We increasingly are seeing the results of the insane energy policies here and elsewhere in the world – skyrocketing energy prices, natural gas shortages in Europe and parts of Australia (Victoria), unstable electrical grids because of the heavy reliance on wind energy (South Australia, parts of Germany) and electricity shortages and blackouts for the same reason (Texas), just to name a few.
None of these things were caused by natural disasters.
In the case of Texas, I don’t consider heatwaves to be natural disasters. They happen all the time and they aren’t like thunderstorms or tornadoes. People know they’re coming days in advance, know what they can do, know what to do...until the power goes out because of poor planning, poor policy, or deliberate actions taken by officials at the behest of ‘advocates’ who don’t give a damn about how damaging the actions taken do nothing to ‘heal the planet’ but cause misery, pain, and in some cases, death.
No new reliable and dispatchable power generation facilities – natural gas turbines, coal-fired and nuclear power plants - are being built...except in China.
The push to rely on unreliable renewable sources is driving much of these problems. Dependence upon natural gas supplies that can be cut off at whim, either by hostile foreign governments (Russia) or hostile domestic governments (Australia) makes planning to meet energy demand difficult. Shutting down coal and nuclear plants without replacing them with generating systems capable of meeting the demand is foolish and has left countries like Germany short of energy. They have since stopped decommissioning their remaining coal and nuclear power plants. There has also been mention made to recommission some nuclear plants that were recently shut down in light of Russia’s shutdown of the natural gas pipeline supplying Germany.
Here in New England we’re seeing a tight natural gas supply and electricity generation capacity. This was by design, not due to calamities, weather, or breakdowns/failures. Between coordinated opposition to a new natural gas pipeline between Pennsylvania and Massachusetts which would have made it possible to meet all of New England’s natural gas demand and opposition to two different power line projects that would have brought clean, renewable, and cheap electricity into New England from Quebec Hydro, we’re dealing with an energy shortage created by our self-anointed ‘betters’. When I hear people asking why our electricity rates and natural gas costs are higher than the rest of the nation, I make sure to tell them why and who to thank.
Our high gasoline and diesel prices are not due to Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine. It’s due to people right here in our own country, specifically Presidentish Biden’s action that shut down construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. That didn’t stop oil from from getting from Point A to Point B. Instead that same oil is traveling by rail in tanker cars - owned by Warren Buffet - at a higher cost and lower capacity and less safely than the pipeline. Then there were federal oil & gas lease auctions that were canceled. Then severe restrictions on fracking on existing leases. Then cancellation of some existing leases. And now banning drilling on offshore leases. That moron is making sure oil prices will rise again, hurting everyone but particularly the poor and middle class. (We know from both words and deeds that the Progressives want to see the middle class destroyed. One way of doing that is making sure they can’t afford the energy they need, impoverishing them, and making them poor. They’re then easier to control...or eliminate if they won’t be controlled.)
Am I being cynical? Yup, without a doubt. I earned my right to be cynical after decades of dealing with both good and bad people. Some of those bad people are in government, in our education system, in various advocacy organizations, and elsewhere...and they don’t really give a damn about anyone not them. This unfortunately includes most of us.
So when are we going to stop letting the bad people keep doing this to everyone else?
