Democrats in Washington, with slim majorities, think their green agenda is worth increasing our $29 trillion deficit, adding to our inflation problem, and raising taxes. They want to spend half a trillion dollars on subsidies for wind, solar, and electric vehicles for the better off who can afford them.
All of this is a terrible idea and shows how out of touch Democrats are. If they keep pursuing these policies, Democrats are almost certain to lose seats in the 2022 elections.
If wind and solar are cheaper than other electricity sources, there is no reason to continue giving these industries subsidies, but Democrats seem desperate to throw even more money at them. Since 1992, Congress has renewed these giveaways 14 times.
Increased spending on wind, solar, and batteries helps the Chinese Communist Party more than American families and workers — or the climate. As Democrats continue their war on coal, oil, and natural gas, China, India, African nations, and even Mexico are embracing coal. These nations and others are building more than 400 coal plants and more than 400 coal mines.
Last year was a record year for China’s coal usage and production. China burns more than half of the 8 billion tons of coal used each year, and it plans on burning even more in 2022. There is no indication that the CCP plans to adopt clean coal technology anytime soon.
Contrary to most media coverage, China is investing eight times more in its fossil fuel production than it is in adding wind and solar. So why do Democrats so desperately want to send taxpayer dollars to China? The end result will be jobs moving there as well.
China manufactures 75% of the batteries needed for electrification and 75% of solar panels. Additionally, it controls 75% of the rare earth minerals needed to produce these alternative sources of energy. This means that hundreds of billions of our tax dollars and electricity users’ money will strengthen China while weakening America.
Electric grids cannot store power. They must have a moment-to-moment balance between electricity on and electricity off the grid. Without enough power, the whole grid can fail, and users will experience blackouts.
A grid failure could leave millions of people without electricity for weeks. This may seem like a worst-case scenario, but it is possible. Germany has almost experienced grid failure several times, and the grid in Texas failed last February.
Because wind and solar produce little or no power 70% of the time, they harm grid stability. Adding wind and solar sources causes prices to go up and reliability to go down. When it rains or the sun sets, renewable energy stops. When this inevitably happens, natural gas plants must already be burning fuel to keep the turbines turning and the power flowing.
Turning up and down a coal or natural gas plant causes it to burn more fuel, just like driving a car in a city with many stops and starts burns more fuel than driving on the interstate. The inevitable result is increased emissions.
What Democrats hope you don’t figure out is that everywhere wind and solar are added, the price of electricity goes up. Just look at California, where electricity costs are 50% above the national average, or Germany, which has some of the highest electricity prices in Europe.
This is because installing wind and solar doesn’t end the need for other power sources. Often, taxpayers end up paying to shut down a coal plant, build wind and solar equipment, and maintain a natural gas plant. It’s quite the racket for the utilities, which make more money the more they build.
Wind and solar often produce little or no energy during the hottest or coldest days, when people need it the most. Typically, there is little wind and sunshine during those times when power is most often desperately needed.
Last year, as many as 500 people died when 4.5 million Texan homes and businesses lost power for days. Texas leads the nation in wind power, but the massive wind component of its grid was incapable of producing any power while this occurred.
As electrical grids around the country close reliable coal plants and are replaced with part-time weather-dependent wind and solar operations, we will see what former President Barack Obama said — “Under my plan, electric prices will necessarily have to skyrocket.” Why do Democrats want that for people?
I sure hope Republicans in Congress unite against these bills and protect us from this lunacy. Like I used to say when I was in the Wisconsin Legislature, we need more grown-ups in the room. Facts matter, and they are more important than green feelings.
Frank Lasee is a former Wisconsin state senator and former member of Gov. Scott Walker’s administration. The district he represented had two nuclear power plants, a biomass plant, and numerous wind towers. He has experience dealing with energy, the environment, and the climate.
