Shale gas 'worse' than coal for climate?

Cornell University Prof. Robert Howarth claims in a new study that,

“Compared to coal, the footprint of shale gas is at least 20 percent greater and perhaps more than twice as great on the 20-year horizon.”

A respectable but counting-the-number-of-angels-that-can-dance-on-the-head-of-a-pin takedown of Howarth’s study may be found at EnergyInDepth.org.

But if you just want JunkScience.com’s cut-to-the-chase takedown, here it is:

Manmade emissions of CO2 from burning coal are not known to have had a discernible impact on climate. So even assuming that Howarth’s worst case scenario concerning shale gas was true, two times a non-discernible impact is still a non-discernible impact.

Next.

Tims of the day: House frosh oppose budget deal because EPA riders removed

Hats off to Reps. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) and Tim Huelskamp (R-Kansas) for voting against last Friday’s budget deal because the riders blocking EPA from regulating greenhouse gases were dropped. According to Climatewire, Scott, Huelskamp and probably others among the 28 House GOP who voted against the deal believed that restricting EPA was a “critical” component of the budget effort.