| With the presidential election fast approaching, it was another busy week at Energy Realism: “green energy” systems and the recent RealClearPolitics–National Mining Association event were the focus. James Taylor kicks things off by bringing a reality check to a popular Amazon commercial, in which the company pledges to use more wind power. As Taylor reveals, large amounts of wind power would decimate America’s environment, open spaces, and wildlife. As naturally intermittent sources of electricity, wind and solar will not work without an immense build-out of expensive (and still not fully developed) batteries to compensate for the shortfalls. Steven Christensen reviews the 220-year history of the search for a high-density battery. Making a “battery revolution” a reality will require more domestic critical mining production and the development of a closed loop – “circular” – recycling system, in which battery components are recovered and reused to the greatest extent possible. Daniel Turner notes stubborn energy realities that American greens seem unwilling to accept. Entrenched in all aspects of our lives, fossil fuels cannot be wished away – they remain highly reliable, abundant, inexpensive, and domestically available. Yet California is trying its best to ignore them. Brendan Flanagan describes the huge infrastructure investment required for the state’s latest green mandate: to ban sales of new oil-based cars by 2035 in favor of those running on electricity. California has been pushing back hard on what its political leaders regard as lenient environmental policies from the Trump administration. Yet, as Mary Neumayr shows, President Trump has been working to reduce U.S. emissions while still putting American families and workers first. As seen in our recent RCP/NMA event, strong bipartisan support exists for a U.S. mining transformation, one that would run free of renewables and battery supply chains controlled by China. John Adams sees a reinvigorated mining sector and rebuilt material supply chains as the “irreplaceable foundation” for American industries of the future. Gerard Scimeca agrees, calling out those “environmentalists” demanding more clean energy systems but blocking the domestic extraction of their critical mineral components. Finally, in Forbes, Jude Clemente gives a report on the RCP/NMA event – an alliance meant to counter China’s widening influence. In the News Richard Beales, Reuters Richard Milne, Financial Times Ken Silverstein, Forbes Divestment Facts Tim Quinson, Bloomberg Nick Toscano, The Sydney Morning Herald David Benoit, The Wall Street Journal William Allison, Energy In Depth Steve Johnson, Financial Times Antoine Gara, Forbes Tom Shepstone, Natural Gas Now James Taylor, Watts Up With That? Brian Croce, Pensions & Investments Greg Ryan, Boston Business Journal Staff, Financial Times Rud Pedersen Public Affairs Brussels This session is focused on what has been preventing the large-scale uptake of Carbon Capture and Storage facilities (CCS). Total The Myth: carbon dioxide is simply a pollutant; The Fact: CO2 could in fact be a versatile resource. RealClearPolitics The US energy transition requires a transformation in America's mining sector and supply chains. | 
