Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: Northern Energy

Rush Limbaugh: To heat their homes, homeowners in the Northeast are increasingly turning to one of the oldest sources of energy: trees, wood. Indoor wood furnaces have been growing in popularity, and now more people are using outdoor wood furnaces. The move to wood has led to complaints. Officials are hearing from neighbors, whining about "smoke odors" drifting onto their properties.

Now, the EPA already regulates indoor wood stoves, but has only "voluntary" guidelines for outdoor wood burners. Last week, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine issued new standards for the furnaces; Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania are following suit.

There's another long-running energy battle elsewhere in the Northeast. A decade ago, green energy developers came up with a plan to build wind farms off the coast of Massachusetts... and it was liberals who complained! They didn't want their pristine vistas obstructed by ugly turbines in the water.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has now issued a report concluding that 34 historic properties near Nantucket Sound -- a "place of significance to Indian tribes" -- would suffer "unavoidable adverse effects" if the wind farm was built in the ocean. The Council hopes the report prompts the interior secretary to put the final nail in the wind energy coffin.

So from the liberal perspective, wood, gas, and wind are problems. Oil is evil, coal is filthy, and nuclear energy is completely out of the question. These Northeasterners out to start praying for global warming, or one day soon they'll all freeze to death, because nothing is good enough for energy to these people!

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• BusinessWeek: States Get Tough on Outdoor Wood Furnace Smoke
• Boston Globe: Historic Council Urges Salazar to Reject Proposed Wind Farm