Pirate's Cove

As Erika Johnsen notes “Never underestimate the sneakiness when you’re dealing with The Most Transparent Administration Evah”

(Bloomberg) Buried in a little-noticed rule on microwave ovens is a change in the U.S. government’s accounting for carbon emissions that could have wide-ranging implications for everything from power plants to the Keystone XL pipeline.

The increase of the so-called social cost of carbon, to $38 a metric ton in 2015 from $23.80, adjusts the calculation the government uses to weigh costs and benefits of proposed regulations. The figure is meant to approximate losses from global warming such as flood damage and diminished crops.

With the change, government actions that lead to cuts in emissions — anything from new mileage standards to clean-energy loans — will appear more valuable in its cost-benefit analyses. On the flip side, environmentalists urge that it be used to judge projects that could lead to more carbon pollution, such as TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s Keystone pipeline or coal-mining by companies such as Peabody Energy Corp. (BTU) on public lands, which would be viewed as more costly.

Even supporters questioned the way the administration slipped the policy out without first opening it for public comment. The change was buried in an afternoon announcement on May 31 about efficiency standards for microwave ovens, a rule not seen as groundbreaking.

So, they attempted to hide this from the public, did not open it to the public for comment, and will essentially raise the price of consumer goods artificially for a ginned up issue based on what can be charitably be called faulty science, despite no warming in 15+ years. And they want to monetize anything regarding The Weather, which will allow lawsuits to proceed easily against Keystone XL and others. Insurance claims from The Weather would appear to be greater. Warmists would be able to complain more. Just don’t ask them to live the life they want Everyone Else to be forced to live.