Hurricane Damage, Wind Power and Comcast in the Crosshairs
Florida residents watch the shifting course of Tropical Storm Fay.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveils a plan to build a series of windmills on top of skyscrapers and offshore.
The Federal Communications Commission chastises Comcast for slowing connections on some users’ file sharing downloads.
More headlines: Listen to the CEI Weekly Podcast.
1. FINANCE
Florida residents watch the shifting course of Tropical Storm Fay.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Fellow Eli Lehrer on government subsidies and insurance programs for storm-prone areas:
“I do think that rich, stupid people should be allowed to build on their own property if they want to, but when a hurricane wipes away an ocean-front mansion, the government should send nothing besides a rescue boat—and a bill.”
2. ENVIRONMENT
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveils a plan to build a series of windmills on top of skyscrapers and offshore.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Risk and Environmental Policy Angela Logomasini on the threat to wild birds from wind turbines:
“Bloomberg’s quest could prove devastating for migratory birds. Windmills can basically make minced meat out of birds that migrate along the same coastal, windy routes that are suitable for wind farms. Energy expert Robert Bradley Jr. notes that the country’s largest wind farm in Contra Costa California, called Altamont Pass, kills hundreds of birds every year…The Center for Biological Diversity explains that the wind farm is particularly problematic because is located in a migratory route. They estimate that the wind turbines kill about 880 to 1,300 birds of prey each year, which includes 116 golden eagles, 300 red-tailed hawks, 380 burrowing owls, we well as hundreds kestrels, falcons, vultures, and owls.”
3. TECHNOLOGY
The Federal Communications Commission chastises Comcast for slowing connections on some users’ file sharing downloads.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Vice President for Policy Wayne Crews on the troubling implications of the FCC’s actions:
“We all can probably agree that we want tomorrow’s Internet at the speed of light, not at the speed of government. A useful starting point is to appreciate that most customers have no real broadband today: cable and DSL are a trickle compared to the Niagara needed tomorrow. Freezing today’s Internet into a regulated public utility via net neutrality regulation – as the FCC seems hell-bent on doing – would be the worst possible move, slowing investment and innovation and resulting in fewer new companies, products and technologies.”
Listen to the CEI Weekly Podcast here.