
  16. CRC on environmental group connections in this blog post from June 2021: https://capitalresearch.org/article/nonprofits-in-the-biden-administration-special-interest-and-advocacy-groups/
  17. Science Matters on the Roots of Environmentalism, Jan 2023: https://rclutz.com/2023/01/06/from-nature-conservation-to-climate-calamity/#like-28807
  18. C. Paul Smith “Closing Argument on the Climate Change Hoax”:  https://www.cpaulsmith.com/palmyra-bookstore/the-climate-change-hoax-argument/
  19. The UK and European experiences with “Green Energy” should be a clear warning to the U.S.A., The Telegraph, June 11, 2023: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/britain-s-green-energy-disaster-should-be-an-awful-warning-to-americans/ar-AA1compu?OCID=ansmsnnews11
  20. How the Greens Went Mainstream, Foreign Policy, April 2021: https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/23/how-the-greens-went-mainstream/
  21. Russian Funding of Anti-Fossil Fuels Groups in U.S. March 2022, The Hill: https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/596304-investigate-russias-covert-funding-of-us-anti-fossil-fuel-groups/
  22. Washinton Free Beacon article on EPA Requests DOJ to Investigate Dark Money to Environmental Activist Groups, October 2020:  https://freebeacon.com/national-security/epa-requests-doj-investigate-foreign-funding-of-environmental-groups/
  23. Dark Money accepted by Democrats from BlueGreen Alliance admission, Washington free Beacon May 24, 2023: https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/senate-finance-committee-dems-said-theyd-fight-dark-money-they-just-fawned-over-a-liberal-dark-money-operative/
  24. “So-Called” Democracy Alliance Investment Report, 2014: https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1202744/da-portfolio2012-2014-042714.pdf
  25. Swiss Billionaire Bankrolls Biden Agenda through Arabella Advisors, Reported in Washington Free Beacon, April 4, 2023: https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/swiss-billionaire-bankrolls-biden-agenda-with-63-million-in-dark-money/
  26. Meet the Group behind Banning Gas Stoves, Rocky Mountain Institute Creates anti Gas Stove Campaign, partially funded by China, as reported in Washington free Beacon, January 16, 2023: https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/meet-the-green-energy-group-behind-the-study-thats-driving-calls-to-ban-gas-stoves/
  27. Stacey Abrams working with Group, Rewiring America, to Ban Gas Stoves. Group has ties with Chinese Funding, Washington Free Beacon, March 16, 2023: https://freebeacon.com/democrats/election-denier-stacey-abrams-is-now-working-to-eliminate-gas-stoves/
  28. Obama’s Man in China is now China’s Man in Washington, Max Baucus is talking head for China, Washington Free Beacon, May 21, 2020: https://freebeacon.com/national-security/obamas-man-in-china-now-beijings-man-in-washington/
  29. Numerous articles on Environmental Activists around the world, The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/us/topics/environmental-activism-3496
  30. BBC Report on 50 years of Activism, How the Biggest Environmental Movement Began April 2020: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200420-earth-day-2020-how-an-environmental-movement-was-born
  31. Meet the Activists, Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/explore/savingearth/meet-the-activists
  32. House Lawmakers Step Up Action on Green Groups Working with Foreign Countries, June, 2018, Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-environment-congress-idUSKBN1JG204
  33. Washington Examiner, June 2018: Russian Groups Gave Millions to Green Groups to Fight Fracking in U.S.: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/russian-funded-environmental-group-gave-millions-to-anti-fracking-groups  
  34. GAO Report on Foreign Influence of U.S. Research, Oct. 2021: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105434
  35. FBI Investigating Foreign Influence of Jan. 6, 2020 Capital Riot, NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/fbi-probing-if-foreign-governments-groups-funded-extremists-who-helped-n1254525
  36. Capital Research Report on Combatting Foreign Influence of American Institutions, Robert Stilson, October 2020 : https://capitalresearch.org/article/combating-foreign-government-influence-in-american-institutions/  
  37. Report of Uranium One Deal sale to Russia and Russian Influence of the Obama’s and Clintons, Fox News 2018 : https://docs.house.gov/meetings/II/II06/20190625/109694/HHRG-116-II06-20190625-SD004.pdf
  38. The Hill, Wikileaks Releases Alleged John Podesta emails on Russian Business dealings of Clintons and Obama, Oct. 10, 2016: https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/299904-wikileaks-releases-alleged-podesta-emails/
  39. Politico, What you Need to Know About Hillary Clinton and Uranium One Deal, Nov. 14, 2017:https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/14/hillary-clinton-uranium-one-deal-russia-explainer-244895
  40. Oil Price.com report on Russia Owning some U.S. Nuclear Fuel as a result of the Uranium One Deal, May 6, 2015: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Does-Russia-Really-Own-20-Of-The-US-Uranium-Reserves.html
  41. John Podesta was involved in a major deal with Russians in 2011-2019, Breitbart News, April 4, 2019: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/04/03/collusion-russians-gave-35-million-to-company-with-john-podesta-on-board/  
  42. John Podesta’s brother Tony received payments as a Lobbyist for Russia on Uranium One Deal and was not registered as a Foreign Agent,  Daily Caller, Nov. 2017  :  https://dailycaller.com/2017/11/05/tony-podesta-lobbied-for-russias-uranium-one-and-did-not-file-as-a-foreign-agent/
  43. Forbes, Oct. 25, 2017; “Why Was Justice Dept. Silent on Criminal Activity of Nuclear Agency During Obama’s Administration”: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2017/10/25/why-was-obamas-justice-department-silent-on-criminal-activity-by-russias-nuclear-agency/?sh=38d0c3fabe17  
  44. American Thinker, October 2017 article, So what was John Podesta’s now-collapsed Russian green energy scheme really all about?https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/10/so_what_was_john_podestas_nowcollapsed_russian_green_energy_scheme_really_all_about.html
  45. John Podesta And Podesta Group Under Investigation By FBI And DOJ Technocracy News, August 2016: https://www.technocracy.news/john-podesta-and-podesta-group-under-investigation-by-fbi-and-doj/
  46. Climate Depot, March 6, 2022, Investigate Russia’s covert funding of US anti-fossil fuel groups:https://www.climatedepot.com/2022/03/06/investigate-russias-covert-funding-of-us-anti-fossil-fuel-groups/
  47. The Hill, March 1, 2022, Russia Investigation on Involvement with U.S. Anti-Fossil Fuels Groups: https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/596304-investigate-russias-covert-funding-of-us-anti-fossil-fuel-groups/  
  48. BIV.com, Canadian Environmental Groups Received $1.3 Billion in Foreign Funding : https://biv.com/article/2021/10/canadian-environmental-groups-got-13-billion-foreign-funding-inquiry
  49. Natural Resources Defense Council Receives 100 Million from Jeff Bezos, Nov. 2020: https://www.nrdc.org/press-releases/nrdc-receives-100-million-bezos-earth-fund-accelerate-climate-action
  50. Big Green Radicals Funding, NRDC : https://biggreenradicals.com/group/natural-resources-defense-council/
  51. Washington Free Beacon report on Foreign Funding through Bermuda of Environmental Extremist Groups, August 2013 : https://freebeacon.com/national-security/liberal-foundation-distributed-money-from-bermuda-to-liberal-nonprofits/
  52. Washington Examiner, Leftists Activists Demand Democrats Keep Nuclear and Carbon Capture Out of Green Energy Bill, May 12, 2021: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/activists-demand-renewable-energy-standard
  53. Here are 36 Organizations Helping to Solve the Climate Crisis (and weaken the U.S.A.) FoodTank.com, 2020 : https://foodtank.com/news/2020/10/36-organizations-helping-solve-the-climate-crisis/
  54. Russia Funding Activist Groups in U.S. Center for Security Policy, March 2019 : https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/moscow-secretly-funded-us-anti-fracking-groups-is-it-now-attacking-us-energy-companies/
  55. Robert Bryce, No Uranium for Nuclear, June 9, 2023: https://robertbryce.substack.com/p/no-u
  56. Tom Steyer in Philanthropy News, 2014, Donates 50 million to NextGen Climate Action in Florida for Climate Change: https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/hedge-fund-billionaire-to-step-up-climate-change-advocacy-efforts
  57. Sheldon Whitehouse’s new book where he will claim the opposition party does what he and his party have done very effectively, for decades: “The Scheme, where He accuses Republicans of using Dark Money”, when in fact, the Democrats do it much more: https://thenewpress.com/books/scheme
  58. Ron Clutz Blog “Science Matters” June 12, 2023 on the Climate Blame Game & “Energy Absurdities” in Canada: https://rclutz.com/2023/06/12/absurd-climate-blame-game/#like-31517
  59. Dick Storm Blog post, “The War on Carbon, How it Came to Be”: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/10/16/the-war-on-carbon-how-it-came-to-be/
  60. West Virginia Shelly Moore Capito Opinion in WVA “Intelligencer” Newspaper, July 2022 on Joe Goffman as nominee to EPA position: https://www.theintelligencer.net/opinion/local-columns/2022/07/joe-goffman-the-wrong-choice-to-help-lead-epa/
  61. Pentagon to Electrify the Military, Nov. 2021, Military.com: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/11/09/electric-military-vehicles-are-part-of-biden-climate-agenda-pentagon-says.html
  62. Environment America.org, Why Environmentalists Back Ed Markey: https://environmentamerica.org/articles/supporting-ed-markey/
  63. The Guardian on Bill Gates views on Climate, Feb. 2021: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/13/bill-gates-on-the-climate-crisis-i-cant-deny-being-a-rich-guy-with-an-opinion
  64. John Kerry Targets Agriculture at WEF Speech, May 2023, Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/john-kerry-targets-agriculture-part-climate-crusade
  65. WEF Calls for Limiting Private Car Use, June 2022:  https://www.internationalfreepress.com/2023/06/wef-document-calls-for-limiting-private.html
  66. WEF on Population Degrowth, June 2022: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/what-is-degrowth-economics-climate-change/
  67. WEF Calls to reduce vehicles by eliminating ownership, Climate Depot, Aug. 2022: https://www.climatedepot.com/2022/08/01/world-economic-forum-calls-to-reduce-private-vehicles-by-eliminating-ownership/
  68. Greta Thunberg Time Line, April 2021, Independent, UK: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/greta-thunberg-bbc-documentary-timeline-b1830225.html
  69. Sierra Club and Abortion Alignment, On the Issues, : https://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Sierra_Club_Abortion.htm
  70. U.N., Planned Parenthood and Sierra Club Alignment Sept. 2015:  https://unfoundation.org/media/un-foundation-planned-parenthood-federation-of-america-sierra-club-announce-winners-of-first-ever-why-we-care-youth-emerging-leaders-for-reproductive-rights-contest/
  71. Sierra Club & NRDC Environmental Groups Urge Support for Affordable Care Act and Reproductive Rights, March 2017: https://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2017/03/environmental-groups-urge-support-affordable-care-act-and-planned-parenthood
  72. Sierra Club & Planned Parenthood Join Conferences to Explain Sex and the Environment. Nov. 2007, Catholic News Agency,: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/11091/sierra-club-joins-planned-parenthood-to-offer-conferences-on-sex-and-the-environment
  73. Lecture by Michael Rectenwald at Hillsdale College on “What is the Great Reset”, The Great Reset movement toward World Totalitarianism: https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/what-is-the-great-reset/
  74. Daily Skeptic, Feb. 23, 2023, by 30 year Reuter’s veteran Journalist “I Thought CO2 Was Causing Global Warming, I was Wrong”: https://dailysceptic.org/2023/02/23/when-i-covered-climate-change-for-reuters-i-thought-co2-was-to-blame-for-rising-temperatures-i-was-wrong/
  75. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, 60 years later, Fails Test of Time, WUWT: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/05/17/carsons-silent-spring-fails-test-of-time-new-york-times-verdict-in-2007/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=carsons-silent-spring-fails-test-of-time-new-york-times-verdict-in-2007
  76. John Kerry, Ties to Radical Environmental Groups, but kept secret, Oct. 2022, Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-probe-john-kerrys-ties-eco-groups-efforts-shield-oversight
  77. China Weaponization of Lawfare in the U.S.: https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/ccp-weaponizes-us-courts-to-silence-critics-harm-american-interests-congress-hears-5891196
  78. New York Post on John Podesta Giving $375Million  to Climate Groups at end of Biden Term, Aug. 2025: https://nypost.com/2025/03/05/business/john-podesta-375m-epa-slush-fund-gave-billions-to-newly-formed-charities/
  79. Climate Dispatch, Aug. 2025 on Climate Groups Funded by U.S. :  https://climatechangedispatch.com/john-podestas-epa-slush-fund-gave-billions-to-newly-formed-climate-groups/
  80. Thomas Shepstone on Environmental Extremists impact on NY Energy Policy: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/Environmental+Extremists/FMfcgzQbgcKkRXwtbDSGjHQRZHFspQKm
  81. CO2 Coalition Technical Papers Page: https://co2coalition.org/publication_category/white-papers-other-publications/
  82. Roy Spencer website and comments on DOE Report, July 2025: https://www.drroyspencer.com/2025/07/the-doe-scientific-report-underpinning-the-epas-decision-to-reconsider-the-2009-endangerment-finding-on-co2/
  83. Dept. of Energy Critical review of GHG Rules, July 2025: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/DOE_Critical_Review_of_Impacts_of_GHG_Emissions_on_the_US_Climate.pdf
    https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/DOE_Critical_Review_of_Impacts_of_GHG_Emissions_on_the_US_Climate_July_2025.pdf
  84. How Governor Phil Murphy Caused New Jersey Electric Rates to Increase, WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/how-phil-murphy-caused-new-jersey-electricity-prices-to-soar-18c9e6ce?st=zmJNEE&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
  85. Renewables competing with Fossil Fuels, WUWT: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/07/13/the-conversation-renewable-energy-still-cannot-compete-with-oil-and-gas/
  86. President Trump News on $92 Billion Investments in PA for new Energy and AI Expansion: https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/07/president-trump-solidifies-u-s-position-as-leader-in-ai/
  87. The Coal Institute, July 14, 2025 Presentation by Dick Storm on the Importance of Coal: http://thecoalinstitute.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Dick%20Storm%20Presentation%20July%202025.pdf
  88. The Coal Institute, July 15th meeting, Chris Moran’s PJM Presentation: http://thecoalinstitute.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Chris%20Moran%20Presentation%20July%202025.pdf
  89. Wish Bakshi on LinkedIn, PJM Path Forward: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wishbakshi_pjm-65-million-people-worlds-data-center-activity-7351242456325107713-y29V?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAI4KQUBYW-cbQRlA1kgj9X3llGi7u6KNnQ
  90. Mark Lewis on LinkedIn on new 3600 MW Gas Plant at site of Bruce Mansfield Coal Power Station: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7351562473512108033-VHZo?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAI4KQUBYW-cbQRlA1kgj9X3llGi7u6KNnQ
  91. G-E Vernova expansion to western PA, by Thomas Shepstone Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/energysecurityfreedom/p/the-power-plant-supply-chain-just?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
#Energyreality, China, Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy

The Reality of Returning Major Power Generation Equipment Manufacturing to the U.S.

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Before I go any further please know that I support President Trump and his policies to return manufacturing to America. Ever since NAFTA in the 1990’s America has hemorrhaged manufacturing capacity. I presented my views on the harm of China entering the WTO in a 2016 presentation to the Delaware County Bar Association (PA) and also on my personal observations in Stanly County, NC during the 1990’s. Here and Here. The U.S. Climate policies begun during the Obama administration have destroyed over half of the U.S. Dispatchable, Reliable and Affordable coal power generation fleet. I wrote an article on, “How the War on Carbon weakens America and strengthens China” in 2021. This is a Self-Inflicted electricity generation crisis. The Obama and various NGO’s “War on Coal” killed about 125,000 MW of coal plant generation capacity and perhaps more egregiously along with them, the supply-chain to manufacture them.

So, what do we do now? (Hint: do as the Chinese are doing, read to the bottom)

The Challenge: Build 150,000 MW of New Gas, Nuclear and Coal Power Generation by 2030 and 800,000 MW of New Electricity Generation Capacity by 2050

For purposes of this essay the electricity growth of 150,000 MW of new electricity generation capacity is needed by 2030 and 800,000 MW by 2050.

Electricity Demand, According to ICF:

  • U.S. electricity demand is expected to grow 25% by 2030 and 78% by 2050
  • U.S. peak electricity demand is expected to grow 14% by 2030 and 54% through 2050
  • Residential retail rates could increase between 15% and 40% by 2030, depending on the local market

The Graph of Electricity Demand to 2050 below is from the ICF Report, May 2025. Notice they show coal power disappearing by 2040. 78% growth in 2050 is adding 1,014,000 MW to the current 1,300,000 MW of currently installed generation capacity. The 1,300 GW number is from America’s Public Power.

I tend to agree on the ICF load growth forecast but not on the exit of coal.

I believe the enormous generation growth from wind, solar, hydrogen, battery and geothermal is wishful thinking, a fantasy that many Bureaucrats, politicians and sadly, state policymakers and “Woke” Utility execs seem to believe.

Plans to exit coal are neither prudent or realistic. It is a Self-Inflicted limit to economic growth and if continued, will cause electricity Rationing.

Dave Walsh and myself participated in a panel discussion at Liberty University’s CEO Summit in Sept. 2024. The title of the panel was “Impacts of the Self-Inflicted Electricity Generation Crisis”. We laid out our views of the destruction of reliable, affordable, dispatchable power generation that was being destroyed by so called, “Climate Policies”. This loss of reliable generation capacity without replacement in-kind has created a future electricity generation crisis. Two previous articles cover the facts and information of our presentations at Liberty University, here and here.

Shortages and Rationing of Electricity

Rationing is referred to by Utilities, ICF, other recognized consultants and Bureaucrats as “Demand Response”. It simply means that electricity will be rationed for charging your EV or running your air conditioner at the whim of your electricity provider. Why? because no utility or IPP is accountable for planning future generation as integrated Regional Utilities once were such as the old Duke Power of the 1970’s, Philadelphia Electric, Santee-Cooper and hundreds more. Worse yet, unreliable, intermittent solar and wind has been forced onto the Grid with tax subsidies, thus weakening Grid reliability when power is needed at peak periods.

Demand Response sounds less threatening to the public than “Rationing”. Unfortunately, the path forward by many (most) Utilities is a path of shortages and rationing, by intention. Remember the old phrase? “Failing to plan is planning for failure”?

Power for the U.S.A

Power for the U.S.A. was the title of Donn Dears website, and I find it useful here. Donn Dears last book “Clean Energy Crisis” offered Donn’s calculations of what he forecasted as being needed by 2050 if all electricity was to be generated by carbon free sources. Here is what Mr. Dears calculated in 2023, before the AI Demand became so well publicized:

Donn Dears Forecast on “New Carbon-Free Generation Needed by 2050”:

  • 881 new nuclear plants equivalent to Plant Vogtle’s last two units, each about 1,100 mw’s
  • 3,918,996 MW of new solar plus BESS (Battery Electric Storage Systems to back it up at night)
  • 995,141 wind turbines of 2.5 MW each.

In conclusion, Mr. Dears states this is unachievable. So do I believe that building 881 new nuclear plants by 2050 is unrealistic. Many other’s who are experienced in power generation share these concerns of supply chain weakness.

A previous blog article discussed the “Clean Energy Crisis” and referenced Mr. Dears book. Then, Ron Stein and myself coauthored an article on a path forward with conventional forms of electricity generation, here. Let’s expand that discussion to show the challenge of building 150,000 MW of new coal electricity generation plants and 400,000 MW of new nuclear plants. It is a given that by 2050 gas turbine powered generating plants can be built to make up the difference, but not ALL. Keep in mind, some forecasts predict that over 1,000 GW of new 24/7 electricity generation will be required by 2050. Therefore, the new capacity discussed herein is very conservative.

The Supply-Chain for 125,000-150,000 MW of New Coal Power Generation

America had the manufacturing capacity in 2008 to build 150,000 MW of new coal plants. In fact, over 150 new plants were well along in the planning stages then, before the Obama Carbon Mandate killed them.

Energy and Electricity are the Economy. Electricity has been the Life-Blood of the economy of any Developed or Developing nation for over 100 years. To not plan for adequate primary energy and electricity generation for the future is to be un-American or even, anti-American. Let’s get into what I suggest.

Examples of Manufacturing Capacity that Need to be Replaced

Somehow….America needs Capital Investment in similar facilities as the Combustion-Engineering’s Chattanooga works had in 1975. This needs to be started ASAP. Here is an aerial picture of this magnificent facility when it was in operation.

The facility was over 88 acres under roof and included capabilities for manufacturing steel tubing, waterwalls, heavy walled headers, fabrication of tube assemblies as described above for the Roxboro superheater and also nuclear reactors and steam generators. I intentionally used the adjective magnificent to describe it. Here is a quote from my friend Tom who worked at C-E during this time period:

“I did a stint at CE in Chattanooga and still vividly recall the enormity of  the manufacturing capability. For instance 15,000 ton press that could bend 12” thick steel  Into a cylinder for a completed  nuclear vessel weighing 700 tons.

A Gang drill setup to drill 1600 holes through a 26” Inconel tube sheet for nuclear PWR steam generators. 

1000 ton crane to handle these fabrications and heat treat furnaces large enough to stress relieve them before shipment. What an experience to view and work with these marvels.”

The facility evolved and progressed over many years to become the pearl of manufacturing prowess that it was in 1975. Combustion-Engineering in these times was capable of producing steam generators that could power about 25,000 MW of electricity generation capacity each year. The business volume in 1977 dollars was about $1 Billion/year. The manufacturing volume was almost equal to the business profits of aftermarket maintenance and repairs. Being outstanding in design, manufacturing and services was a huge business for tens of thousands of employees. In 1978 Combustion-Engineering was # 125 on the Fortune 500 list of companies. Two competitors during this era with facilities similar to Combustion-Enegineering were Babcock & Wilcox and Foster-Wheeler. B&W was # 132 on Fortune’s list and Foster-Wheeler # 207.

Today Combustion Engineering and Foster-Wheeler U.S. shops are gone, B&W’s downsized but, thankfully, still in operation.

Recently I discussed a replacement/repair of a high pressure header for an existing Utility coal steam generator in Texas. I was told the header is on emergency order and it will be on site this fall. The header is sourced from somewhere in Asia and welding of tube studs and completion of fabrication will be done in South Carolina. This is bout 24 weeks lead time for just one header. I described a 1,350 MW steam generator in a previous article, here. Just to show a rough idea of the immensity of a large coal supercritical steam generator. The one described is the B&W Zimmer Plant, supercritical steam generator.

How About Nuclear Manufacturing in the U.S.?

One of my first positions in the power industry was working at Babcock & Wilcox’s Barberton facilities as a Technical Assistant to the Project Engineer for the design and fabrication of the Duke Power Oconee Nuclear Steam System (NSS). At that time, B&W had over 30,000 employees. Facilities about equally capable to the C-E Chattanooga Works described above. B&W has since been separated into two fine companies B&W and BWXT and are still capable of building both coal and nuclear power generation equipment. However, this manufacturing capacity, as far as I know, is downsized from that in place in the early 1970’s before the Three Mile Island incident. A previous article covers manufacturing in the 1970’s here.

Compare Current U.S. Nuclear Plans with World

America has more operating nuclear plants than any other country. However, the average age of these is over 40 years. America’s nuclear fleet was built between 1960 and 1990. For NEW Nuclear, here is the chart by the World Nuclear Association:

The chart below is China’s current electricity generation by fuel, according to the EIA. Yes, it is 60% coal, 14% hydro, 18% renewables and 5% nuclear power for electricity generation as of this writing. The fact is, China is continuing to operate old and to also build new coal plants as required to power their economic and industrial growth. Yes, they also are building new renewables and nuclear for a Balanced generation portfolio. It is hard to criticize this approach to powering the future. America should do likewise.

Conclusions

  • President Trump’s Executive Orders which declared an electricity generation emergency are in fact, correct. America does have a crisis of the supply-chain to build the new 24/7 electricity generation capacity needed in the future. It will be difficult to build the needed generation capacity due to the hollowing out of the Supply-Chain
  • The destruction of reliable coal plants without replacing them in-kind has been wrong and reckless. This is the root cause of the electricity generation crisis.
  • Those policymakers that have engaged in the “War on Coal” are related to or aligned with advocates of Socialism and Communism. The Capital Research Center, General Robert Spaulding, Frank Gaffney and the Center for Present Danger China and others have linked foreign entities to the “Red-Green New Deal” that is at the root of the Self-Sabotage of our reliable forms of electricity generation through China’s “Unrestricted Warfare”.
  • The Shortages of electricity and resulting Rationing (aka Demand Response) will be worse during peak Demand periods, July-August and December-February
  • Building 150,000 MW of new electricity generation capacity that is dispatchable by 2030 will be difficult unless all proven 24/7 affordable electricity generation fuels are included, including coal, nuclear and gas.
  • The U.S. Supply-Chain for critical manufacturing of steam generators, transformers, pumps, feed water heaters, nuclear reactor pressure vessels, nuclear steam generators and other equipment has been harmed by U.S. businesses and government out sourcing too much manufacturing to China.
  • Building the electricity generation capacity needed will require much more training of talent in the workforce because, as the Supply-Chain of U.S. power equipment manufacturing has withered, many of the experienced craft persons and engineers have found other work or retired.

Respectfully,

Dick Storm, June 1, 2025

References and sources for further research:

  1. ICF Consulting, Electricity Demand ForecastReport: https://www.icf.com/news/2025/05/electricity-demand-expected-to-grow-25-percent-by-2030
  2. Dick Storm Probizblog, May 2, 2025: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/05/02/clean-energy-crisis-2/
  3. The Challenge of Building 125,000 MW of new coal plants: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/05/07/the-reality-of-building-125-gw-of-new-coal-plant-generation-capacity-then-and-now/
  4. POWER Magazine June 2006 Cover Story, Coal Fired Plant Capacity Continues to Increase : https://www.powermag.com/cover-story-coal-fired-electric-power-capacity-continues-to-increase/
  5. Global Energy Monitor Proposed Coal Plants Planned in 2007: https://www.gem.wiki/Proposed_coal_plants_in_the_United_States
  6. Global Energy Monitor (GEMS) https://www.gem.wiki/Category:Proposed_coal_plants_in_the_United_Stateshttps://www.gem.wiki/Category:Proposed_coal_plants_in_the_United_States
  7. GEMS, “What Happened to the 151 Coal Plants” updated by GEMS 2017: https://www.gem.wiki/What_happened_to_the_151_proposed_coal_plants%3F
  8. NETL Report on Status of New Coal Plants 2010: https://www.netl.doe.gov/projects/files/TrackingNewCoalFiredPowerPlants_010810.pdf
  9. GEMS-2021 Boom and Bust Status of World Coal Plants: https://globalenergymonitor.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/BoomAndBust_2021_final.pdf
  10. Oil Price.com 2012 report on 1200 Coal Plants being built worldwide: https://preprod.oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/1200-New-Coal-Plants-Planned-for-Construction-Around-the-World.html
  11. Capital Research Center update of 2010 of the Sierra Club “War on Coal”: https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-sierra-clubs-war-on-coal/
  12. IEFA Report U.S. on Track to Close Half of Total Coal Generation by 2026: https://ieefa.org/resources/us-track-close-half-coal-capacity-2026
  13.  Obama’s Carbon Mandate, 114th Congress, 2015: https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/3/8/386eb25d-b723-4ffd-9fcf-218425a33191/18EF72E5A9E08E51C8DD45F4B0DD29BD.epw-staff-report-obama-carbon-mandate.pdf
  14. B&W Technologies BWXT: https://www.bwxt.com
  15. Babcock & Wilcox Company, Akron, Ohio: https://www.babcock.com/home/thermal/steam-generators/utility-scale-boilers/
  16. U.S. Current Electricity Generation, Installed Capacity as of 2025 by America’s Public Power: https://www.publicpower.org/system/files/documents/Americas-Electricity-Generation-Capacity-2025-Update.pdf
  17. EPOCH Times article on President Trump’s EO on increasing new nuclear plant construction: https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-signs-executive-orders-to-boost-us-nuclear-industry-5862550
  18. WNA Data Base of Nuclear Plants in the World: https://world-nuclear.org/nuclear-reactor-database/summary
    Power Magazine Commentary by Don Grace on lessons learned at Vogtle: https://www.powermag.com/what-was-learned-from-building-new-nuclear-reactors/
  19. Bechtel website on Vogtle and Nuclear Plant experience: https://www.bechtel.com/projects/vogtle-units-3-and-4/c
    U.S. Dept. of Energy Fact sheet on Vogtle: https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/5-things-you-should-know-about-plant-vogtle
  20. Plant Vogtle Reactors, report by Stanford Univ. 2017: http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2017/ph241/vandegraaf2/
  21. TVA Infor on new SMR Permitting: https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-signs-executive-orders-to-boost-us-nuclear-industry-5862550
  22. Vogtle Turbogenerator installed, May 2016 WNA News: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Generator-equipment-in-place-at-Vogtle-3 c
  23. Westinghouse Manufacturing in New Hampshire: https://info.westinghousenuclear.com/blog/nuclear-components-manufacturing 
  24. Westinghouse Low Enriched Uranium manufacturing in U.S. : https://worldbusinessoutlook.com/westinghouse-announces-the-reach-of-commercialization-of-leu-fuel-in-the-u-s/
  25. ICF Report, April 2025 on New Nuclear Plants: https://www.icf.com/insights/energy/nuclear-energy-growth-factors?utm_source=pdf&utm_medium=document&utm_campaign=3642_Electricity_DemandGrowth_Report
  26. China References-2025 EIA China Energy: https://www.eia.gov/international/overview/country/CHN
  27. Energy, Security and Freedom article by Thomas J. Shepstone and Doug Sheridan on the 2022 Charade & Corruption of Green Energy: https://open.substack.com/pub/energysecurityfreedom/p/enough-of-the-spin-and-pr-speak-lets?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
  28. The Coming Electricity Reliability Crisis and the Importance of Coal, Sept. 12, 2024:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/09/12/the-electricity-reliability-crisis-and-the-importance-of-american-coal/
  29. The Kingdom of Heaven Runs on Righteousness, The Kingdom of Earth Runs on Energy, Oct. 3, 2024:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/10/03/heaven-runs-on-righteousness-earth-runs-on-energy/
  30. The Rise and Fall of Nations from the perspective of nuclear power systems manufacturing: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/08/15/the-rise-fall-and-rise-again-of-nations-and-the-realities-of-energy/
  31. Thomas J. Shepstone posting on Substack of,  “Energy Matters If You Value the Life You Now Have and Don’t Want to Live Under Socialism“: https://open.substack.com/pub/energysecurityfreedom/p/energy-matters-if-you-value-the-life?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
  32. CommitteePresentDangerChinaInsideourwires: https://presentdangerchina.org/webinar-inside-our-wires-the-ccp-has-penetrated-our-electric-grid-will-xi-destroy-it/
  33. China References-2025 EIA China Energy: https://www.eia.gov/international/overview/country/CHN
  34. Dick Storm Blog, “Threats to the U.S. Grid: Threats to the Electric Grid,  (Most threats, self-inflicted) March 15, 2024:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/03/15/threats-to-the-grid-electricity-reliability/
  35. Visual Capitalist on Industrial Growth of China and U.S. : https://www.voronoiapp.com/economy/-Industrial-Production-in-China-Up-37-Since-2019–4873
  36. Committee for Present Danger China: https://presentdangerchina.org
  37. China Transformers with hidden “Backdoors” for Cyber Attack: Texas, 2021: https://texasscorecard.com/commentary/waller-chinese-backdoor-threatens-next-texas-blackout/
  38. Industrial Cyber:  https://industrialcyber.co/threats-attacks/chinese-transformers-in-critical-electric-sector-confirmed-by-two-us-administrations/
  39. WSJ on Houston Transformer from China being taken to Sandia Labs for Inspection, 2020: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-seizure-of-chinese-built-transformer-raises-specter-of-closer-scrutiny-11590598710
  40. CBN Report 2022 on Risk of Chinese Transformers to our Grid: https://cbn.com/news/us/cyber-pearl-harbor-how-china-built-backdoor-threat-could-take-down-us-electric-grid
  41. Energy Supply-Chain Risks- Lawfare Media- 2020: https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/energy-grid-supply-chain-risks-and-us-china-entanglement  
  42. Utility Dive on Vulnerability of Grid to Chinese Transformers April- 2023: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/chinese-supply-chains-for-critical-infrastructure-threaten-the-us-power-gri/644505/
  43. Center for Security Policy Sept. 2021: https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/houston-has-a-problem-chinese-backdoor-threatens-next-texas-blackout/
  44. Power Transformer News, May 2023: https://www.powertransformernews.com/2023/03/28/extent-of-chinese-made-components-in-u-s-electrical-grid-still-unknown/
  45. POWER Magazine, June 2024 on Power Transformers long lead times: https://www.powermag.com/the-transformer-crisis-an-industry-on-the-brink/
  46. Utility Dive article on long lead times (80-120 months for large high voltage transformers) Feb. 2025 : https://www.utilitydive.com/news/electric-transformer-shortage-nrel-niac/738947/
  47. Wood Mackensie report on large Transformers, April 2025: https://www.woodmac.com/news/opinion/supply-shortages-and-an-inflexible-market-give-rise-to-high-power-transformer-lead-times/
  48. InfluenceWatch on NRDC: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/natural-resources-defense-council-nrdc/ (see the section on connections to the Chinese)
  49. InfluenceWatch on Sierra Club: https://capitalresearch.org/article/influencewatch-friday-5-24-2024/
  50. InfluenceWatch on Energy Foundation: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/energy-foundation/
  51. InfluenceWatch on Energy Foundation China: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/energy-foundation-china/
  52. NGOs and Nuke Power: https://capitalresearch.org/article/nuclear-energy-rich-climate-ngos-have-nuked-clean-power/
  53. Bident grants for anti-nuclear NGOs: https://capitalresearch.org/article/biden-administration-approved-485-million-for-anti-nuclear-nonprofits/
  54. Robert Spaulding on China’s “Unrestricted Warfare” 2020 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT8LRZAonQA
  55. WION, New Delhi- Gravitas, with Palki Sharma Upadhyay, About May 2021:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO86N0W0qco
  56. National security white paper marks China’s push for global order on its terms: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/national-security-white-paper-marks-chinas-push-for-global-order-on-its-terms/articleshow/121330816.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
  57. “Unrestricted Warfare” approach of the CCP to weaken America through non-kinetic means: https://archive.org/details/unrestricted-warfare
  58. The book, “Unrestricted Warfare” available on Amazon: Unrestricted Warfare: China’s Master Plan to Destroy America Paperback – November 10, 2015 by  Qiao Liang  (Author), Wang Xiangsui  (Author)
  59. U.S. War on Carbon Accomplishes Two Things, Weakens America, Enriches China, Jan. 30, 2021: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/01/30/us-war-on-carbon-accomplishes-two-things/
  60.  Blue Planet in Green Shackles, What is Endangered, Climate or Freedom”: https://wp.me/p5DzAo-nD
  61. POWER Magazine on the surge in Gas Turbine sales, four year lead times, April 2025: https://www.powermag.com/gas-powers-boom-sparks-a-turbine-supply-crunch/
  62. President Trump’s Executive Orders on Electricity Generation and Grid Security/Reliability, Fact Sheet, April 2025: https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-strengthens-the-reliability-and-security-of-the-united-states-electric-grid/

China, Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy, Energy, Electricity, Economic Prosperity and Environmental Protection

Internal and External Threats to The U.S. Electric Grid

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Several of my friends and myself have given presentations and written reports on how America has created energy and electricity generation policies that will Self-Sabotage electricity reliability. Last year I wrote on my blog, “Threats to the Electric Grid” with an emphasis on harmful U.S. EPA policies. At the time of writing, I was aware of Chinese mischief with large Utility scale transformers, but had not thought about the seriousness of this threat. Last week, I was contacted by my friend Dave Walsh and asked to join him and several others on a panel with Frank Gaffney for a webinar entitled, “Inside Our Wires: The CCP Has Penetrated Our Electric Grid, Will Xi Destroy It?” The question threaded through the discussion: “is this part of the CCP’s Unrestricted Warfare?”. The webinar is summarized below.

It is beyond dispute that the so-called “Green New Deal “– and the misleadingly named Inflation Reduction Act that has massively subsidized its adoption – has greatly weakened the reliability of America’s most critical of critical infrastructures: the electric “grid.” That has been the practical effect of the putative “sustainable energy movement” with its obsessive focus on reducing, if not eliminating altogether, coal-fired power-generation, nuclear energy and even natural gas-powered dual-cycle turbines. 
 
Such problems are being exacerbated by governmental and commercial interest in artificial intelligence and the necessary, vast expansion in the number of data centers around the country, with their endless appetite for additional power for operating and cooling their server farms. Such demand is, in turn, translating into greater and greater reliance on the principal source of “green” solar panels, windmills and electric batteries, namely the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
 
Recent revelations that inverters associated with such Chinese products have been equipped with “kill switches” that would disable or even destroy them remotely make the prospect of serious, sustained and/or catastrophic interruptions of power at the hands of the CCP a distinct prospect. Ditto the 400+ Chinese-manufactured high-voltage transformer that comprise the backbone of our grid, at least two of which have been shown to have similar “backdoors.”
 
The Committee on the Present Danger: China webinar May 22, 2025 explores how on earth these potentially nation-ending vulnerabilities were ever allowed to exist in the first place, let alone to metastasize to the clear benefit of our mortal enemy, the CCP, as they have. The panel will also consider what must be done immediately to mitigate them.
 
Video of webinar and more is available at www.PresentDangerChina.org
 
Moderator: Frank Gaffney, President, Institute for the American Future; Vice Chairman, Committee on the Present Danger: China
 
Panelists:
 
Col. Grant Newsham, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.) – Topic: “The CCP Inside Our Wires: The Strategic Implications”
 
Charles “Sam” Faddis – Topic: “The CCP’s Imbedded Trojan Horses: Donald Trump’s Effort to Shut Them Down; Joe Biden’s Reversal of His Directive”  
 
Dave Walsh – Topic: “The Magnitude of the CCP Threat to Our Most Critical of Critical Infrastructures – The U.S. Electric Grid – and What Can We Do About It? ” 
 
Dick Storm – DickStormProBizBlog.org – Topic: “How Did the CCP Get Inside the Grid: The CCP’s ‘Old Friends,’ the Red-Green New Deal and the Challenge of Our Time” 

As is often the case when one becomes involved in a meeting/discussion such as this, new and different perspectives are learned….as in my case. I came away enlightened from the experience of being with these gentlemen. The purpose of this article is to share the information that I learned last Thursday. I think it is important to do so.

My Take Aways From The Webinar

I will summarize my take aways. However, the full transcript is available for anyone interested in reading it and of course, the video link is included above. I will list those points that I think are very important and unfortunately, not very well known by the American people due to malpractice of the MSM.

  • The CCP has been working on penetrating our Grid for many years
  • The politicians that pushed the “Green New Deal” which morphed into the “IRA” may have been influenced by foreign Dark Money to deliberately create self sabotaging energy policies, referred to as “Climate Policies” See the Capital Research Center reports listed in the references at the end for more information
  • America’s Supply-Chain has been weakened by De-Industrialization of the U.S. and much manufacturing being transferred to China
  • China is the beneficiary of U.S. De-Industrialization
  • America’s Reliable and Dispatchable Generation Capacity has been steadily reduced since 2010
  • Over 90% of New Generation Capacity installed to replace coal plants, has been solar and/or wind
  • Electricity generation Reserves have declined from about 25% a decade ago to about 15% and are still declining
  • The Supply-Chain of Engineering and Craft Labor Talent, raw materials and manufacturing is NOT as capable today as it was in 2010
  • America’s Grid is vulnerable to nefarious actors, whether Russian, Chinese or other

A Reminder of the CCP Plan, Unrestricted Warfare

About February 2020 a friend sent me a link to a New Delhi news program, WION, – Gravitas, with Palki Sharma Upadhyay the reporter. The courageous lady presented a 15 minute or so program on how the CCP had spread the Wuhan lab created virus as part of unrestricted biological warfare. The book “Unrestricted Warfare” and its theme of increasing China’s strength in the world and overcoming U.S. strength was highlighted. I saved an MP3 version of that program. Interestingly, I could not find a live link of that particular program today. It appears to have disappeared? Here is another one from 2021 where Ms. Sharma discusses the CCP and unrestricted warfare plans about a year later.

The book “Unrestricted Warfare” is available on Amazon. 

One of the better-known alternatives in this book is the idea of attacking networks. Networks are increasingly important in not only data exchange but also transportation, financial institutions, and communication. Attacks that disable networks can easily hamstring large areas of life that are dependent on them for coordination. One example of network warfare would be shutting down a network that supplies power.

If there is a significant failure in the power grid caused by the attack, massive power outages could result, crippling industry, defense, medicine, and all other areas of life.

Conclusions and Summary

For many years since Obama was President, I wondered what was he and the Democrats thinking? Why were they working to implement policies that would weaken America? The fact is, the climate policies of Obama, Biden and the key Democrats in Congress, whether intentional or from green indoctrination has in fact, weakened America’s infrastructure and made us vulnerable to outside nefarious actions. The reading list below will augment the video discussion of PresentDangerChina.org

Thankfully, now Donald Trump is President and we can pray that God will continue to Bless America. There is a lot of work to do to correct years of poor energy policies.

Dick Storm, May 27, 2025

References and for further research

  1. “Inside Our Wires: The CCP Has Penetrated Our Electric Grid, Will Xi Destroy It?” https://presentdangerchina.org/webinar-inside-our-wires-the-ccp-has-penetrated-our-electric-grid-will-xi-destroy-it/
  2. Transcript: https://presentdangerchina.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/TRANSCRIPT_Webinar_Grid_China.pdf
  3. On the “Revolving Door” of Extremists and top government Bureaucrats, especially in EPA, 114th Congress, Majority Staff Report, Obama’s Carbon Mandate, August 2015: http://www.scientificintegrityinstitute.org/USSEWP080415.pdf
  4. China’s Unrestricted Warfare book, written in 1999 by two CCP officers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unrestricted_Warfare
  5. General Robert Spaulding on YouTube, discussing China’s “Unrestricted Warfare”: Robert Spaulding on China’s “Unrestricted Warfare” 2020 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT8LRZAonQA
  6. WION, New Delhi- Gravitas, with Palki Sharma Upadhyay, About May 2021:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO86N0W0qco
  7. War on Carbon Accomplishes Two Things, Strengthens China and Weakens U.S. Jan. 30, 2021: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/01/30/us-war-on-carbon-accomplishes-two-things/
  8. National Review, Russians Fund Environmentalists: https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/12/how-russia-backed-environmentalism-is-leading-to-blackouts-in-new-england/
  9. WSJ article on COP-28, December 17, 2023: https://www.wsj.com/articles/cop28-deal-fossil-fuels-transition-john-kerry-renewable-energy-e079a395?mc_cid=c40fb180f8&mc_eid=9726d780ee
  10. The Real Reason The Globalists Hate Donald Trump, LI Dec. 2023: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7142356797813653504-1fax?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
  11. CCP Ties to Environmental Policies in US, Fox News, Dec. 2023: https://news.yahoo.com/ccp-tied-group-quietly-fueling-090047868.html
  12. Original article for CCP Involvement: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ccp-tied-group-quietly-fueling-us-based-climate-initiatives-tax-filings
  13. Covering Climate News Now: https://coveringclimatenow.org
  14. Green Energy, China’s Trojan horse, Western Journal: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/fournier-is-green-energy-the-chinese-communist-partys-trojan-horse/article_6bbc2b04-50a5-11ed-bdc4-9b18b8d01f80.html?fbclid=IwAR2FlJqrXPh6wiA5xb2AWD66Rvbm8jjeq-UsCypE3JanxLQsQ_HmjsS1BHc
  15. German Extremists, Funded by Russia: https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/01/putins-green-fifth-column/
  16. China to build 106 GW of new coal plants March 2023: https://chinadialogue.net/en/energy/two-sessions-chinese-provinces-push-coal-and-clean-energy/
  17. China Permits Two Coal Plants each Week during 2022: https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/china-permits-two-new-coal-power-plants-per-week-in-2022/  
  18. Self Sabotage the Electric Grid: WSJ January 2023:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/america-self-sabotages-its-electrical-grid-renewable-fossil-fuel-power-11672685320
  19. Breakthrough Institute Report on Renewables Not being Practical, July 2023: https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/what-the-100-renewables-literature-gets-wrong
  20. Tablet, Hoax of the Century, 13 Ways of Looking at Disinformation by Jacob Siegel: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/guide-understanding-hoax-century-thirteen-ways-looking-disinformation?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  21. Gatestone Institute on CCP Influence of U.S. Policy, Aug. 2023: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19921/china-influence-activity-us
  22. Happer & Lindzen vs. EPA Full Text, July 2023: https://co2coalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Happer-Lindzen-EPA-Power-Plants-2023-07-19.pdf
  23. Count on Coal Blog: https://www.countoncoal.org/2023/08/the-energy-policy-torpedo/
  24.  We should learn from the wind turbine mistakes of Europe, Stop These Things Blog, July 2023: https://stopthesethings.com/2023/07/23/dont-follow-the-leader-learning-from-europes-renewable-energy-disaster/

  25. European Scientist, on Agriculture and Energy, by Dr. Samuele Furfari, July 2023: https://www.europeanscientist.com/en/And https://www.europeanscientist.com/en/features/agriculture-who-wants-to-replace-22-billion-human-equivalents/

  26. CO2 Coalition, “Why CO2 is NOT a Climate Emergency”, : https://co2coalition.org/media/why-climate-change-is-not-an-emergency/

  27. NASA video and report on massive water vapor produced by Tonga Volcano in Jan. 2022 (Report August 2022): https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3204/tonga-eruption-blasted-unprecedented-amount-of-water-into-stratosphere/

  28. Imprimis Essay by Bjorn Lomborg on Thinking Smartly About Climate Change, April 2023: https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/thinking-smartly-about-climate-change/
  29. Master Resource Blog on Energy, Electricity Regulation and Environment: https://www.masterresource.org/giberson-michael/classical-liberalism-electricity-not-complicated/#comment-401014
  30. CO2 Coalition Fact Page: https://co2coalition.org/facts/
  31. PA Pundits War on Fossil Fuels Empowers China: https://www.cfact.org/2023/08/03/the-war-on-fossil-fuels-empowers-china/
  32. Stossel & Curry You Tube Interview, August 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVi01vJ4nxM
  33. InfluenceWatch on NRDC: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/natural-resources-defense-council-nrdc/ (see the section on connections to the Chinese)
  34. InfluenceWatch on Sierra Club: : https://capitalresearch.org/article/influencewatch-friday-5-24-2024/
  35. InfluenceWatch on Energy Foundation: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/energy-foundation/
  36. InfluenceWatch on Energy Foundation China: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/energy-foundation-china/
  37. NGOs and Nuke Power: https://capitalresearch.org/article/nuclear-energy-rich-climate-ngos-have-nuked-clean-power/
  38. Bident grants for anti-nuclear NGOs: https://capitalresearch.org/article/biden-administration-approved-485-million-for-anti-nuclear-nonprofits/

  39. Patrick Moore Tweet on temperature rise and CO2, July 28, 2023: https://twitter.com/EcoSenseNow/status/1684569534085349379?s=20
  40. The Christmas Grid Emergency: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-christmas-electric-grid-emergency-11672091317?mod=article_inline
  41. Reuters list of Coal Plants scheduled for or already Shut Down: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-coal-fired-power-plants-scheduled-shut-2021-10-28/
  42. Wikipedia list of coal plants shut down: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_decommissioned_coal-fired_power_stations_in_the_United_States
  43. Republican Senators Capito (WVA) and Barrasso (WY) submit Bill to keep coal plants running, overturn EPA Rule, Fox News, June 2023: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-overturn-bidens-power-plant-crackdown
  44. Sen. Capito Website: https://www.capito.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/top-republicans-raise-alarm-on-bidens-power-plant-regs-growing-risks-to-electric-reliability
  45. Governing.com on threats of electricity reliability, June 2023: https://www.governing.com/infrastructure/experts-warn-lack-of-reliable-renewables-puts-grid-at-risk#:~:text=The%20retirement%20of%20fossil%20fuel%20electricity%20production%20and%20the%20lack,from%20a%20loss%20of%20power. 
  46. American Energy Alliance, 100 Ways the Democrats and Biden have Made the U.S. Less Energy Secure, May 2022: https://www.americanenergyalliance.org/2022/05/100-ways-biden-and-the-democrats-have-made-it-harder-to-produce-oil-gas/
  47. Environmental Progress Report on Carbon Intensity of Solar Panels including Chinese Manufacturing use of coal power to manufacture them, July 2023: https://environmentalprogress.org/big-news/2023/7/3/solar-panels-are-more-carbon-intensive-than-experts-will-admit
  48. The Hill-Codified New Green Deal links, July 20, 2023: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4108506-trump-says-he-would-end-green-new-deal-atrocities-on-first-day-back-in-white-house/?email=84d4bddd0c71e4df29ecbc7fd21bc23942fd3d7b&emaila=165216f6fa37b0526d6bbc3b773b5c0c&emailb=462db23387b0b81da7e473e3205ce8df130a90dc5cc967a607e92936346e33c3&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MR%207/21
  49. Capital Research Testimony by Scott Walter May 2022: https://capitalresearch.org/app/uploads/2022-May-4-Testimony-Finance-Subcom-IRS.pdf
    Capital Research Center, Green watch: https://capitalresearch.org/category/green-watch/
    NRDC Activist Facts, Influence Watch: https://www.activistfacts.com/organizations/19-natural-resources-defense-council/
  50. C. Paul Smith “Closing Argument on the Climate Change Hoax”: https://www.cpaulsmith.com/palmyra-bookstore/the-climate-change-hoax-argument/
  51. Dr. Timothy Ball Paper on the Deliberate Corruption of Science, 2014: https://www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/epd/EPAC/BOOK%20REVIEW%20-%20‘THE%20DELIBERATE%20CORRUPTION%20OF%20CLIMATE%20SCIENCE%20by%20TIM%20BALL.pdf
  52. Tim Ball, CO2 is not a pollutant 2018: https://www.technocracy.news/tim-ball-the-evidence-proves-that-co2-is-not-a-greenhouse-gas/
  53.  Grid Down Power Up:  https://griddownpowerup.com
  54. Global Electricity Prices: https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/electricity_prices/
  55.  EMP Commission Reports: http://www.empcommission.org
  56.  Energy Dept. Report on Transformers for Grid: https://www.energy.gov/oe/addressing-security-and-reliability-concerns-large-power-transformers
  57. Detailed report on Transformer Manufacturers of world, see pgs 19-23 on suppliers: https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/04/f15/LPTStudyUpdate-040914.pdf  
  58. Newsweek article on Transformer Attacks, Dec. 2022: https://www.newsweek.com/physical-attacks-power-substations-multiple-states-1765225
  59. Wind and Inadequate Batteries for Backup: https://stopthesethings.com/2023/03/24/permanent-no-hopers-batteries-no-solution-for-wind-solars-inherent-intermittency/
  60. Reuters, Old Nukes Threatened by Parts Obsolescence, April 2023: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/nuclear-life-extension-plans-tested-by-obsolete-components-2023-04-05/
  61. A good introduction on EMP and Grid vulnerability from June 18, 2020 by Chris Said, Ph.D. is at https://chris-said.io/2020/06/18/everything-ive-learned-about-solar-storm-risk-and-emp-attacks/  
  62. An assessment of threats to the American power grid” by Weiss and Weiss (2019) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13705-019-0199-y
  63. The web link for the 2008 DTIC report cited above regarding transformer vulnerability has changed. See page 41 of 208 of the report at https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA484672.pdf or http://www.empcommission.org/docs/A2473-EMP_Commission.pdf
  64.  “Ensuring Electricity Infrastructure Resilience Against Deliberate Electromagnetic Threats” https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47339
  65.  Transformers, WUWT Nov. 2022: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/03/14/power-transformer-shortage-is-wreaking-havoc-in-the-u-s/
  66. American Suppression of Fossil Fuels Courts a National Security Disaster, By Ronald Stein P.E.  https://heartland.org/opinion/american-suppression-of-fossil-fuels-courts-a-national-security-disaster/
  67. Canadian Pipeline Sabotage by Anarchists, Feb. 2023: https://www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com/news/trend-of-escalating-violence-coastal-gaslink-decries-pipeline-sabotage-claims-on-anarchist-site/
  68. Yale Report on Deaths from “Blackouts” : https://environment-review.yale.edu/true-cost-power-outages-0
  69. Duke Energy, Wilmington, NC, 420 MW Coal Plant Demolition, Sutton Plant Implosion video, 2016: https://youtu.be/miSapiaJTpM
  70. Portland General Electric, 500 MW Utility Coal Boiler Demolition, Boardman Plant Implosion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0azahkPUVA
  71. 60 Minutes program on Vulnerability of Electric Grid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65siHaUPsRM
  72. Congressional Research Service State of Electric Utilities, 1973-1984: https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/99th-congress-1985-1986/reports/doc10b-entire_1.pdf
  73. WSJ The Real Price of Wind and Solar, Renewables Cost More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/renewable-energy-balancing-costs-united-kingdom-energy-bills-9795e48d?mod=opinion_lead_pos4
  74. World’s Climate Scientists Told to Cover Up the Fact the world has not warmed in 15 years, Daily Mail, UK: https://www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2425775/amp/Climate-scientists-told-cover-fact-Earths-temperature-risen-15-years.html  
  75. Daily Skeptic on John Clauser Slamming the Corrupt Science used to create a “Climate Emergency” : https://dailysceptic.org/2023/07/14/nobel-physics-laureate-2022-slams-climate-emergency-narrative-as-dangerous-corruption-of-science/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  76. Utility Dive, 2021 on Hackers and the Grid: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/sophisticated-hackers-could-crash-the-us-power-grid-but-money-not-sabotag/603764/
  77. Steve Milloy, Junk Science, July 20, 2023: https://twitter.com/JunkScience/status/1681843663276593159/photo/2
  78. Biased reporting of Texas weather reports, blaming “Climate Change” by WA PO called out by WUWT post, June 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/06/25/no-wapo-a-texas-heat-wave-has-nothing-to-do-with-global-climate-change/
  79. Mises Institute, Wind and Solar are Not Cheaper than Gas & Coal, July 18, 2023: https://mises.org/wire/wind-and-solar-are-not-cheaper-coal-and-oil
  80. WUWT from Roy Spencer’s Blog, “yes, Virginia, There is a Climate Crisis” July 19, 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/07/19/yes-virginia-there-is-a-climate-crisis/
  81. ELECTREK article on Chinese EV’s to dominate market: https://electrek.co/2023/05/11/chinas-ev-surge-threatens-legacy-automakers-market-dominance/
  82. Dr. Judith Curry Review of CLINTEL report analyzing IPCC-AR6: https://judithcurry.com/2023/05/13/clintels-critical-evaluation-of-the-ipcc-ar6/ 
  83. CLINTEL website: https://clintel.org
  84. Capital Research Center, Green Watch: https://capitalresearch.org/category/green-watch/
  85. Ron Clutz Blog, including You Tube of Jimmy Dore explanation of Google Biasing Propaganda on “Climate Change”: https://rclutz.com/2023/05/22/google-screens-your-climate-info/#like-31222
  86. WUWT on Smearing Journalists that do not agree with “Woke & UN-IPCC Manmade Global Warming narrative: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/05/23/regime-climate-censorship-enforcer-newsguard-the-tragic-case-of-zack-fishman/
  87. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, 60 years later, Fails Test of Time, WUWT:https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/05/17/carsons-silent-spring-fails-test-of-time-new-york-times-verdict-in-2007/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=carsons-silent-spring-fails-test-of-time-new-york-times-verdict-in-2007
  88. Robert Bryce, No Uranium for Nuclear, June 9, 2023: https://robertbryce.substack.com/p/no-u
  89. Ken Braun on Leftist Organizations Funding anti Fossil Fuels: https://capitalresearch.org/article/nuclear-power-hating-hypocrites-part-1/
  90. World Economic Forum Doesn’t Even Hide their Intent to Create Decline of the Western World: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ogbl#inbox/FMfcgzGsnBbvwcrFHbjLsNkzqTMKjvCP
  91. WEF Urban Mobility Paper, May 2023: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Urban_Mobility_Scorecard_Tool_2023.pdf?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  92. E&E News Democrats into Power Positions, May 2023: https://www.eenews.net/articles/how-green-new-dealers-became-washington-power-players/
  93. John Kerry Speech on “The Great Reset” New American, Nov. 2020: https://thenewamerican.com/john-kerry-talks-great-reset-at-world-economic-forum/
  94. The Great Reset movement toward World Totalitarianism, Hillsdale College Lecture by Michael Rectenwald: https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/what-is-the-great-reset/
  95. John Kerry Targets Agriculture at WEF Speech, May 2023, Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/john-kerry-targets-agriculture-part-climate-crusade
  96. WEF Limiting Private Cars:  https://www.internationalfreepress.com/2023/06/wef-document-calls-for-limiting-private.html
  97. WEF on Degrowth, June 2022: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/what-is-degrowth-economics-climate-change/
  98. WEF Calls to reduce vehicles by eliminating ownership, Aug. 2022: https://www.climatedepot.com/2022/08/01/world-economic-forum-calls-to-reduce-private-vehicles-by-eliminating-ownership/
  99. Sierra Club and Abortion Alignment, On the Issues, : https://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Sierra_Club_Abortion.htm
  100. U.N., Planned Parenthood and Sierra Club Alignment Sept. 2015: https://unfoundation.org/media/un-foundation-planned-parenthood-federation-of-america-sierra-club-announce-winners-of-first-ever-why-we-care-youth-emerging-leaders-for-reproductive-rights-contest/
  101. Sierra Club & NRDC Environmental Groups Urge Support for Affordable Care Act and Reproductive Rights, March 2017: https://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2017/03/environmental-groups-urge-support-affordable-care-act-and-planned-parenthood
  102. Sierra Club & Planned Parenthood Join Conferences to Explain Sex and the Environment. Nov. 2007, Catholic News Agency, : https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/11091/sierra-club-joins-planned-parenthood-to-offer-conferences-on-sex-and-the-environment
  103. Professor Michael Kelly, UK, June 2017: https://www.soci.org/news/general-news/professor-michael-kelly-lecture
  104. FERC Energy Regulator States, “Power Grid is Facing Dire Consequences Due to Coal & Gas Retirements”, “WUWT June 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/06/13/federal-energy-regulatory-commissioner-mark-christie-power-grid-is-facing-dire-consequences-due-to-coal-gas-retirements/
  105. Donations to DeSantis Election Campaign by Duke and NextEra Utilities, June 2023: https://jacobin.com/2023/03/ron-desantis-florida-utility-companies-power-shutoffs-republican-party
  106. Electrical Disconnection by Utilities, June 2023 : https://bailout.cdn.prismic.io/bailout/49a01c18-5c8d-4821-ae22-5ee09a089cba_Powerless+in+the+US_Report.pdf?ref=the-lever
  107. Dark Money from Utilities to Elected Officials or Candidates, The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/15/us-power-companies-political-lobbying-donations-nonprofit
  108. Electric Power Company Donations; https://www.energyandpolicy.org/campaign-finance-reports-reveal-utility-industry-contributions/
  109. Daily Signal list of companies that donate to Planned Parenthood, Aug. 2015: https://www.dailysignal.com/2015/08/19/more-companies-that-have-donated-to-planned-parenthood/ and
  110. https://www.dailysignal.com/2015/07/21/meet-the-41-companies-that-donate-directly-to-planned-parenthood/
  111. More companies that donate to PP: https://www.partnersforethicalcare.com/planned-parenthood-donors
  112. JTF donations of 25 million to Democrats: https://jtf.org/follow-the-money-planned-parenthood-donated-25m-to-democrats-since-2000/
  113. INTEL and others that promote Zero Population Growth and Planned Parenthood: https://www.christianpost.com/voices/meet-the-biggest-planned-parenthood-supporter-in-corporate-america.html
  114. Open Secrets Donations to Planned Parenthood, 2022: https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2022?cmte=Planned+Parenthood&tab=donors
  115. AMAC Article on Planned Parenthood Funding, 2017, over 962,000 abortions and $1.3 Billion in “Donations”: https://amac.us/may-not-support-planned-parenthoodbut-favorite-companies/
  116. 2nd Vote website of companies that contribute $1.3 Billion to Planned Parenthood, 2017: https://www.2ndvote.com/planned-parenthood/
  117. John Kerry on BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57135506
  118. John Kerry coordination with Green Groups, Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-probe-john-kerrys-ties-eco-groups-efforts-shield-oversight
  119. Robert Bryce Substack on the “Iron Law of Electricity” Increases in coal use around the world, June 17, 2023: https://robertbryce.substack.com/p/the-iron-law-of-electricity-strikes
  120. California Globe, California’s Electricity Policy Failure, June 18, 2023: https://californiaglobe-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/californiaglobe.com/articles/the-failure-of-california-electricity-policy-in-one-image/amp/
  121. World Bank report, June, 2023, De-Tx Development, Mis-Use of Fertilizers & DeGrowth:  https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/61d04aca-1b95-4c06-8199-3c4a423cb7fe/content?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  122. NJ ROI (Return On Info) : https://www.roi-nj.com/2023/05/17/roi-influencers/energy-utilities-roi-influencers/roi-nj-presents-the-roi-influencers-energy-and-utilities/?utm_source=ROI-NJ+MAIN+Newsletter+List+%282%2F4%2F19%29&utm_campaign=ee9cbf68df-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_06_20_02_53&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-ee9cbf68df-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
  123. Capital Research Video on Green Ties to China: https://capitalresearch.org/article/how-china-designed-american-environmental-policy/
  124. China Influence of U.S.  Green Groups and U.S. Environmental Policy, Capital Research Center video:  https://capitalresearch.org/article/how-china-designed-american-environmental-policy/    
  125. Capital Research Center on Teen Vogue Influence of young female voters on Democrat policies: https://capitalresearch.org/article/teen-vogue-training-young-female-leftists/
  126. Good Energy News Reference: https://oilprice.com
  127. German Industry Shutting Down and Moving, due to high energy process, CNBC June 21, 2023 : https://www-cnbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/06/21/high-german-energy-prices-are-seeing-some-companies-relocate-bdi.html
  128. EIA Notice of Change in Calculating/Reporting Solar Primary Energy to use 3412 Btus/kWh, June 23, 2023: https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/change/
  129. WUWT Global Surface Temperature Chart 1880-2022: https://wattsupwiththat.com/uah-version-6/
  130. “Why Climate Change is Not an Emergency”, CO2 Coalition Presentations, May 27, 2023: https://co2coalition.org/media/why-climate-change-is-not-an-emergency/  
  131. Time Magazine, “The Modern World Can’t Exist Without These Four Ingredients. They All Require Fossil Fuels”, Vaclav Smil May 2022: https://time.com/6175734/reliance-on-fossil-fuels/
  132. ERCOT Dashboard: https://www.ercot.com
  133. EU Report and long list of references on the “DeIndustrialization of Europe” by forcing wind power on the citizens: 
    https://us1-campaign–archive-com.translate.goog/?u=a15449610a1df64c85f7499e1&id=5b33ebcfdc&e=59342c48f8&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=auto
  134. Causes of Blackouts in Europe, excellent paper, Jan. 2022: https://www-science–climat–energie-be.translate.goog/2022/01/07/les-blackouts-leurs-causes-et-consequences-economiques/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=auto
  135. NERC Summer Reliability Report, May 2023: https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_SRA_2023.pdf
  136. Balancing Energy Security, Affordability, the Economy, Decarbonization and Security, Energy Policy Research Foundation: https://assets.realclear.com/files/2023/06/2210_eprinc_balancing_energy_security_affordability_and_decarbonization.pdf
  137. The Rise and Fall of the American Grid, American Affairs Journal, Fall, 2022: https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2022/08/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-american-electrical-grid/
  138. WSJ article on $400 Billion Loans for Green Energy: https://www.wsj.com/articles/green-energy-climate-loans-49fda73b?mod=hp_lead_pos7
  139. America’s Power, Editorial on the Importance of Coal, July 10, 2023: https://americaspower.org/the-need-for-sensible-epa-rules/
  140. America’s Power Key Takeaways of Winter Storm Elliott Report on the importance of coal: https://americaspower.org/new-report-evaluates-the-performance-of-electricity-resources-during-storm-elliott/
  141. Net Zero Reality Coalition: https://www.cfact.org/netzerorealitycoalition/
  142. WUWT On National Academy of Engineering Summer Report on decarbonization, July 11, 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/07/11/national-academies-climate-junk-summit-7-11-7-12-is-open-to-all/
  143. EPA Regulations will Destroy the American Power Grid, Ed Ireland Substack: https://edireland.substack.com/p/epa-proposes-anti-fossil-fuel-regulations?r=kv1a9&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
  144. Nuclear in the 1960’s. Our predecessors got lots of things done: 
    https://whatisnuclear.com/news/2023-07-03-film-about-pm1-microreactor-in-wyoming.html
China, World Trade

Giant Sucking Sound

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Introduction

The title is from a comment by Ross Perot, Presidential candidate in the 1992 election cycle. Perot was describing what NAFTA would mean for jobs in the U.S.A. if Bill Clinton was elected President and he proceeded with the North American Free Trade Agreement. That was 1992. Ten years later China had been admitted to the World Trade Organization and began its rapid economic growth. Here are some observations I personally made from both my home town of Albemarle, NC where the County Logo showed the three main economic staples: Textiles, Aluminum and Agriculture. Now, aluminum production is gone and textiles a very small employer compared to the thousands employed in 1990. The story which follows are my observations of history as it impacted me, 1990-2020.

History Tends to Repeat-We Hope NOT

The phrase “History Tends to Repeat” comes to mind when we are looking at the IRA codified “Green New Deal” and forced acceptance of EV’s. President Trump used the poor word choice…. “Bloodbath” when describing what Democrat policies will do to harm the auto industry. Well, a lesson from history may help explain how correct Mr. Trump’s dark vision of the future under another Biden term could be. I agree with him. Here is a lesson from history that supports Mr. Trump’s comments.

Case Study-Stanly County, NC 1990-2000

As I watch the news on China and absorb just how dependent we are on imported Chinese products, I cannot help to reminisce and look back on my past experiences during the time that we started Storm Engineering (1992, later DBA Storm Technologies). It was a good time for the electric power service engineering business to grow, but not so great for the textiles & furniture industries, which were the mainstay for NC employment up until NAFTA.

Do you remember the Quote uttered by Ross Perot in 1992. “Giant Sucking Sound” when referring to NAFTA and his prophetic forecast of massive American job losses? I do. Let me explain the photo below. It is a picture of the partial demolition of Wiscassett Mills, Mill No. 4 in Albemarle, NC. If you look closely the sign on the remaining brick wall, near the previous employee entry gate States: “Our Employees Make the Difference.”  Yes, the Albemarle employees of Wiscassett Mills did make a difference, they had been reliable, loyal, hard-working and productive for nearly 100 years. Wiscassett Mills began operations about 1898. Many future military, industry and business leaders were sent to college and nationwide recognition from paychecks earned in these textile mills.

Back in 1990, we would never drive by the parking lot at 3:30 in the afternoon because of the massive traffic as 1,000’s of Wiscassett employees left work after their shift ended.

In 1994 the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed and the “Giant Sucking Sound” applied to thousands of jobs in Albemarle, Stanly County, NC. 

Then in 2001 China was allowed to join the WTO (World Trade Organization) and that further increased the drain of American jobs. 

Why would I have these old pictures? Well, it was a sad time for NC Textiles in 1996. But for me personally and Storm Technologies it was a time of business growth. Needing a larger office as our company grew, our friend from Sunday School, Mr. El Wilson suggested we take a look at this property. Jerry Barrier, our accountant and ourselves stretched all available credit to purchase the Main Building of Wiscassett Mills. A stately, well-built 7,000 square foot brick building constructed in the late 19th Century and expanded over the years. If we did not purchase it, it too would have been razed. Here below is a photo of the building which proudly remains as headquarters for Storm Technologies. The loss of Wiscassett Mills was huge for Albemarle as Textiles were the number one employer of citizens. The total population of Stanly County was about 60,000. (in the 1990’s) Population of Albemarle about 16,000. Total Industrial jobs in Stanly County about 1970 was over 9,000. Most of these were textile workers and about 750 employed at the ALCOA Aluminum Smelting Plant in nearby Badin.

Storm Technologies Headquarters about 1998. The original Wiscassett Mills Executive and Administration Building.

The loss of Textile, Aluminum & Furniture jobs to the rest of the world after NAFTA was severe. It was hoped that “High Tech” jobs would replace these.  Well, after NAFTA came China’s entry into the WTO in 2001 and the rest is history. More on China’s rise later.

I am proud to say that Storm Technologies, Inc. continues business today under the leadership of my son Danny Storm. Over the years the company has earned awards as a leading business in Stanly County and the state. We are proud of these accomplishments but ever mindful that the building, which is the headquarters for Storm Technologies, with less than 50 employees was once the administrative building to manage thousands of textile workers. 

I am now retired but have fond memories of working through the struggles of building the business. The good and the bad.  Now, 32 years later I have time to reflect on my personal good experiences which took place 1992-2012 as our company grew. Danny and his management team have done outstanding work and progress since I retired. However, not without their own challenges today with the war on coal, increased Regulations and anti-business policies.

China Joins WTO

During this same period of NAFTA and China joining the WTO, the experiences for many American workers has not been as positive. Especially for textiles, furniture, steel and aluminum production. 

Let’s take a look at China trade for 2018 and see what China exports to the U.S.A. Today it is not only towels and pillowcases.

A reminder, Cannon Mills, which was the parent company of Wiscassett Mills, once manufactured most of the world’s towels, sheets and pillow cases. A retired executive from Cannon Mills told me, “at the peak production in the 1970’s Cannon Mills produced over 60% of the world’s towels, sheets and pillow cases”

Then came NAFTA and China’s membership in the WTO.

The chart below was published by Market watch in June 2019.

The highs (few) and lows (many) of U.S. trading with China

When China entered the WTO in 2001, they offered textiles, furniture and many low technology products. As they acquired the Intellectual Property of western nations that trusted China with long established trade secrets, China used these to produce world quality products. Most of them high tech. Remember the concerns raised by President Trump about Huawei providing 5G Telecommunications gear to America and European Nations? This is some of the highest technology equipment in the world. The threat of China passing America not only in economic growth but also in technological advancements is real. Mr. Trump, like Ross Perot in 1992, had a sense of realizing the consequences of wrong and unfair U.S. Trade Policies.

When I was a College student one instructor advised me. “Listen to experts and keep your mouth shut, then you will know what you know, plus what the other fellow knows” That seems to be the path of China. Except, I sincerely believe that the CCP was and remains dishonest and deceitful along the way to acquiring all that we know how to do. The Chinese Communist Party is no longer a Developing Nation. They have come a long way since entering the WTO. This is my personal take on China’s progress in business and industry 1992-2024.

Dick Storm

April 20, 2020, updated March 18, 2024

References and Further Reading

  1. Ross Perot video in 1992 Debate, Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/perot-in-1992-warned-nafta-would-create-giant-sucking-sound/2019/07/09/1f2a84e9-a56c-4487-9c43-892ab1b0c782_video.html
  2. Dick Storm Presentation to the Delaware County Bar Association, 2016 on the Relationship of Energy Policy on Economic Prosperity and Industrial Production: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2016/07/25/energy-and-economic-prosperity-my-thoughts-dick-storm/
  3. The Importance of Energy in Our Lives: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/08/25/the-importance-of-energy-to-power-high-quality-of-life-part-1/.
  4. The Importance of Energy to Power Our High Quality Lives, Part 2, Aug. 28,2020 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/08/28/the-importance-of-energy-part-2-our-energy-sources/  
  5. The Importance of Energy, Part 3, Heat Engines, Sept. 9, 2020: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/09/09/the-importance-of-energy-part-3-heat-engines-a-primer/
  6. The Importance of Energy for Economic Prosperity, Part 4, The Rise of the U.S and the Rise of China from an energy perspective: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/09/21/part-4-the-importance-of-energy-to-economic-prosperity/
  7. Dick Storm thoughts on the “Green New Deal” , Oct. 10, 2020: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/10/10/part-5-dick-storms-thoughts-on-the-green-new-deal/
  8. A Thriving Economy and Clean Air Too, Oct. 23, 2020 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/10/23/part-6-a-thriving-economy-and-clean-air-too/
  9. China’s Influence in the World and the Need to Reshore American Manufacturing, Nov. 3, 2020 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/11/03/chinas-economic-influence-in-the-world-and-some-thoughts-on-the-need-to-reshore-american-manufacturing/  
  10. Thank You President Trump, Nov. 13, 2020 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/11/13/thank-you-president-trump/
  11. Are You Worried about the Future of America? Jan. 21, 2021 Thoughts on Energy Policies, Industrial and Economic Growth: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/01/21/are-you-worried-about-the-future-of-america/
#Energyreality, China, Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy, Nuclear, Regulations

The Rise, Fall and Rise Again of Nations and the Realities of Energy

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Introduction

The University of South Carolina provides OLLI programs (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) which include Geopolitics, Science and many other courses. I am an instructor on energy and electricity. Two other instructors that I respect and have enjoyed their courses are retired senior military officers. General Craig Whelden served in the Pacific and has taught several courses on the “Rise of China”. I took notes from his courses and combined his information with my experiences in the relationship of energy & electricity generation. These thoughts are posted here. Retired Navy Captain, Greg Blackburn has taught several courses on Economics and the “Fate of Nations, Their Rise and Fall and Rise Again”. I took notes on Captain Blackburn’s and General Whelden’s courses and posted my thoughts as of January 2021 here.

As I read a LinkedIn post by CS Krishnedev earlier this week, these three OLLI courses came to mind. (Rise of China, Fate of Nations and Energy & Electricity) Mr. Krishnadev’s post is here. In his post, Krishnadev discusses how China is far ahead of the west in the design, construction and deployment of nuclear power plants.

Photo from Krishnadev, CS Post on LinkedIn, August 13, 2023

Leaders in Heavy Manufacturing of Nuclear Power Plant Reactors and Steam Generators

America invented nuclear power and held the lead for many years in the design, manufacturing, construction and operation of nuclear power plants. The Combustion-Engineering Chattanooga facility comes to mind as one of the most capable and advanced nuclear and fossil manufacturing facilities in the world. That was then.

America invented nuclear power for electric power generation. Thanks to Admiral Rickover and President Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" initiative of the 1950's. Once the leader in heavy manufacturing, we have now ceded this leadership to Asian countries. Here is my take on the realities of nuclear power in the U.S.A.

Of course, the magnificent C-E Facilities are gone now. So are the thousands of talented and experienced engineers, technicians and craftsmen. Westinghouse is a fine American name but was sold off long ago. Babcock & Wilcox is still based in the U.S. and involved, but the company is downsized from the 35,000 or so employees that worked there in the 1960’s and 1970’s. I started my power generation career with B&W in 1966, so it is with personal knowledge and experiences that I remember this. The photo below is a Reactor vessel being loaded onto a barge from the Mt. Vernon Indiana manufacturing facility.

From “B&W Steam, It’s Generation and Use”. 39th edition

Specialized manufacturing tools, such as the Gun Drill shown below is used to drill approximately 16,000 precise holes through a 24″ tube sheet to manufacture a steam generator, such as the one below for the B&W Once Through Steam Generator.

From B&W “Steam, It’s Generation and Use” 39th Edition, 1978

The highly successful B&W Once Through Steam Generator as used at Oconee, Three Mile Island, Crystal River and other Nuclear Steam Systems is shown below.

Nuclear Steam Generator from B&W Steam, It’s Generation and Use” 39th edition

View inside the Containment building showing the Reactor and Once Through Steam Generators. To provide a reference of the size of these, the nozzle at the top of the steam generator in the upper left of the photo below is 36″ diameter.

B&W “Steam, It’s Generation and Use” 39th edition

These pressure vessels were built using the most advanced manufacturing, welding and non-destructive testing techniques in the world. However, after the 1979 Three Mile Island incident, very few new NSS’s were manufactured in the U.S.A. Eventually the Combustion-Engineering manufacturing facility in Chattanooga was shut down and B&W downsized. The Westinghouse Electric Corporation which was the pioneer designer and manufacturer of nuclear power plants (starting with the U.S. Navy Nautilus and Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” Initiative) was broken down into numerous business units and sold off. The nuclear power business unit was sold in 1999.

The World Nuclear Association lists the current major manufacturers of heavy pressure vessels. This list is shown below. Much of the heavy manufacturing equipment such as Electroslag Welding, 15,000 ton presses, precision gun drills and other heavy manufacturing equipment once available in Chattanooga and other locations in the U.S. has been lost.

Here are the Heavy Pressure Vessel Manufacturers listed by the World Nuclear Association that are capable of fabricating nuclear reactor pressure vessels, today.

The enormous presses, rolls, welding, machining and forging apparatus that the U.S. once was a leader in are now gone and will take a huge government policy commitment and large capital investments to replace. A new workforce of tens of thousands of engineers, technicians and craftsmen will have to be trained as well. In other words, the entire Supply-Chain, including education will have to be rebuilt. This, if accomplished would be on a scale of President John F. Kennedy’s “Moon Shot” commitment of 1960.

Summary & Conclusions

If the U.S. was really committed to “Electrifying Everything”, that is, everything possible. Then the most practical and proven fuel to provide carbon free electricity is nuclear. An excellent OpEd was published in the TN Star Tribune newspaper a couple years ago on this. I copied it, along with my thoughts, onto my blog, here.

The Net-Zero Carbon path if continued, will further weaken the U.S.A. and strengthen the CCP. I do not have anything against the Chinese people and the many millions that have been lifted from poverty by China’s Development of many coal, nuclear, hydroelectric and renewable power production power plants. However, I am frustrated that the current U.S. leaders, have put the U.S. on a path of decline in manufacturing and economic strength. Also, a decline in influence in the world and a decline in military capability. Much of the decline is due to energy policies that are at a literal “War on conventional forms of energy”. The “Green New Deal” (aka Inflation reduction Act) incentivizes the myth of renewable power in an impossible to achieve replacement of fossil and nuclear fuels.

I have been a supporter of “All Fuels are Important” and that the U.S. should be utilizing all fuels that are available within our borders. Including coal, oil, gas and uranium. It is a myth to believe that wind and solar can replace coal, oil, gas and nuclear fuels. One of my blog articles on the impossibility of reaching Net-Zero Carbon is here. The government’s policies which penalize conventional fuels and incentivize renewables, if continued, will weaken the United States.

The course taught by my friend Greg Blackburn, “The Fate of Nations”, comes to mind. A screen shot of one of the slides he used is copied below. The current U.S. Climate Policies are contributing to the Rise of China and the Decline of America. It is my hope that the voters will elect members of Congress and a new President that will wake up and stop the madness.

The Bureaucratic Agencies of the Biden Administration since Biden’s inauguration have created ever worsening Regulations that are weakening our country and literally forcing the economic decline of our nation. It is as if the Biden policies are being dictated by Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. The Biden policies are weakening America, day by day from within. I have used the term, “Self-Sabotage”.

Yours very truly and respectfully,

Dick Storm

China, Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy

Comparison of China Energy & Electricity Generation with U.S.A.

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Energy = Life

It is well documented that China is the world’s largest manufacturer of just about everything. This manufacturing might requires a lot of energy and electricity generation to power it. I first became concerned about the loss of American manufacturing (and jobs) with NAFTA in the 1990’s when my state of North Carolina lost most of the furniture and textile manufacturing. Then, after China entered the WTO (about 2001), the loss of American aluminum (and other industries) became very personal with me. I had worked as a Field Service engineer/Consultant on coal and oil power generation all around the world for ALCOA for 35 years (1977-2012). ALCOA during the 1980’s was the world’s largest alumina and aluminum manufacturer. After China was admitted to the WTO (World Trade Organization) the CCP promptly ramped up their aluminum production from insignificant production in the year 2000 to over 50% of world capacity by 2012. They produced aluminum at very low cost and then sold aluminum ingot (some would say, Dumped) on the London Metal Exchange. The figure below is from a Dick Storm presentation in 2016. The production data is from the International Aluminum Association and the WSJ. My Blog post in Feb. 2021 outlined some of my personal experiences in working for the power plant which powered the massive ALCOA Rockdale Smelting Works in Rockdale, TX.

At about this time, Alcoa was reducing capacity & shutting down refining and smelting capacity. (including the Rockdale Works). I gave a presentation to the (PA) Delaware County Bar Association in 2016 wherin I used my experiences of working with ALCOA to make my point on the importance of reasonable cost, abundant and reliable energy to create jobs and economic prosperity. Local manufacturing and providing high paying jobs ultimately leads to improving Real-Estate markets. Perhaps this is abtract, but that is how I saw it from 1990- 2016.

Then in 2020 I wrote on my Blog regarding the Rise of China and my concerns for American competitiveness. The Blog in 2020 combined my personal experiences of working several decades for ALCOA plus two OLLI courses given at USCB. One course on the “Rise of China” was presented by retired U.S. Army General Craig Whelden and the other on the “Rise, Fall and Rise again of Nations” of the world, presented by Retired Navy Intelligence Officer, Captain Greg Blackburn. So, after thinking about my personal past experiences and then combining the information provided in the OLLI courses, I thought it would be timely to update the energy and electricity generation capacities of China as compared to the U.S.A. I chose to focus on the extreme increase of aluminum production in China (at the expense of U.S. production) because huge amounts of electricity are needed to produce aluminum. Aluminum, of the commonly used metals, requires the greatest amount of electricity to produce. Aluminum smelting requires about 5 kWh per pound of smelted aluminum ingot from alumina powder. Note on the chart below, the growth in electricity generation capacity of China since 2010. This growth was used to increase manufacturing capacity including aluminum production, as noted above.

Most of the electricity generation is from coal as shown on the EIA chart above.

Comparing China’s fuel use for electricity production (above) to the U.S.A. (below). This is an overview of energy and electricity generation capacity in the U.S.A. in 2021 with natural gas being the largest fuel source.

U.S. Has Shut Down Over 102,000 MW of Coal Plants Since 2010

The U.S. has aggressively shut down hundreds of coal power plants and replaced most of the lost generating capacity with natural gas fuel. This was possible as a result of the “Shale Gas Revolution” which produced enormous amounts of natural gas after the perfection of Directional Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing which became commercial about 2010. The two graphs of fuels used for U.S. electric power production are shown below.

China Uses More Than 50% of the World’s Coal Fuel

Comparing China’s coal consumption to the world, we have the graph below. In actuality, China consumes more than 50% of the world’s coal production. This chart is provided by the IEA.

You may say, “So What?” Well, China, Russia and the United Nations are all in agreement that the U.S. and the rest of the western world, the Free World, should stop using Fossil Fuels. Meanwhile, Russia and China are profiting and expanding their influence by using the very fuels that the U.N. and the MSM, WEF and others have decided are harmful for the planet. I will just leave it there for you to decide the U.N. and Environmental Extremists motives for Demonizing Carbon use by the Western World. The top sixteen “Influencers” are identified on my Blog of January 4th. A good friend commented that I forgot to list Al Gore as one of the primary influencers, so perhaps the number should be 17 for top ranked individuals and organizational influencers. No matter the number, they have harmed America’s competitiveness and productive manufacturing capacity.

World CO2 Emissions by Country

Carbon Footprint by Country

According to the European Union‘s Joint Research Centre, total global CO2 emissions increased from 34.1 GT in 2010 to 37.9 GT—an all-time high—in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions on travel and transportation triggered a decrease to 35.962 GT in 2020, but emissions are expected to resume increasing once 2021 totals become available. China is the largest emitter of CO2 in the world, with 11680 Mt (11.680 GT) of carbon dioxide emissions in 2020. This is just over 32% of the world’s total 2020 emissions. The United States released the second-highest amount of carbon emissions at 4.535 GT, or roughly 12.6% of the total global emissions.

Top 10 CO2-emitting countries in the world (Total CO2 in Mt) – EU JRC 2020

  1. China — 11680.42
  2. United States — 4535.30
  3. India — 2411.73
  4. Russia — 1674.23
  5. Japan — 1061.77
  6. Iran — 690.24
  7. Germany — 636.88
  8. South Korea — 621.47
  9. Saudi Arabia — 588.81
  10. Indonesia — 568.27

Total emissions, however, fall short of telling the full story. For example, sharp-eyed observers may notice that the top three emitters are also three of the most populous countries on Earth that also have the largest manufacturing capacity. So it stands to reason that their emissions would be higher than that of countries with a fraction as many residents and less manufacturing.

China’s Planned Future Electricity Generation

To China’s credit, unlike the U.S. they have a rational path forward to transition toward a reduced carbon energy future. However, until the 150 new nuclear plants are completed and increased renewables are installed, China is forging ahead with plenty of conventional generation capacity. As you can see from the aforementioned information, China currently has 2,390 GW of electric generating capacity and the U.S. about 1,200 GW.

China’s Most Recent Announcement of A Major Power Plant Expansion, A 16 GW Wind-Solar and Coal Plant

This was reported in this month’s (Jan. 2023) edition of POWER Magazine: China talks a good game on being “Green” and promoting renewables. The facts are that China’s leaders clearly believe in “A Balanced Generation Portfolio”. Not a bad approach for any country. Let’s get back to China’s latest Press Release:

“A massive, multibillion-dollar renewable and fossil-fuel energy project is underway in China. The installation, being built by China Three Gorges (CTG), includes wind, solar, energy storage and coal-fired power generation.

Ground was broken for the first pilot of the Kubuqi Base project in Dalate Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia on Dec. 28, 2022, according to Chinese media. Kubuqi represents an investment of 80 billion yuan ($11.6 billion). Reports said the installation will eventually have 8 GW of solar power capacity, along with 4 GW of wind power, and 4 GW of coal-fired generation, in addition to energy storage.

“The Kubuqi Base project is the world’s largest wind [and] photovoltaic base project developed and constructed in … desert areas,” CTG said in a statement. The company said it wants to build “the Three Gorges on the Great Wall,” which is apparently a reference to CTG’s major 22.5-GW hydropower project on the Yangtze River, the world’s largest hydro installation and largest power plant of any kind by power generation capacity.”

The capacity of 16,000 MW’s is huge. However, to put it into Reality and perspective, China currently has about 2,390 GW’s of installed electricity generation capacity.

In February 2022, China had 2,390 GW of installed capacity. This is comprised of 17% Hydroelectric, 14 % Wind, 14% Solar and 5% Natural Gas and 2% nuclear, Coal Power generates over 2/3 of China’s electricity. Keeping in mind that Nameplate capacity is not the same as actual generation through the year. China plans to install over 3,000 GW of total generation capacity by 2025. The U.S. by comparison is about 1,200 GW.

The total electricity generation (for China) by fuel from 1990 to 2020 is shown below. This is from the IEA statistics:

China uses about 50% of the world’s coal consumption to power it’s economy, it’s large population and massive manufacturing operations.

According to Carbon Brief.org, China is the world’s largest consumer, producer and importer of coal, with its consumption and production each accounting for around half of the global totals. 

Coal is widely used in China for generating electricity, despite the country’s rapid growth of renewable energy in recent years. 

According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, coal accounted for 56% of the country’s total energy consumption in 2021. The ratio signifies a continuous decline from more than 70% in the mid-2000s. Nevertheless, the absolute level of China’s coal use has continued to rise.

Two important metals are steel and aluminum. The best data available shows that China produces more than 50% of both the steel and aluminum needed by the people of the world. This production requires large amounts of primary energy, which for China means, mostly coal fuel.

Conclusions:

  1. China’s carbon dioxide emissions are the largest in the world, about 33% of the world total in 2022.
  2. China has a Rational Energy Policy to increase conventional generation as they move toward reduced carbon production of electricity, including 150 planned new nuclear power plants. China is not sacrificing manufacturing capacity or competitiveness like the U.S. and the rest of the Free World.
  3. China is likely to remain the world’s largest manufacturer of aluminum and steel for the foreseeable future.
  4. American leaders seem to be tone death on the importance of energy to keep America strong.

I thought the summary above would be useful for anyone interested is comparing the energy policies of the U.S. to those in China. In addition to the information provided above, some additional references are provided below for further reading and research.

Yours very truly,

Dick Storm, January 18, 2023

References and links for additional reading and research

  1. Bloomberg, China to Build 150 new nuclear plants, valued about $440 Billion. November 2021: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-11-02/china-climate-goals-hinge-on-440-billion-nuclear-power-plan-to-rival-u-s#xj4y7vzkg
  2. POWER Magazine, 1,000 MW Chinese Coal Plant starts up in Mongolia, Dec 2021: https://www.powermag.com/first-1-gw-unit-of-major-china-coal-fired-plant-comes-online/
  3. U.S.- ASME- Nuclear Status Report July 2022: https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/infographic-nuclear-s-aging-issue
  4. U.S. IRA Funds Given to China for Green Power, Cowboy News Jan. 2023: https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/12/31/energy-dept-gives-more-taxpayer-money-to-chinese-companies-barrasso-demands-answers/
  5. 14.9 GW of Coal Generating Capacity to be shut down in 2022, WUWT January 2022, David Middleton: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/01/12/us-to-shutter-14-9-gw-of-coal-fired-and-add-46-1-gw-of-utility-scale-solar-pv-in-2022/
  6. The Magic Washing Machine, Hans Rosling, TED Talk. Very informative on the importance of energy to improve the quality of life for millions of people living in poverty:  https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_the_magic_washing_machine
  7. World Nuclear Organization. China continues to dominate the market for new nuclear build, with 21 reactors under construction at the end of July 2022. In 2018 China became the first country to commission two new designs – the AP1000 and the EPR. China is marketing the Hualong One for export, a largely indigenous reactor design.:  https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/nuclear-power-in-the-world-today.aspx
  8. Jan 4th Blog, Dick Storm’s Nominations of top 16 Energy Policy Influencers: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/01/04/influencers-of-american-energy-policy/(opens in a new tab)
  9. Rise of China and Need to Reshore American Manufacturing: https://wp.me/p5DzAo-57
  10. IEA China Energy Feb 2022: https://www.iea.org/countries/china
  11. Forbes on China Generating Capacity, about 2,390 GW, Feb 2022: https://www.forbes.com/sites/thebakersinstitute/2022/04/26/coal-to-power-chinas-energy-transition/?sh=7437abc81b9e
  12. EIA China Energy Facts, 2021 : https://www.eia.gov/international/overview/country/CHN
  13. Carbon Brief.org: https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-what-does-chinas-coal-push-mean-for-its-climate-goals/
  14. World of CO2 new website, Jan. 2023: https://www.the-world-of-co2.org
  15. Carbon Footprint by country, World Population Review : https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/carbon-footprint-by-country
  16. World Nuclear Association Info on Nuclear Power Contribution to Reducing Manmade Carbon Dioxide Emissions:  https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/energy-and-the-environment/nuclear-energy-and-sustainable-development.aspx
  17. BP Statistical Review 2021 (released (July 2022): https://www.bp.com
  18. POWER Magazine, Sonal Patel, Sept 9, 2022, EPA Rules likely to shut down about 86 GW of coal generation in next few years: https://www.powermag.com/group-epas-coordinated-regulatory-assault-on-coal-power-could-push-retirements-beyond-86-gw-by-2030/?oly_enc_id=3247D5884312C9W
  19. China and World Carbon Dioxide emitters Columbia Univ.: https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/research/report/getting-30-60-how-china-s-biggest-coal-power-cement-and-steel-corporations-are-responding-national
  20. Davos 2023, China to Boost Oil Demand by at least 500,000 BBL’s/day: https://energynow.com/2023/01/davos-2023-china-to-boost-oil-demand-by-up-to-500000-bpd/
  21. WSJ, July 19, 2022, Climate Policy Causes Power Shortages : https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-wests-climate-policy-debacle-global-warming-energy-putin-russia-fossil-fuel-power-summer-heat-11658084481
  22. WSJ July 19, 2022, Importance of Nuclear: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-global-nuclear-comeback-green-energy-fossil-fuels-supply-climate-mandates-power-generation-11658170860?cx_testId=3&cx_testVariant=cx_4&cx_artPos=1&mod=WTRN#cxrecs_s
  23. Canary Media, “China Owns the Solar Supply Chain, Jeopardizing the Energy Transition”, July 23, 2022: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/china-owns-the-solar-supply-chain-jeopardizing-the-energy-transition?utm_campaign=canary&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=220673447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9qdplyTWSJwNbSUcaZsyQqMfEGosX_vUIpTFtv0RmnmBdVZVFKyZrThPLeb_nvaJ635TpzDjz8qaeF7K3f2mujCqjbtm3ezmo3tQu9mry8L1boHrk&utm_source=newsletter
  24. IEA Solar Supply Chain Report, July 2022: https://www.iea.org/reports/solar-pv-global-supply-chains?utm_content=buffer2109b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
  25. IEA Energy and Food Production: https://www.iea.org/commentaries/how-the-energy-crisis-is-exacerbating-the-food-crisis
  26. Liberty Energy, “Bettering Human Lives Report” An excellent resource to show the importance of energy to living a High Quality of Life: https://www.libertyenergy.com/betteringhumanlivesv2/
  27. WNA Uranium Suppliers: https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/mining-of-uranium/world-uranium-mining-production.aspx
  28. POWER Magazine, August 1, 2022, OSAKI-CoolGen Plant J-Power, Japan: https://www.powermag.com/a-japanese-project-demonstrates-a-carbon-neutrality-pathway-for-coal-power/
  29. Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage, Global CCS: https://www.globalccsinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/State-of-the-Art-CCS-Technologies-2022.pdf
  30. Global CCS Institute Library:  https://www.globalccsinstitute.com/resources/multimedia-library/
  31. What are SMR’s? By International Atomic Energy Agency: https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-are-small-modular-reactors-smrs
  32. Dr. Nicolas Kokel Report on the importance of conventional forms of energy, August 2022: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/energy-transitions-reboot-dr-nicolas-kokel/
  33. Andy May, Petro-Physicist, Report on increased energy use in the world 2020-2021: https://andymaypetrophysicist.com/2023/01/05/energy-use-2020-to-2021/
  34. CLINTEL Scientists on Climate Change info, website: https://clintel.org
  35. World of CO2 new website, Jan. 2023:  https://www.the-world-of-co2.org
  36. Tim Ball, Corruption of Science, 2014: https://www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/epd/EPAC/BOOK%20REVIEW%20-%20‘THE%20DELIBERATE%20CORRUPTION%20OF%20CLIMATE%20SCIENCE%20by%20TIM%20BALL.pdf
  37. Donn Dears New Book, “Clean Energy Crisis”: https://wp.me/p5DzAo-Fg
  38. Bjorn Lomborg Science Direct, Energy and Social Changes, Jan. 2023: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162520304157
  39. CO2 Facts on Climate Change and Science Based Information: https://co2coalition.org
  40. WUWT Weaponizing Alarmism on Climate, Steven Koonin and Jordan Peterson: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/01/17/unsettled-climate-and-science-dr-steven-koonin/
  41. State of American Energy Report by API, The Solution is Here!:  https://events.api.org/reports/soae-2023/

China, Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy, Energy and Electricity Fundamentals, Energy, Electricity, Economic Prosperity and Environmental Protection, Energy, Politics and Economic Prosperity, Fossil Fuels are Important, Politics & Management

HISTORY of ENERGY & ELECTRICITY Part 4, China Goes All In for All Fuels are Important, 2000-2022

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China entered the WTO in 2001. Since then it has increased in Manufacturing Might to become the World’s Largest Manufacturer and the World’s Largest Economy. To do so, it has built more electric power capacity in 20 years than the U.S. did in the preceding 150 years. China is a perfect example of how Energy and Economic Prosperity are inextricably related. First the U.S. showed the world how to use energy to replace muscle power by building our Industrialized economy using energy. This post, Part 4 shows how China has powered their manufacturing-based economy.

The relationship of energy and economic prosperity has always fascinated me. Parts 1-3 of this series focus on the America’s progress in energy development, electricity generation advances and rise in economic prosperity from 1850-2000. America during that 150 year period became the world’s largest Industrialized economy. Lifting millions of people from living in poverty to becoming the richest nation on earth. 

That to me is impressive, but if we want a more recent example of the inter-relationship of energy and economic prosperity, China provides such an example. China’s climb to lift millions out of living in poverty over a couple decades is an amazing accomplishment. China used an aggressive “All Fuels are Important” policy become the world’s wealthiest country on a PPP basis (Purchasing Power Parity). From last to first in about 20 years.

Like America’s rise a hundred years ago, the best interests of the people and the nation were put first, before restrictive regulations as we Americans (thanks to an out of control Bureaucracy) get hung up on. The following two charts show electricity growth and economic growth of China.

From Our World in Data, China’s Electricity Generation by Fuel Source

China entered the World Trade Organization in 2001 and immediately began ramping up manufacturing facilities for aluminum and steel production. In just fifteen years China went from insignificant steel and aluminum production to becoming the world’s leader and by 2016 was producing more than 50% of the world’s aluminum and steel.(3)

Dick Storm presentation to Delaware County Bar Association, July 2016
World Steel Production, S&P Global, 2022

Leadership in Energy & Manufacturing, Creates Wealth of a Nation

China has become the world’s largest manufacturer. This, unfortunately has been accomplished by many American businesses simply partnering or willingly yielding market share (along with 100 years of technological experience) to the Chinese. According to Statista:

From Statista 2022

China’s Electricity, Energy Sources and Plans for the Future

China has embarked on an aggressive path of “All Fuels are Important”. I have advocated this for many years for the U.S.A. As I covered in History of Energy and Electricity in Part 3, America invented, perfected and produced the first commercial nuclear power plants. We designed and built the best and cleanest coal plants. These U.S. plants were amongst the cleanest and most efficient coal plants in the history of power generation of all the world. Then, we quit. I would like to think “Paused” but with the Bureaucrats in Washington, Pausing means quitting. So, is it any wonder that China has passed us in manufacturing capacity? Worse yet, influence in the world. Getting back to China’s appproach to “All Sources of Energy are Important”.

I personally believe (along with many others(16) that most of Climate Change is from natural forces and that America’s energy security and reliability should be priority #1. Apparently on matters of Climate and Energy, China thinks like I do. Can’t think of much I agree with on China, but on “All Fuels are Important”, China and I do agree. For now, China is using enormous quantities of Fossil Fuels to power their Economy (and wealth, they own about 4% of American Treasury Bonds). Later, more nuclear and renewables will also be applied to their Grid. They already have the largest hydroelectric generation in the world. The Chinese have a good balance of Dispatchable generation and renewables.

Economist Magazine

China’s Coal Plants

Time Magazine’s August 2021 issue(5) states that China plans to build 43 new coal plants. These are planned to be clean and efficient, but in fact, coal fueled.

Not only are 43 coal plants planned to be built in China, but through their Belt and Roads Initiative, China is financing and building coal plants all over the world.(15) Reminescant of the way the U.S.AID did when I started my career in the 1960’s. Now, China is Financing, Manufacturing and Constructing power generation equipment and installing facilities all over the world.(7)

China is Building Coal Plants all over the World, not only in China

Nuclear Power

China does in fact have a forward path of matching electricity Demand with carbon-free nuclear power. Admiral Rickover and the U.S. Navy may have invented and perfected safe nuclear power generation but, China is the largest Benefactor from nuclear power generation. The new Westinghouse AP-1000 Units under construction by South Carolina Electric and Gas were stopped due to mismanagement and nine Billion USD in budget overruns. Southern Company’s Vogtle AP-1000 Units under Construction in Georgia are far over budget and behind schedule. Now planned for startup in 4th Quarter 2022(9)

China, on the other hand, plans 150 new nuclear plants and has already started up their Westinghouse AP-1000 Unit(10) Shandong Nuclear Power Co.’s Haiyang nuclear power plant is pioneering two significant aspects of nuclear diversification in China: district heating and desalination. Some of the other 150 nuclear plants are listed in the World Nuclear Association update of November 2021(11) China is on the way to leading the world in nuclear power generation.

Hydroelectric

China generates more electricity than any other country from hydroelectric power. The “Three Gorges Dam” at 22.5 GW capacity , is the largest power station in the world.(13) Suffice it to say, China, like America has taken advantage of available river flows to install dams and hydroelectric generation. Still, most of the Dispatchable electric power must come from coal, nuclear and gas plants. The chart below was done by the EIA about 2017 to show what the U.S. Dept. of Energy Forecasted for China electric power generation through 2040.

Solar and Wind Generation

Renewables in China are also huge. (6) China is also the world’s largest manufacturer of solar and wind turbine components. The chart below shows the world renewables generation. Keep in mind, renewables are not “Dispatchable”. The variations in Demand must be handled by Dispatchable power generation capacity such as those conventional systems mentioned above. Namely, coal, gas, nuclear, hydro and to a small extent, oil fueled generators. The two blue lines at the lower right of the chart are wind and solar and worldwide total about 10% of generation. The majority of the Bulk Power generated from renewables is from Hydroelectric power.(13) Hydroelectric power, by the way, is Dispatchable.

IEA Global Energy Review
IEA Global Ene rgy Review 2021

Conclusions

China has taken full advantage of All Sources of Energy and especially all forms of energy used to generate electricity. They have used their enormous wealth from exporting manufactured products to provide funding to build more manufacturing capabilities and to expand their influence to other countries of the world. China is a current example of how abundant and reliable energy can be used to accummulate wealth and influence in the world. Another metric of how the rapid build out of manufacturing capacity has increased wealth is to consider that four of the 10 largest banks in the world are Chinese owned.(14)

China understands the importance of “ALL Fuels are Important”. Meanwhile, the U.S. leadership is attempting to crush our major energy producing companies through excessive regulations and restrictions as well as foolish “Woke” social policies.(1) Then there is the foolish ESG Movement favored by the Democrat Party, the World Bank, Blackrock, major U.S. Banks and many U.S. manufacturing and Media corporations. The “Woke” ESG movement is weakening America and strengthening China, Russia, Iran and other countries not aligned with Freedom loving western nations.

It would be wise for our elected officials to wake up. We can only hope and pray that they do so before it is too late.

Dick Storm, Feb. 21, 2022

References:

  1. Daily Signal, Feb. 18, 2022: https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/02/18/biden-administration-adds-climate-roadblocks-to-future-pipelines-energy-projects/
  2. Global Steel Production, S&P Global: https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/topics/energy-price-crisis
  3. Dick Storm presentation on Energy in the U.S.A. to the Delaware County Bar Association, July 2016: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2016/07/25/energy-and-economic-prosperity-my-thoughts-dick-storm/
  4. China to Build 150 new Nuclear Reactors in next 15 years, Nov. 2021, CNET.com: https://www.cnet.com/news/why-the-us-should-learn-from-chinas-nuclear-power-expansion/
  5. China is Building 43 new coal plants, Time, August 2021: https://time.com/6090732/china-coal-power-plants-emissions/
  6. China, World Leader in Renewables Manufacturing, Center for Strategic & International Studies : https://www.csis.org/east-green-chinas-global-leadership-renewable-energy
  7. China’s Belt and Roads Initiative
  8. China’s Carbon Emissions, The Economist Magazine:
  9. Power Magazine update on Vogtle Nuclear Plant, Dec. 2022: https://www.powermag.com/oft-delayed-vogtle-expansion-on-track-for-2022-start/
  10. Power Magazine, December 2021, China starts up Westinghouse AP-1000 Nuclear Unit: https://www.powermag.com/how-an-ap1000-plant-is-changing-the-nuclear-power-paradigm-through-district-heating-desalination/
  11. World Nuclear Reactors Under Construction, Nov. 2021: https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/plans-for-new-reactors-worldwide.aspx
  12. World’s largest Hydroelectric Generating Plants, Power Technology: https://www.power-technology.com/features/feature-the-10-biggest-hydroelectric-power-plants-in-the-world/
  13. Global Energy Review, IEA December 2021: https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/d0031107-401d-4a2f-a48b-9eed19457335/GlobalEnergyReview2021.pdf
  14. World’s Largest Banks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_banks
  15. China to build 150 GW of new coal plants by 2025: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chinas-zhejiang-approves-new-11-bln-coal-fired-power-plant-2022-02-09/
  16. Donn Dears Book, “Net-Zero Carbon, The Climate Policy that is Destroying America” Order at Amazon.com