As reported by Bloomberg Opinion columnist Javier Blas in “Why Norway’s Political Crisis Is a European Energy Problem” (Feb. 3, 2025)

After decades of quietly footing the bill for Europe’s grand energy experiments, it appears Norway has finally decided to walk off the stage — or at the very least, slam the door shut on a few cross-border power cables on the way out.

The political crisis rocking Oslo isn’t just about domestic squabbles or ideological posturing. It’s about energy — more specifically, the growing realization that Norway, with its hydro-rich grid, has become the unwilling battery pack for Germany’s failed energy transition. Or as the Germans call it, Energiewende.

And like all grand social experiments conducted with other people’s money, the Norwegians are understandably losing patience.

The Dunkelflaute Domino Effect

Blas doesn’t mince words. To understand what’s happening in Norway, one must grasp two German words: Energiewende and Dunkelflaute.

• Energiewende: Germany’s vaunted energy transition, which enthusiastically shuttered nuclear plants and lavished subsidies on intermittent wind and solar.
• Dunkelflaute: A literal “dark lull” — those long winter stretches when it’s not only cold and cloudy but also eerily still. No wind. No sun. No power.

With baseload capacity gutted and dispatchable plants (i.e., fossil fuels) scorned, Germany has become a dangerously energy-dependent neighbor. When the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow, Berlin plugs into the north — namely Norway — and expects the lights to stay on.

And for years, they have. At Norway’s expense.

Higher Prices, Diminishing Patience

Cross-border power interconnectors, often lauded as marvels of modern engineering (and conveniently costing over $1 billion each), were supposed to create a seamless European grid. In theory, they would equalize prices and share resources.

In practice, they’ve exported Germany’s energy failures across the continent.

According to Blas, “average wholesale power prices in 2023-2024 were more than 50% higher in southern Norway than in the 2010-2020 period” — a direct result of increasing electricity exports to prop up struggling grids abroad.

The Norwegians are being told this is “efficient.” In reality, they’re subsidizing bad policy — specifically, Berlin’s decision to nuke its own nuclear fleet and double down on weather-dependent infrastructure.

A Government Falls, and a Message Is Sent

When the euro-skeptic Center Party pulled its support for new EU energy rules (the so-called fourth clean-energy package), it did more than provoke a minor government shakeup. It sent the clearest message yet that Norway isn’t going to be Europe’s backup generator anymore.

Now, the Labour Party is left to govern alone — the first minority government in 25 years. Come the next election on September 8, this issue is likely to loom large.

This isn’t just a Norwegian tantrum. It follows similar tensions elsewhere:

• Sweden recently rejected a German request for another interconnector.
• Norway previously turned down a British proposal for a cable to Scotland.
• France, Austria, and even Greece are starting to grumble about similar dynamics.

The illusion of a unified, efficient, pan-European energy market is cracking. And it’s not hard to see why.

Cross-Border Hypocrisy and the Green Mirage

The deeper irony here is that the very countries relying on Norway to bail them out are the ones most ardently pursuing aggressive “green” targets. These ambitions rest on the laughable assumption that renewables, backed by sporadic imports and dreams of storage unicorns, can replace baseload power.

Germany, the ringmaster of this energy circus, shut down nuclear plants prematurely, only to find itself stuck with coal… again. Blas writes, “Berlin needs to ensure it has enough domestic capacity to keep the lights on… that means keeping its coal-fired plants open far longer than it currently plans.”

This is the real scandal: the so-called climate leaders are failing by their own standards, and dragging others down with them.

The Economics of “Efficiency” — For Whom?

Blas makes a crucial distinction between economic efficiency and political accountability:

“Efficiency has a different meaning in economics than in politics. In the former, it means ‘lower average prices for everyone’; in the latter, it means ‘lower prices only for my own voters.’”

Translation: German voters enjoy cheaper power because Norwegian voters pay more. And now the latter are asking, “Why exactly are we doing this?”

The idea that Norway should continue subsidizing someone else’s ideology — especially one that rejects the energy technologies that made Norway rich and resilient — is a non-starter.

The Warning Shot Heard Across Europe

The potential scrapping of two half-century-old cables to Denmark is no mere infrastructure quibble. It’s a warning. When even the Nordic bloc, historically cooperative and consensus-driven, starts pulling back from EU energy integration, it’s clear the entire house of cards is wobbling.

The lesson? If a policy needs someone else to suffer economically in order to succeed, it’s not a good policy.

No More Mr. Nice Norseman

Norway’s quiet rebellion isn’t just about politics or local pricing. It’s a systemic indictment of the renewable-first, common-grid fantasy driving Europe’s energy agenda. A nation that exports more electricity than it consumes shouldn’t have its citizens paying some of the continent’s highest prices. And it certainly shouldn’t be forced to comply with policy packages it had no real role in shaping.

Blas is right to call Norway’s revolt a “wake-up call.” Whether Europe hits snooze or finally faces the consequences of its magical thinking will shape the continent’s energy landscape for decades to come.

One thing is clear: Norway is not going to be Europe’s doormat anymore.

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Source: Javier Blas, Why Norway’s Political Crisis Is a European Energy Problem, Bloomberg Opinion, February 3, 2025. Archived link

From THE DAILY CALLER

Audrey Streb
Contributor

Alaska Natives celebrated the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) decision to reinstate leasing and expansion for Alaska’s oil and gas, community leaders told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

DOI announced Thursday that DOI Secretary Doug Burgum is “taking immediate steps to unleash Alaska’s untapped natural resource potential and support President Donald Trump’s vision of American Energy Dominance,” through reopening oil drilling in areas that the Biden administration had previously moved to shut down. Native community leaders in Alaska told the DCNF that the DOI under the Trump administration has taken a step in a “favorable” direction. (RELATED: Biden Admin Makes Last-Ditch Effort To Shield Oil-Rich Part Of Alaska From Trump’s Energy Agenda)

“It’s cautious optimism,”Nagruk Harcharek, president of Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, (VOICE) a nonprofit organization that represents 21 different Native American corporations and communities in Alaska, told the DCNF. “We feel like we’re going to be able to get some things done with a more favorable administration, but we’re also being careful about it because we don’t want to threaten that cultural base and lifestyle that we rely on every day.”

Drilling activity is again open for development on the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) and the Arctic Wildlife National Refuge’s (ANWR) Coastal Plain, after the Biden administration moved to forward a 2023 proposed rule to shut down development in 2024. VOICE and its members announced that they “applaud the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Actions on the North Slope,” in a March 20 press release shared with the DCNF.

This Week: @SecretaryBurgum takes action to unleash Alaska’s energy potential and support @POTUS’s vision for American Energy Dominance, Secretary Burgum applauds POTUS’s signing of a joint resolution that clears the way for more offshore energy development, and more. pic.twitter.com/ylsKenlG4P

— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) March 21, 2025

“It was just constant barrage of surprise after surprise,” Harcharek recalled the actions of the Biden administration to the DCNF. Harcharek referenced that the previous administration claimed to be the “most tribally friendly administration in the history of the United States,” though the native communities in the North Slope of Alaska “didn’t get that sentiment whatsoever.”

Harcharek signaled that the Biden administration promised “meaningful consultation with the indigenous communities who stand to be most affected by policy decisions,” on paper, and that they “were hopeful that it would be included in those dialogues” surrounding the National Petroleum Reserve. He said there was “very minimal consultation,” though this impacts his communities’ “backyard.”

“Oftentimes we were finding out policy changes in the news,” Harcharek said. “Which is not ideal when they have our phone numbers.”

“VOICE gets mischaracterized as an oil and gas advocacy organization and that’s not true,” Harcharek said. “We are here to advocate for an economic base to support our communities and to support our culture.” Harcharek continued to note that “it just so happens that the way we do that right now” is through advocating for pro-oil and pro-gas policies in Alaska “because the economic base the North Slope is through resource development.”

Harcharek noted that 95% of the North Slope budget comes from oil and gas infrastructure taxes. “The economy in the North Slope is oil and gas activity,” he said. Schools, healthcare, roads and running water all came from the “economic base our early leaders ensured that we had access to,” Harcharek said, expressing concerns that without access to oil and gas resource development, their community is forced “to rely on the state and the federal government.”

“Secretary Burgum’s decision … suggests our community’s voice is finally being heard in Washington,” Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation (KIC) president Charles Lampe wrote in the press release. Reopening these lands for “development opportunities on the Coastal Plain” is met with “overwhelming support from our community,” Lampe continued.

“DOI’s announcement is a positive step toward stronger engagement with North Slope Iñupiat communities—and a welcome change from the last administration’s approach that put politics over our people, our self-determination, and its legal obligation to consult with governments on the North Slope,” Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope natural resources director and tribal secretary Doreen Leavitt told the DCNF. “We appreciate Secretary Burgum’s early attention to our region and encourage the Trump-Vance administration to maintain open, ongoing dialogue with North Slope leaders to ensure policies that support our communities and self-determination in the long-term.”

“The Department of Interior’s decision last week makes it clear that Alaska is once again being put at the forefront of America’s energy future,” Republican Alaska Rep. Nick Begich told the DCNF. “The voices of North Slope Iñupiat communities were not given a seat at the table under the Biden Administration and Alaska’s resources were locked up with the stroke of a pen.”

“The decision to reinstate leases and open the door to responsible development in NPR-A and ANWR will benefit Alaska Native communities across the state and every household and business that relies on reliable energy,” Begich continued. “When Alaskans have the freedom to develop our vast natural resources, every American stands to benefit – from lower energy prices to stronger national security. Energy touches every aspect of American life. From heating our homes and fueling our economy to ensuring the strength of our supply chains – energy is freedom.” “The road to American energy dominance begins in Alaska, and I will continue working alongside the Trump Administration to ensure Alaskans are not just heard but are leading the way in securing America’s energy future,” Begich said.

Alaska Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan’s offices did not offer a comment but instead pointed the DCNF to a Thursday press release from the Alaskan delegation.

Today, the North Slope is unified in its outrage over the Biden administration’s unilateral decision affecting our NPR-A homelands. These actions will stymy years of progress, impoverishing our communities and imperiling our culture. Our statement: https://t.co/74r7VmCoSK pic.twitter.com/9YLakGbBVX

— Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat (@VOICE_Arctic) April 19, 2024

The group wrote on X in April 2024 that the Biden administration “cannot credibly claim this is for us when our communities & culture will suffer from this rule.”

“North Slope Iñupiat leaders were not consulted by the federal government prior to its actions,” the press release states. “By excluding local Indigenous communities from the policymaking table, the Biden administration produced deeply flawed policies that would have imposed dire economic consequences on the North Slope Iñupiat’s communities and culture.”

The DOI and Burgum’s announcement “shows that this administration is taking a different approach than its predecessor by listening to North Slope Iñupiat voices,” wrote Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope natural resources director and tribal secretary Doreen Leavitt in the press release. “While these early executive and secretarial actions are promising, it is important that the Trump-Vance administration engage early and frequently with our North Slope leaders to ensure durable policy in our region that benefits our communities and advances our self-determination in the long term.”

The DOI and Burgum’s office did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

From Dr. Roy Spencer’s Global Warming Blog

by Roy W. Spencer, Ph. D.

While some among us continue to be distracted by supposed “chemtrails” high in the atmosphere, lurking right under our noses has been the ultimate conspiracy: Cartrails.

Modern cars are programmed to emit cartrails, containing nefarious and noxious chemicals. As many people can attest, breathing problems become worse in cities where these vehicles-emitting-deadly-vapour-trails are most concentrated.

This never happened many years ago; I know because my grandfather (who was born in the late 1800s) once told me they NEVER had cartrails back when he was a kid.

So, what kinds of chemicals are they poisoning us with? Well, many years ago it was lead in gasoline. But we found out about that conspiracy, which was meant to destroy the nervous systems of our children. So, what was lead replaced with?

That’s an interesting story. My confidential whistleblower (who must remain nameless for fear of retribution) tells me that the government people got together with the car manufacturing people and the petroleum refining people, and they found a NEW way to poison us: platinum, palladium and rhodium microparticles inside super-heated boxes innocuously called “catalytic converters”.

Do you know what palladium microparticles do to the human nervous system??

Well, neither do I. But I’m sure it isn’t good.

The opportunity to poison us with our own cars is SO much more efficient than “chemtrails”. First, the poisoning occurs right here at ground-level, where we breathe the air into our fragile lungs.

Secondly, the amount of fuel used by cars and trucks is many times that used by jet aircraft, thus increasing the human exposure.

Finally, the emissions are nearly invisible on most days. How sinister is that?? Invisible pollution!

And this is why they make jet aircraft emit so much water vapor (which produces cirrus clouds). It’s to keep people distracted with chemtrail theories so that we don’t realize the real threat is right under our noses: Cartrails. You heard it here first. Spread the word. Start a cartrail blog. Vent your fears and frustrations on social media. Go for it.