Call me cynical, Obama may really believe he can hold back the tide, but obviously this is not what US voters just voted for. (But who cares what they want, right?)
As a form of resume-building, the gifting approach seemed to work well for Julia Gillard who donated $88million of our tax dollars and lo and behold, became Chairman of the Clinton affilliated Global Partnership for Education.
Indeed, Australia said No to the Green Climate Fund in December 2014 under Tony Abbott, but it didn’t last. Julie Bishop gave $200m to it just a week later. Who’s head of the UN Green Climate Fund now — Julie Bishop. UPDATE: She is co-chairing with Saudi-Arabia, a country that arrests, tortures and beheads 13 year olds but is apparently concerned about polar bears? This is the sad joke that the UN is. Why is any democracy funnelling money into this corrupt bureaucracy?
The Green Climate Fund is not just after the money though, in the past they have also sought to get exemption from prosecution (one law for you, and none for us, eh?!)
If the GCF succeeds in its broader negotiations, not only billions but eventually trillions of dollars in climate funding activities could fall outside the scope of criminal and civilian legal actions
It seems Obama promised $3 billion to the fund in 2012, but didn’t deliver anything til March 2016 when he handed out the first $500 million. So the $3b was advertising and PR, and the reality was a lot less. It’s still $1b too much.
At the present funding level, $1b would last skeptical scientists about 400 years.
You just can’t trust some people.
found this billion maybe should be million?
“It seems Obama promised $3 billion to the fund in 2012, but didn’t deliver anything til March 2016 when he handed out the first $500
billionmillion. So the $3b was advertising and PR, and the reality was a lot less. It’s still $1b too much.”[Good call. Thanks. – Jo]
161
Thank you, Jo Nova, for exposing scandalous misuse of public funds to support the one-world government organization that wrecked the US economy with false science from Noble Prize winners about the imminent dangers of CO2-induced global warming (AGW):
Former US Vice President Al Gore and the United Nations’ IPCC
180
If Trump comes down hard damages inflicted on the US ecomomy by the AGW scam that the UN financed with public funds collected from once independent nations . . .
then he will almost be required to challenge the legality of Obama’s decision to donate another $500,000,000.00 to the UN.
40
A billion here, a billion there, and soon you are talking about real money!
A million would be too much. But then anything Obama does is wrongheaded.
200
Didn’t he promise during his first election campaign that he would lower US Federal debt, and since that debt has increased substantially?
Like the socialists here who inherited zero debt and a $22 billion budget surplus which they spent immediately and carried on to borrow over $400 billion to squander, and produced no more budget surpluses over six years in government.
120
It will help to buy some luxury vehicles and boost some Swiss bank accounts – which are both magnificent steps in reducing global warming.
90
The hard Left are breathing fire and brimstone threats against Trump already – it seems to me that unless omeone lands on them, and hard, the threat they pose to democracy in america is acute.
180
The only reason that the Hard Left exist at all, is because of Democracy. No other political system would put up with them.
One of the first things that the Soviet Socialists did, when they came to power, was to purge the Hard Left factions within The Party.
It is unfortunate that the Hard Left never seem to be interested in understanding, nor learning from, history. So they never see it coming.
61
Then there’s this.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_Heat_Incentive_scandal
20
Right on cue GISS comes out and claims 2016 the hottest year evah!!!
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-19/temperatures-hit-new-high-in-2016-for-third-year-in-row-us-data/8193046?section=science
Never mind that the increment over the previous “hottest year evah!!!” is well within error margins.
60
PS> The disappointment that 2017 won’t be another hottest year evah!!! is tangible. Sham on La Nina for not playing ball.
20
Bulldust I think with present SSTs, another ElNino is more likely. Unfortunately to the warmists delight. However I expect that to be the last year they have any joy.
20
Double El Nino??!? That’s better than a double rainbow!!
I think I used up my exclamation mark quota for the year already.
20
Skeptical scientists? That’s a tautology. The opposite of skeptical must be gullible?
As for Obama’s generosity and Julie Bishop’s and Julia Gillard’s and even Helen Clarke, now third in charge at the UN after introducing her carbon tax, they all gained from handing over other people’s money. Obama want a memorable legacy but he will be remembered for disaster in many countries from Afghanistan to Tunisia, destroyed cities, thousands dead and and blown up societies throughout the Middle East and into Europe, from the Coptics in Egypt to the Yazidi in Syria and the ancient cities from Mosul to Aleppo. In hindsight, with a friend like Obama, Africa was far worse off, as is Europe.
361
Obama has certainly earned an important place for himself in the modern history of western civilization.
100
Yep…right next to Lenin and Stalin and the titanic….
90
Whilst on the topic of Julie Bishop, you can read more about her and her ‘contribution’ to the Socialist CAGW scam and what it’s really all in aid of right here.
I find it quite alarming that so few people (both sceptics and alarmists alike), seem to be aware of the wicked agenda being masked by the the giant hoax that it is.
Common sense begged the question to me many years ago, that surely they cannot really believe that spending all that money on such nonsense, could really have any effect on the climate? There must be something else they’re not telling us… This tells us what these horrible Socialist zealots really need all the money for and they’re doing it unchallenged, right under our noses.
I just hope Mr Trump is aware of what so few of us are…
81
Easily fixed by Trump – reduce the amount the US hands over to the UN by double that amount as a minimum. Better still stop giving the UN any money at all – they are just a waste of space.
401
It’s the creditors that hand over the money as debt..
40
The UN is a club for people having a good time Donald Trump said
100
A friend used to work for the UN in Sri Lanka. One day one of the UN bods wrote off a brand spanking new $150K landcruiser. They were given a new one promptly…..our taxes at work….
70
Found it down the back of the couch I suppose, isn’t Congress supposed to detail funding? How does he pull out a half billion 3 days before his time is up?
241
That (his Imperial Rights, apparently) would be my point as well.
40
Time left until Obama leaves office 🙂
150
Love the clock Yonnie
30
Obama may soon leave but his legacy lives on.
30
He still has time for a bit more mischief.
40
So much for checks and balances – eh?
If it was not an election commitment surely it has to be approved by both houses?
Or is the President free to chuck Americans taxes where ever he pleases with no mandate to do so and no audit trail on how it is spent?
40
I recall that Kevin Rudd had a very pointed expression of distaste about someone he discredited.
I think the same expression could be used about Obama with his numerous last minute actions completely contrary to Trump’s policies.
111
Obama is spending his last hours in office giving everyone his middle finger.
260
And Diarrhea
110
Perhaps Obama’s men will have to move fast to transfer that all money before Saturday. What’s to stop Trump from asking for it back or just stopping the transfer. Obama is running of out things he can do in three days and Putin refused to take the offence at the provocation. After eight years, Obama is running out of moves.
180
This is obviously destined for Northern Ireland. They have just lost £500M on a Green Scheme.
140
It’s a real sacrifice for him. With $500 million Bomber Barry could buy 200 basic air strikes. You know how much he likes those.
60
Who’s head of the UN Green Climate Fund now — Julie Bishop…
From that link. Updated.
UPDATE: She is co-chairing with Saudi-Arabia, a country that arrests, tortures and beheads 13 year olds but is apparently concerned about polar bears. This is the sad joke that the UN is. Why is any democracy funnelling money into this corrupt bureaucracy?
371
Saudi Arabia is so called because it is Arabia owned as personal property by the Saud family, an heriditary religious dictatorship founded only in 1932. It is also the largest oil exporter in the world. It is the partner of Obama especially in Syria arming ISIS/ISIL against the Hussein dictatorship. Having disposed of Gadaffi and Mubarek, Hussein is the next target in the resurrection of a caliphate. This is precisely what Osama Bin Laden wanted when he talked about 80 years from the end of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924, presumably with himself as Caliph.
In stark contrast, Israel which is the only democracy in the region is the enemy of all and obviously of Obama’s presidency with the recent vote in the Security Council. Explanations are difficult but Green conservation and Climate Change are not on the list.
220
My comment is in moderation. Perhaps some things are better left unsaid.
40
‘Evil triumphs when good men do nothing’….. no my friend speak loud and often!
120
Said it before, say it again: a good man doing nothing is a contradiction in terms.
00
We’ve been bullied into not saying what commonsense can perceive.
40
I cannot even think of a reply!! I am literally speechless. Where do all the loonies come from?
70
Also from that wonderful culture is the enforced payment of Jizya for those that don’t embrace the peaceful diversity.
A parallel to the UN’s carbon tax that is implemented throughout governments in various forms (RET, ETS, cap & trade, EPA fines) except the UN is more subversive by nature but both have limiting effects on freedoms and life expectancy.
100
The UN is the kind face, its the world bank that does the real damage…makes peopel an offer they cant refuse *wink*
50
In other circles, don’t they call it “protection money”?
00
The UN has become so infected by the post-truth, post-science left that it probably should be near the top of the list for drastic reform. The infection is so great that the UN seems to be a powerful vector of the misanthropic meme that is damaging not only the West but even more brutally damaging the third world.
110
Yes to UN drastic reform…..send in the bulldozers and the hanging judges!
They are the only reforms needed for the Marxist Conglomerate of racketeering criminals and mad Malthusians!
20
A truly contemptuous act
Jo this is a great post and it goes to the heart of the matter, in that Obama having just witnessed what the people of America decided in the elections as regards fiscal responsibilty , he countenances it with this last act of contempt 🙁
Only last week a patient in Nevada was shown to be immune to every antibiotic in the American arsenal. why did he not mention or support research on this instead ?
It is the act from an outgoing President who shows what he really thinks of “The American people”.
180
Similar to the Hellary Campaign bus emptying its sewer tank into a public drain in a suburban street….
20
Trump: proposed tweet: “I’d like to help out our cities with a quick 500 Million, but Obama just gave it to the UN. Sad. ”
The presidential version of “See something – Say Something” has proven to be a pretty effective political tool. So much of what the left has done
in economic circumstances while cloaked in the language of ‘social justice’ can’t stand the light of day when viewed in plain English in 140 characters.
250
test
20
Here is a link to uh,well,um…..just read it.
http://business.financialpost.com/fp-comment/ross-mckitrick-turns-out-ontarios-painful-coal-phase-out-didnt-help-pollution-and-queens-park-even-knew-it-wouldnt
120
Explanation of why CO2 has no significant effect on climate was derived for free by a licensed Mechanical Engineer and is presented at http://globalclimatedrivers2.blogspot.com along with identification of the three factors which do explain climate change (98% match with measured 1895-2015. This is a slightly improved version of the peer reviewed paper at http://irjes.com/Papers/vol5-issue11/E5113145.pdf
61
I must be about time that the UN was housed in a different country.
Why should the USA have all the kudos?
Syria would be a good option or maybe Venezuela?
102
Much lower cost too. Living, staff, transport. The EU should be housed in Eastern Europe for the same reason. Much lower cost and more representative, closer to the people. Similarly in Australia, the ABC should be in Orange or Bathurst or even Alice Springs, not Sydney.
130
The Lambert Centre. 😉
52
poor little red thumb probably doesn’t even know what the Lambert Centre is..
So sad… SOOOO DUMB !!
33
Well, I’ll admit this American actually was so dumb that I had to learn what the Lambert Centre is. And, now I know. A very nice suggestion! 🙂
10
Cheers, 🙂
I guess the UAS 48 must have a Lambert centre, but it would be nowhere near as appropriate as Australia’s Lambert Centre to house the UN.
01
I say they should lead the way as climate refugees. Summit station in Greenland gets my vote for the location of their new HQ.
00
How much more money must be thrown at the UN-IPCC before the UN-IPCC prevents it’s first drought?
90
How much more of our money!
60
I am not well informed about US laws but surely once an election has been held to decide who will be the next POTUS at the end of the term in office (two in this case) the present POTUS should be in caretaker mode?
70
Barry is more taking care of his legacy.
10
There are no laws pertaining to any legal action an outgoing POTUS takes right up to 11:59:59 EDST on January 20th. Countdown till when the Obama leave the peoples house:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/bear-hybrid-photo.html
Many presidents have taken various actions right before their term ends and pardons and commuting the sentences of federal criminals towards the end as a POTUS prepares to leave the WH is almost a tradition. A tradition that this POTUS has abused as he has abused so many others during his tenure.
Obama granted far more acts of “clemency” for those types of real criminals than any POTUS in history but what would one expect from a criminal that is POTUS?
10
Michael Smith News
The World’s Greatest Treasurer Wayne Swan has been elected to chair a UN economics advisory body.
100
The UN is destined to be plunged into massive debt !!
141
And no Obama to bail them out
20
The UN can’t possibly go into debt.
It doesn’t earn anything . .
30
“the World’s greatest treasurer” …. that Dud Swan and buddies should be serving life plus a thousand for how he and his cohorts mismanaged and squandered Australia’s last surplus and future economic prosperity.
90
Isn’t such funding subject to Congressional approval? How did this get past the HoR?
50
He didn’t use the Economic Support Fund again, did he? if so, he stole the money from the victims of ISIS.
50
Climate modelling proves that transfers of large amounts of money reduces the world’s temperature. The science isn’t settled yet on which way the transfer should occur. Which is more effective – transfer to the government by taxing essential service industries, or transfer from the government via subsidies to organisations with “climate” in their name?
60
This is because money not spent burns holes in pockets indefinitely, whereas burning it on some invented nonsense is short and quick. See Science, edition 69, pp 42 to 96
20
Defund the Unelected Nutters, round them up for lengthy prison terms after a humiliating show trial and knock down their buildings……problem fixed.
Very lucky for them that I am not in charge!
40
Slightly OT but related to Egors comment , I notice the latest approval ratings had one nation in front of the greens .
80
Bye bye Greens, bye bye! The Bum’s Rush Out is coming for you, bye bye!
Party deregistration approaching for the greens, bye bye!
Go One Nation , Go Pauline Hanson and Go the Donald. Come on Jan 20 and bye bye El Presidente
O’Bummer and kookoo Ketch-up Kerry!
60
18 Jan: Guardian: Graham Wearden: Davos 2017: Joe Biden criticises Russia; Al Gore on climate change – as it happened
In the hall, it’s Dalian Night – with trays of delicious Chinese food* for the throng, washed down with wine or Tsingtao beer.
*stir-fried beef, cabbage and celery, oodles of noodles, with Lychees and Tapioka-coconut pudding and mango to follow…
So that’s all from us for today, unless any major news breaks out…
3hrs ago: The United States may flip at the end of this week from being a climate leader, to being the leading climate change denier, says Thomas Friedman (NYT), the author chairing the climate change session…
Norway’s prime minister, Erna Solberg, is optimistic that Brexit won’t change the climate agenda…
“The Paris Agreement is in place, it’s a long process to get out of it. But of course, not implementing it is a possibility for a new administration.”…
“People who continue to deny will fall back, and lose out in the future.”…
As Friedman wryly points out, it’s a little worrying that there are Neo-nazi parties in Europe who believe in climate change, while one of America’s two major political parties doesn’t…
4hrs ago: : Most people understand climate change issues now
Former US vice-president Al Gore is speaking about climate change now, saying there are only three questions remaining on the climate crisis:
Must we change?
Can we change?
Will we change?
Gore than takes a swipe at Donald Trump’s administration…
“Every night on the television news now is like a nature hike through the Book of Revelations. People are connecting the dots and coming to the realisation that the answer to that first question is yes.”…
7hrs ago: LSE professor Guy Standing has been telling Davos that the time has come for a universal income for all citizens…
“A basic income is not a panacea but it is part of the new redistribution we should be building for the 21st century.”…
7hrs ago:
01:59 Fighting inequality with Pokémon Go
In one of those ‘only at Davos’ moments, 17 Pokémon Go “Pokéstops” have been set up around the ski resort to (possibly) raise awareness of inequality.
It’s the brainchild of film director Richard Curtis’s development agency, called Project Everyone…
According to Business Insider, Olympic medal-winning sprinter Michael Johnson and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver have been spotted playing the game…
https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2017/jan/18/davos-2017-global-elite-angry-middle-classes-climate-change-joe-biden-day-2-live
symbolic indeed:
18 Jan: RT: Exit stage left: Lights go out on Biden as he talks of US ‘leadership’ in Davos speech (VIDEO)
It may have just been coincidence, or perhaps something more symbolic, but whatever it was, Joe Biden saw the lights go out on him as he mentioned US “leadership” during his last major speech as vice president, in Davos, Switzerland.
“We are going to retain our position of leadership,” Biden was telling the audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos, when the lights on stage began to dim.
Rendered a dark silhouette, and seemingly unimpressed, the outgoing vice president carried on talking about the West’s ideas and visions of the world. “If we don’t fight for our values, no one else will,” he said from the darkness.
Moments later the lights came back on, allowing Biden to proceed with his rather dark warnings to the world…
https://www.rt.com/viral/374119-biden-davos-lights-off/
50
Pat
That meal brings to mind the recipe for “Profumo Curry”
10
Davos comment has gone into moderation.
however, here’s hoping Steve Price’s interview with Climate Council’s Amanda McKenzie on 2GB’s Alan Jones Show this morning is available on their website soon.
it is one of the funniest things you will EVER hear.
listeners’ phone calls that followed the interview should be included in the podcast, 2GB.
70
As an Australian conservative I’m pretty disgusted by where the Liberals are on AGW issue. Unfortunately labor would be worse. Hopefully if the disenchantment with major parties continues that One Nation might end up with the balance of power. If that is the case Australia may come to its senses. Until there are open sceptics in power this issue won’t go away. Even Abbott felt a need to play lip service to the Climate change zealots and missed a great opportunity of leading the world on dismantling Climate change alarmism. In terms of leaving a legacy on the issue of climate change it will be Trump who will leave the greatest one not Obama who’s actions will be seen as the last desperate effort to perpetuate this myth.
131
I would defend Abbott. As a rationalist and politician, he played a straight bat and said if you want to reduce CO2, there are natural ways to do it. This infuriated the Greens who are passionate about closing power stations, not reducing CO2. Not a scientist among them. Even Di Natalie said Whyalla could keep making steel as long as they didn’t use coal. Steel is made with coal. The carbon from coking coal takes away the oxide as CO2 gas to leave raw iron, but who needs science when you are closing power plants?
111
Di Natale is bound to put his foot in it occasionally, he’ll have to lift his game or become irrelevant as the Greens implode. The reds are coming out from under the bed.
‘The piece responds to growing tension after the emergence in December of the Left Renewal faction, whose manifesto states it will “fight to bring about the end of capitalism” which it describes as “a violent and antagonistic relation between workers and those who exploit them”.
‘Di Natale hit back at the group, telling them to consider finding a new political home. He said the Greens do not support the overthrow of capitalism, describing it as a ridiculous idea.
Guardian
80
My point is that Greenpeace are so science ignorant they banned the element Chlorine. Perhaps our Australian Greens could get to the point and ban Carbon. After all Carbon Dioxide and Hydrocarbons are the most common chemical and the Greens want to ban both, so just ban Carbon. There is a small problem with (CO2)m(H2O)n commonly known as carbohydrate but that’s nothing to worry about. We can import them.
30
As a non-conservative Australian I accept that all politicians, except for a couple of eccentrics, are barking up the wrong tree when it comes to climate change.
Donald Trump will play a lukewarm hand on the issue (there is no evidence that CO2 has any significant effect on temperatures) and stem the subsidy flood. This acknowledgement that CO2 is a harmless trace gas won’t go down well, but we are ready for battle and victory must be ours eventually.
Abbott is an old style politician and numbers man, the Trump effect makes Tony look like yesterday’s man because he lacked the bottle to do something. He’s a dill without courage.
One Nation is unlikely to gain the balance of power because the Coalition will run the next election on infrastructure and hip pocket nerve, ignoring the cooler weather swirling about.
With headlines like coldest year since records began the renewable subsidy thingy will go the way of the dinosaur, in a blinding Trump flash.
52
Actually there is no evidence that mankind has increased CO2 levels.
It is really frustrating when people against Global Warming try to be conciliatory and admit man has greatly increased CO2 levels as self evident. They then go on to talk about whether CO2 causes warming.
Man controlled CO2 is just not true, not possible. The gases are in equilibrium between the vast oceans and the tiny atmosphere. Our tiny contribution is nothing, not half of one percent of free CO2 in the oceans and even the IPCC admit it will all vanish into the oceans. They just disagree about how long it will take, again without measurement or evidence. They need to do this or admit man made is man made up.
31
what is your interpretation of changing C-isotope ratios in CO2?
20
Sir …sir …when looking for the isotopic fingerprint of industrial output, is it 14c, 13c or 12c?
00
just so long as it isn’t 18c. !
02
ratios are changing in the same way on the top of mountains in Hawaii and the coast of Tasmania, how do you interpret that?
00
17 Jan: DailyCaller: Michael Bastasch: Soros Paid Al Gore MILLIONS To Push ‘Aggressive US Action’ On Global Warming
A document published by DC Leaks shows Soros, a Hungarian-born liberal financier, wanted his nonprofit Open Society Institute (OSI) to do more to support global warming policies in the U.S. That included budgeting $10 million in annual support to Gore’s climate group over three years.
“U.S. Programs Global Warming Grants U.S. Programs became engaged on the global warming issue about four years ago, at George Soros’s suggestion,” reads a leaked OSI memo.
“There has been a budget of $11 million for global warming grants in the U.S. Programs budget for the last several years,” the memo reads. “This budget item captures George Soros’s commitment of $10 million per year for three years to Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection, which conducts public education on the climate issue in pursuit of creating political space for aggressive U.S. action in line with what scientists say is necessary to put our nation on a path to reducing its outsize carbon dioxide emissions.”…
It’s unclear what year the memo was sent, but the Gore co-founded Alliance for Climate Protection (ACP) was established in 2006 and lasted until it became The Climate Reality Project in July 2011. In 2008, the Alliance launched a $300 million campaign to encourage “Americans to push for aggressive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,” The Washington Post reported…
ACP got $10 million from the Open Society Institute (OSI) in 2008, according to the nonprofit’s tax filings. OSI handed over another $5 million to ACP in 2009, according to tax filings. The investigative reporting group ProPublica keeps a database that has OSI tax returns from 2000 to 2013. TheDCNF could not find other years where OSI gave money to ACP…
OSI didn’t only plan to fund Gore’s climate group to promote global warming policies in the U.S., OSI also planned on giving millions of dollars ***to spur the “youth climate movement.”…
http://dailycaller.com/2016/08/17/soros-paid-al-gore-millions-to-push-aggressive-us-action-on-global-warming/#ixzz4W89itkXL
***playing the long game…
40
And let’s not forget Julia Gillard’s $100m grant to Adelaide University prior to leaving office and her subsequent appointment as Hon. Professor.
70
Yet another of our ‘esteemed leaders’ that should be part of a chain gang breaking rocks with a sledgehammer!
41
“Julia Gillard’s $100m grant ”
Julia Gillard’s TAXPAYER FUNDED $100m grant. It was NOT Gillard’s money
All Australians are therefore honorary professors of Adelaide University.
12
Of course. Didn’t think I needed spell that fact out.
10
The cost of departing politicians must be astronomical, whether before or after their departure. Today’s news has Mr Baird announcing his resignation: “…it has been an honour to serve you!” He could just as easily have said: ” I have been in public office long enough to peddle sufficient influence, which together with my generous government pension, will allow me to live in luxury for the rest of my life.”
50
While it does not invalidate Jo’s argument here in any way, note that Australia’s $200m gift to the Green Climate Fund was not “new money”.
It was sourced from, as the link explains, the “already plundered foreign aid budget”.
In other words, it would have been spent on something else anyway. Expect DFAT used its collective imagination and merely reclassified some aid projects as “climate resilience” projects.
There’s bound to be an Orwellian How-To-Do-It Handbook out there now to assist developing countries from Angola to Upper Volta and Zimbabwe finesse their “climate resilience” rhetorical skills to an acceptable UN standard.
Being “on the inside” will not prevent GCF corruption either. Indeed, the Green Climate Fund et al exists today because of it.
20
I missed this one….
EMEC Wins Verdict
EASTERN MAINE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE WINS $13.6 MILLION JURY VERDICT
http://www.emec.com/node/183
On Friday November 18th, a Bangor, Maine jury found, after a four day trial, that five wind power companies breached their contractual obligation to negotiate in good faith, and returned a $13.6 million verdict in favor of Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative (the “Cooperative”). The unanimous verdict against the defendants was reached after about two hours of deliberations.
The Cooperative’s CEO, Scott Hallowell said, “The defendants’ breach denied the Cooperative of the benefits of the deal, and forced the Cooperative to take legal action.” Hallowell said, “We are extremely pleased with the verdict, as it vindicates the Cooperative’s position that the wind companies did not negotiate in good faith. We have not yet heard whether the defendants will appeal, but if they do so we will vigorously defend the jury’s verdict.”
The contract required the wind power companies to act in good faith to finalize the sale to the Cooperative of a section of an electric transmission line, which provides transmission services to wind farms owned by three of the defendants. The parties had agreed that the three wind farms would pay for costs, including repairs and upgrades to the line, which is standard electric utility practice across the country.
The Cooperative was represented by Sigmund Schutz, Joe Donahue, and Ben Piper of the law firm Preti Flaherty, LLP. The Cooperative’s lead trial counsel, Sigmund Schutz, said, “The Defendants had sellers’ remorse and breached their good faith obligation. The jury agreed and awarded all of the damages we requested at trial.” Schutz added, “The verdict is among the largest jury verdicts ever awarded in Maine.”
The Cooperative entered into the contract in 2011 with First Wind Holdings, LLC and four of its former subsidiaries (Evergreen Gen Lead, LLC; Evergreen Wind Power III, LLC; Stetson Holdings, LLC; and Stetson Wind, II LLC), for the sale of a section of an electric transmission line, the Stetson Line, to the Cooperative. First Wind Holdings, LLC is now owned by SunEdison. The subsidiaries are three companies that own wind farms, Stetson I (Stetson Holdings, LLC); Stetson II (Stetson Wind II, LLC); Rollins (Evergreen Wind Power III, LLC); and the company that owns the Stetson Line (Evergreen Gen Lead, LLC). These four entities are now owned by TerraForm Power, Inc. (NASDAQ: TERP).
=======
Note: First Wind was sold to SUNE. They went under and the First Wind crew has formed another company, Longroad Energy Partners, based in Boston and San Francisco. Longroad has entered in agreements wit New Zealand and would be very inclined that some officials there may have been paid off, or are unbelieveably stupid. Just giving you all a heads up.
10
According to some of the comments on WUWT, it appears that this US$500 million payment may be illegal.
If that is so, it would be an interesting twist, although it inevitably raises some political issues. For example, if it is to be reclaimed, it would be good PR if the reclaimed money was spent on someworthwhile projects directly benefitting Americans, eg some child educational programmes, or perhaps some job creation in the rust belt states etc. Spend it on some project that the MSM would find difficult to criticise, to take the sting out of recovering money directed to the Green Climate Fund.
40
I was just about to note the same thing:
This creates a real opportunity for Trump, as the payments are probably illegal. See
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/01/18/president-obama-just-transferred-another-500-million-to-the-un-green-fund/
Read the four comments commencing from January 18, 2017 at 11:00 am.
In summary, from ‘Anne Oninous’s’ comment at 11.16am:
‘Current U.S. law forbids funding the organization since it accepted the Palestinian Authority into its ranks’ and ‘It is also “unappropriated” money. Congress is supposed to hold the purse strings under the Constitution, and it did not even remotely approve this. Which makes it a violation of the separation of powers, and therefore doubly illegal.’
50
Yes, it was illegal by U.S. Law.
10
CAGW comedy at its best:
AUDIO: 5mins43secs: 19 Jan: 2GB: CEO of The Climate Council Amanda McKenzie speaks to Steve (Price) about 2016 being the hottest year on record
http://www.2gb.com/podcast/amanda-mckenzie/
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warning: Fake News:
18 Jan: Hollywood Reporter: Tatiana Siegel: Al Gore on His ‘Inconvenient Truth’ Sequel, Private Donald Trump Talks, “Consoling” Hillary Clinton
Never has the universe seemed more dark and despairing — at least from an ecological crusader’s point of view — than since the Nov. 8 election of Donald Trump (who once proclaimed global warming a “hoax” perpetrated by the Chinese). And yet, the man who 11 years ago warned against a coming environmental disaster in An Inconvenient Truth — and who is about to sound the alarm again in An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, premiering opening night at Sundance on Jan. 19 — still finds a way to spot glimmers of light and hope in the black void…
In fact, it turns out that even after the meeting in December, Gore and Trump have remained in contact, through more discreet channels. “I won’t get into the details of how we have communicated,” Gore says coyly. “I don’t want the Russians to hack it.”…
In the decade since An Inconvenient Truth came out — making $50 million worldwide to become one of the highest-grossing documentaries of all time and winning two Oscars, very likely helping Gore win the Nobel Prize in 2007 — the vice president has kept a low profile…
In the decade since the first documentary, many of Gore’s dire climate predictions have come true…But deniers have remained unpersuaded…
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/al-gore-his-inconvenient-truth-sequel-private-donald-trump-talks-consoling-hillary-clinton-
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Julie Bishop is a traitor. She backs Israel against Australia. But most of the Canberra pols (all parties) slavishly follow American commands, so she is not exceptional.
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18 Jan: AlaskaDispatchNews:59 below recorded in Interior as cold snap settles on Alaska
by Chris Klint & Laurel Andrews
Fairbanks and Anchorage woke up Wednesday to an early taste of an expected cold snap this week, as temperatures plunged to 50 degrees below zero in some areas of the Interior.
The coldest temperature recorded by the National Weather Service Wednesday morning was 59 below, on the Salcha River near its confluence with Flat Creek, said meteorologist Dan Hancock in the National Weather Service Fairbanks office ETC…
The temperatures were recorded by remote automated weather stations, which are considered reliable even in extreme cold, unlike some thermometers, Hancock said…
***Christopher Cox, the lead meteorologist at the Fairbanks office, earlier Wednesday discounted Interior reports on social media late Wednesday morning of 60-below readings, saying they were likely based on electronic thermometers that become unreliable at 40 below.
“We’ve got thermometers that are reading 60 below, but they’re inaccurate,” Cox said. “We’re going to be close (to that temperature) in some of the outlying spots, but not for Fairbanks.”…
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/weather/2017/01/18/50-below-recorded-in-interior-as-cold-snap-settles-on-alaska/
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Sorry, the purse is held by congress. If congress does not correct this Obamanation, then look for Barry in his upcoming new UN job.
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Apparently he has been auditioning.
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The UN just got it’s last gift from the USA . If they were smart they would send it back ASAP .
The half $billion is going to look like Trump Change when their USA funding gets cut off and it is coming .
Surprising Obama had time to let out prisoners and gifts to his pals .
Who knew Obama was going to fit in 308 games of golf into his oh so busy schedule . Laziest President Award another legacy .
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Simple solution – Defund the UN and see how fast those green $ get redirected towards salaries.
The US spent some 3 Billion renovating the UN bldg. Trump could lease all tags space for some serous moola!!!
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He’s given away so much of the taxpayer’s money that the millions, or billions, whichever it is, don’t even get noticed alongside the nearly 20 trillion in public debt he leaves us on his way out. And tomorrow he won’t really go away. He’ll move to Chicago and continue his meddling in the lives of the honest and hard working American. Only this time his agenda will include finding a way to bring down his successor. Mark my words, that’s what he’ll do and he’ll have plenty of help to do it.
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Makes this interesting and maybe worth a separate topic.
Among the changes in Trump’s $10.5bn savings program are, allegedly, these:-
State: “significant cuts and programme eliminations.”
Overseas Private Investment Corporation – funding stopped.
Paris Climate Change Agreement – funding stopped.
United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – funding stopped.
Source: UK Daily Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/19/donald-trumps-inauguration-countdown-barack-obama-preparing/
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Oops!
$10.5Tn!
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-29/major-changes-to-agls-proposed-silverton-wind-farm/7672126
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