By Joseph D’Aleo

The U.S. House’s Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming hearing was held atop 4,180-foot Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, requiring all to ride an aerial tram to the lodge where it was held. last weekend to discuss global warming. They heard from some of the local alarmists who predicted there would no longer be a ski industry left in New England, not a single maple treee would survive, so bye-bye maple syrup industry and fall foliage tourism. They heard an orchestrated fictional account of how New England would become more like the Carolinas.

You will recognize those who testified and those who participated in the panel discussion. They will be the ones with the long noses. Not since Paul Bunyon or Prairie Home Companion have such tall tales been told, this time in the beautiful hills of northern New England where I have enjoyed many enjoyable years.

They claim it never snows in the northeast anymore due to global warming. Tell that to the folks further south where in New York City and Boston they set new single snowstorm records the last 3 years. Or Boston where the 12 years ending 2004/05 had more snow than any 12 years in their history back into the 1870s or New York City with 40 inches of snow for the first time ever ending in 2006 and the highest 4 year total in their history back to the 1860s. Or to the 60 cities of the east and midwest that set all-time seasonal snowfall records in the snow blitz season of 1995/96 or in southeast new England in 2004/05.

Now it is true there are always winners and losers in the ‘who gets the snow’ jackpot and northern New England has not fared well most years precisely because the storm track favored snow further south. That was true because after the Great Pacific Climate Shift of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation in 1978, El Ninos were favored and El Ninos favor southern track storms.

By the way, the Pacific appears to be shifting back and this La Nina that appears to be coming on may be the first of many more in the decades ahead. La Ninas mean colder weather further north and the return of the northern storm track. That will mean the ski areas will see much more snow again (remember the tease in the La Nina of 2000/01 when a preview of this change occurred when northern areas were buried?). That will mean better maple runs again and spectacular fall foliage.  Also if not this solar cycle certainly the next will be a super dud like those of the mini-age age which will reinforce the cold and have them talking again about putting a dome over Winooski, Vermont like they did in 1979 after the super cold winters of the late 1970s.

Oh and by the way I just looked in the mirror...not crazy about what I saw as the years are showing and my hair is graying… but my nose didn’t grow.