Unintentional Humor

The AP is out today with an article "exposing" that the natural gas produced from fracking was actually developed with the help of the American government. The reporter discloses that over the last thirty years, the federal government has spent $137 million dollars to support research into methods for extracting shale gas, principally fracking. Since this shale gas is now flooding into the market, the AP reporter is basically trying to support president Obama's position that the government did this, not private individuals. Indeed, the reporter points out how it is important the the government continue to support wind and solar energy now.

There is just one problem. Even according to this reporter, the federal government invested $137 million over thirty years. That comes to about $4 million per year. since president Obama took office, the federal government has "invested" over $90 billion in wind and solar energy and that effort has been a miserable failure. In other words, AP is trying to equate $4 million per year with about $25 billion per year wasted by Obama.

The truth is that fracking was principally developed by private industry. Was there government support at some point? Sure, but it was insignificant. On the other hand, the wind and solar energy fields basically depend on the government for survival. Firms like Solyndra only exist so long as the government foots the bill for the losses. Projects like the huge solar and wind plants that have been built only exist so long as states mandate that utilities buy the higher priced solar or wind energy. In other words, there has to be a continuing tax subsidy or the solar and wind industries will collapse.

I have to say that reading the AP seriously try to compare natural gas with wind and solar was pretty funny, unintentionally funny, but humorous nevertheless.