Zinke's claim that the U.S. has struggled to produce 'low-cost, abundant and reliable energy'

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Retweeted by Glenn Kessler: https://twitter.com/GlennKesslerWP

Zinke earns four Pinocchios--as bad as it gets--for claims about U.S. energy costs and production. By @Nikki_Lew

Link to tweet

Fact Checker Analysis

Interior Secretary Zinke’s claim that the U.S. has struggled to produce ‘low-cost, abundant and reliable energy’

By Nicole Lewis October 11 at 3:00 AM

....
During a speech at the Heritage Foundation on Sept. 29, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke laid out his vision for U.S. energy dominance. In his opening remarks, Zinke said the Trump administration does not support an agenda of “regulation and red tape,” which he argues keeps the U.S. reliant on foreign energy sources and weakens its national security.

Since taking office, Zinke has pushed to expand drilling on public land, reinvigorate the coal industry and roll back regulations on energy production to move the U.S. toward his vision of being “the strongest energy superpower this world has ever known.”

To support his agenda, Zinke laments the current state of U.S. energy production, asserting that the country has struggled in recent years to produce “low-cost, abundant and reliable energy.”

How do his claims square with the facts? Let’s take a look.
....

{snip facts, charts, numbers}

Four Pinocchios



Nicole Lewis reports for The Fact Checker. Feeling skeptical about a claim made by a political figure? You can send statements for her to fact check via email or Twitter. Follow @nikki_lew

[MontanaMama]

1. Zinke is a lying POS.

Meanwhile, folks in Montana are clamoring to have solar systems installed before the tax credits sunset in 2019. I'm on a wait list for an array to be installed at my house for the spring of 2018. There's a 30% federal tax credit on newly installed systems and $1000 tax credit from the state. Every solar panel installer in western Montana is booked out for a year. Zinke is bound and determined to line his pockets and destroy what we hold dear in Montana - and elsewhere.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. Just simply wonderful.

Liet's start with this,most Coal and Oil is extracted from Public Lands that they lease at $1.39/acre and are required to pay Royalties to local and Federal Agencies. Well guess what,these Companies fudge the numbers or simply do not pay their Royalties unless someone bitch's with the facts.

Secondly,most extraction Companies file Bankruptcy as to avoid the Reclamation portion of their Lease,and we as the Public have to clean up their messes.

Bottom line,they steal the Natural Resource for Profit and Socialize their cleanup after the Profits have been extracted.

[procon]

3. Why do Republicans lie about this stuff that is so easily discredited?

It makes them look like dishonest con men, which they are, but a kid could come up with better lies than this. They've gotten away with lying to their constituents for decades, no one is bright enough to call them out, and rightwing media propaganda just loops the lies.

Now that they've got primetime coverage, what's the point of dropping a big lie when someone is just going to drop a truth bomb a couple of minutes later?

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Because 80% of voters won't check, so it works. nt