Why is it that WNYC or just about any public broadcasting outlet fails to give legitimate air time to views that oppose Anthropogenic Global Warming Theory? In your interview today with Mr Rizzo, he claims to endorse the science of the IPCC. Yet the IPCC data has yet to prove man is the cause of global warming. They have failed to disprove the null hypothesis of AGW, accounting for what happens naturally in the climate. How then can they claim with any certainty man's contribution? In addition, numerous predictions of theirs from temperature rises to sea levels having come up short. And even more glaring is no accounting for the fact that rises in CO2 according to the Vostok Ice Cores, follow rises in temperature, nullifying CO2 as the cause of this correlation. Also, why does the liberal media pay so little attention to the considerable conflicts of interest from the champions of AGW Gore and IPCC's Pachauri? I find little scrutiny and no debate on the validity of AGW theory as well as the IPCC's integrity, from public broadcasting or liberal media such as the NYT's in general. Yet when scientific heavyweights like of Dyson, Lindzen, and Giaever dismiss AGW theory as anti science, the silence from the liberal bent media is about as disturbing as taking intelligent design seriously. When so much monumental legislation and regulation is at stake, I'd expect a bit more due diligence. BTW, I the oil companies didn't force my hand.

Another major problem not addressed with regards to "clean coal": the water-energy nexus.

Cleansing the Air at the Expense of Waterways http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/us/13water.html?pagewanted=all

"But the cleaner air has come at a cost. Each day since the equipment was switched on in June, the company has dumped tens of thousands of gallons of wastewater containing chemicals from the scrubbing process into the Monongahela River, which provides drinking water to 350,000 people and flows into Pittsburgh, 40 miles to the north."

Jeez- Seems all these activities require investments. My home heating/cooling experience showed conservation & payback within 4 years. [1800SqFt single family house]

1. Upgrade antique gas furnace And convert from 'standard' to 'high efficiency' furnace... reduced heating costs about 40% without ANY other changes.
2. Invert activity of Air Conditioning... Cool to Very Low temp overnight...64 deg ... shut off system at 6AM. Maintain 80deg daytime temp (unless humidity gets too high... 55% or more). Then restart cooling for evening activities.. 74 at dinner and later.
3. Re-inspect the attic... insulate and ventilate attic. Attic fan starts at 95deg.

This summer's monthly electric bills never(!) exceeded $220. (and only once, at that)

Ever hear of Day burning? Read on. When I drive around I see street lights on all the time in the middle of the day. It is called "Dayburning". Best example is driving over the Verrazano Bridge. Every single light is on all day every day. At least in NY you can call 311 and report it. In NJ no such thing exists The guest's company allows you to report a street light not working (not on) but you can not report one that is on all day. I want an investigative report on dayburning! Costing us untold thousands in money and carbon. the most basic step of energy conservation - turn off the lights. The utilities tell us to do it at home. But there is no such effort on major highways, parking lots etc.

Clean coal is a fallacy.
They can't remove all the carbon emissions but they do remove other harmful substances. So they call it clean, when in truth it is far from it. Notice how Mr. Rizzo quickly moved on when coal was brought up. Energy providers like coal because it is cheaper to generate power with it than other fuels.

Solar energy is no more regressive than other sources of energy in this country. Yes, it is subsidized, but so are nuclear power and the oil/gas industry!

Natural Gas!?! Have we learned nothing? No fracking no thanks. What about wind power? I have yet to hear you or your guest mention the benefits of wind.

Brian ~ When these people blather on about 'the market picking winners' instead of the government, why don't you ask the obvious question about the Chinese government picking the winners with subsidies that dwarf anything the US government has ever engaged in?

I'm surprised Mr. Izzo mentions only the environmental effects of burning coal, not those of obtaining it.

Thanks for mentioning some of those, Brian, but don't forget the worst--mountaintop-removal mining!

It would be nice, Brian, if you could do a show breaking out the subsidies required to provide us with fossil fuels we use at the prices we now have them.

I hear a lot of talk about how the Market should allocate resources. Assuming that this is correct, we need to determine the actual cost of a gallon of gasoline, or a ton of coal, or a cubic foot of natural gas. If these costs are not factored in, the idea that the Market is allocating resources most effeciently is a delusion.

Of course, the comment made by a caller that "no person is smarter than the Market" is absurd. I'm smarter than the market, which is why I think that child labor should be illegal. I'm smarter than the market, which is why I think that dumping lead in our air in leaded gas is a dumb idea and should be illegal because it makes our children stupid. Anyone who talks about the Market as though it is a panacea needs to spend some time in an ECO 101 class.

I agree with caller David.

@ Mike Best - You're right that Gov. Christie is actually rolling back progress on both the renewable energy sector and water protection in my state of NJ while claiming otherwise.

Geothermal doesn't make sense if you have to drill wells. We looked into it and found that the four 100-foot holes we had to drill drove the cost of the system to beyond a 30-year payback.

Amen to the caller - I am leaving this city because of my electric bill - $400 a month for a studio!!!! A studio! I lived in Florida - two bedroom and paid less than $100 for electric, studio in Seattle, $40 a month. But welcome to NJ - $400 a month!!!!!!!!!!

Electricity generated from Solar PV panels now costs less than electricity bought from utilities.

See: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/guest-blogs/pv-systems-have-gotten-dirt-cheap?utm_source=email&utm_medium=eletter&utm_term=air-barrier&utm_content=20111026-electrical&utm_campaign=green-building-advisor-eletter

Um...the marketplace is not a person. It does not have intelligence. The caller is talking about the marketplace like it's a deity.

I am DIY typer of person and
I have my own home and have the space for solar panel and wanted to add solar panel to my house. I love the idea of using solar but for single family home owner in NYC why isn’t our government subsidizing this more. Can I just use solar to heat my house hot water during the day since the government will not help me to pay up front on solar for electricity.

We installed a solar system on the roof of our new construction condo. It powers our unit and we can sell credits back to the grid. Along with rebates, it should pay itself off in 7 years or so. But my concern is simple supply and demand- if a lot solar installations come online, not sure what would happen to us.
From a resale perspective, we know this differentiates our condo quite a bit, while appealing to the green leanings of the typical younger buyers in Hoboken- being net energy neutral.
Biggest problem is up front cost. We had to pay $30k up front, separate from cost of condo. Second problem is red tape. It took 6 months to get our system approved and generating. Then again, it is corrupt Hoboken so no surprise.

Mr Izzo,

Why is Gov. Christie trying to curb the success of NJ Solar market via his Energy Master Plan suggestions?

We're building a new home in Teaneck NJ that will meet the Passive House standard.

Our last home had a 7 kW solar PV array on the roof. It covered more than half of our energy needs.

Our new home will also have a PV array on the roof, but thanks to Passive House, our energy needs have been tremendously reduced.

Passive House construction dramatically reduces the amount energy required to heat and cool a house.

You can read more about our project in our Facebook group: "Passive House NJ"

I had 17 panels installed on Monday. This will provide 80% of my electric. I'm waiting for town inspectors to approve the installation work; then PSE&G switches out my meter (need a 2-way meter). Thus I'll be taking AND contributing to the grid within about 2 weeks.

My deal is this: I am not paying a penny for any of this. I pay the solar co about $.70 on the dollar that PSE&G would charge for my electricity. In 20 years I own the panels. I'm not up & running just yet, but calculations expect me to save about $35/ month.

is there any programs or suggestions PSE&G offers to condo associations to become more energy efficient for common areas? Typically lights are on all day and night in common areas and with old fixtures energy expenditure is offen much higher than it should be.

There is no question that one of the best investments a middle income person can make, if they own their own home, is to invest in a solar or other alternative energy systems, the most recent of which pay themselves off in about 7 to 11 years. If you don't have your own money, or don't want to take a chance putting it up front, you can lease a system, with an option to own it eventually. IN the end, it should pay off handsomely.

Right, this is gonna happen

Recently took a road trip across the american west and i was stunned. i thought new jersey was advanced because of all the solar panels -- washington state, oregon, idaho, kansas, utah, colorado -- i saw so many thousands of windmills on farms, properties, deserts, i was very impressed with how advanced the west is while we in the east continue bickering and making little bits of progress.

I was told in Colorado that farmers are earning so much $$$ from their energy production that they are stopping farming and it's actually effecting the food supply.

Could Mr. Rizzo give us an update/details on the large solar array being built in the wetlands in what I think is technically Kearny, which I see everyday riding on the NJ Transit Midtown Direct train into NYC?

A few questions:

> Is this the 3 MW installation mentioned in the article the one I'm referring to above? http://www.northjersey.com/news/130810673_Lt__Governor_shows_off_solar_farm_on_old_landfill_in_Kearny.html

> When will the array be finished and operational?

> What did the state of NJ do to help get this array constructed? (both on regulation and economic)