Sludge Report #64 - Damp Arrival For Energy Plan

Thursday, 17 May 2001, 1:59 am
Column: C.D. Sludge

NOTE: Authors of this report will be anonymous and wide ranging, and occasionally finely balanced. Indeed you are invited to contribute: The format is as a reporters notebook. It will be published as and when material is available. C.D. Sludge can be contacted at sludge@scoop.co.nz. The Sludge Report is available as a free email service..Click HERE - http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/myscoop/ to subscribe...

Sludge Report #64

Damp Arrival Forecast For Dubya's Energy Plan

It appears plans for dealing with the emerging United States energy crisis are, as forecast, destined to be delivered by US President George “Dubya” Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in the rain.

Sludge reckons this is further evidence that global weather may be getting politically active. (See.. Sludge Report #49 - Dubya's Storm Arrives On Time for earlier discussion of this theme.)

Tomorrow, Thursday in the US, Dubya is expected to announce a range of measures to fast track the construction of hundreds of new fossil fuel – and greenhouse gas emitting – power stations.

He is travelling to St Paul in Minnesota for the launch of his energy plan.

It appears the rain has travelled with him. Sludge has been watching the maps and just as happened with Bush's inauguration day storm, the weather has again been zeroing in on his speech ceremony for several days.

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With 24 hours to go, the latest image from NOAA shown below shows rain falling in St Paul on Thursday morning, admittedly not a lot, but rain is rain.

http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/envirorain/stpaul171.gif
See also following images…
http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/envirorain/stpaul172.gif http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/envirorain/stpaul173.gif

Further to the west former oil baron Cheney will be keeping the White House fires burning, as Washington too gets a dousing to coincide with the policy launch.

On the basis of the intensity of the rain it would appear the heavens are more displeased with Cheney – who most probably wrote the Energy Policy Dubya will be delivering - than they are with his boss.

The image below shows rain falling on Washington on Thursday US Time.

http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/envirorain/wash171.gif
See also…
http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/envirorain/wash172.gif
http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/envirorain/wash173.gif

Sludge is sure the skeptical will remain unconvinced about the weather's motives, and so provides one more piece of evidence. By Saturday Dubya ought to be back inside the White House discussing how his energy policy announcement has gone down with the public.

And look what happens…the rain cloud that first dumped on him in St Paul has followed him home.

http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/envirorain/wash191.gif

Anti©opyright Sludge 2001

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

Contact Alastair Thompson

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