Been There, Done That

Reader JC_In_PA sends me an article about electricity, suggesting that it’s worthy of a 10,000-word rant.  An excerpt:

In our modern age, the electric grid is the mother of all networks. Without electricity, advanced forms of transportation and communications virtually grind to a halt and nearly all digital and electronic devices are rendered practically useless. When the grid goes down, we lose conveniences like air conditioning, lighting, and other amenities that we often take for granted.

Several days ago, Spain, Portugal, and parts of France and Belgium lost power for an extended period of time, demonstrating just how devastating a total grid collapse can be to our modern way of life.

During this colossal blackout, the largest that Europe has ever experienced, more than 50 million people were left without electricity. Traffic signals did not work, creating utter chaos on the roadways. Subway systems couldn’t function, leaving people stranded far from home. Stores and businesses closed, as payments were limited to cash only. Mobile phone service was spotty, at best. Even some hospitals and medical facilities, which generally have backup generators, were left without power.

As of now, it seems that the sudden, system-wide grid collapse was caused by a malfunction at two solar power plants in southwest Spain.

And further down the page:

Now, you may be thinking that enormous, system-wide blackouts could never occur in the United States, the most prosperous nation in human history. That is not only naïve, but dangerous.

As the American Energy Alliance notes, “power outages have increased by 93 percent across the United States over the last 5 years — a time when solar and wind power have increased by 60 percent. Texas, who leads the nation in wind generation, and California, who leads the nation in solar generation, have had the largest number of power outages in the nation over those 5 years.”

Unbeknownst to many Americans, the federal government, in cahoots with state and local governments, has pushed electricity grid operators to build more solar and wind power facilities instead of dependable natural gas plants while prematurely shuttering perfectly operable coal power plants. As is almost always the case, government subsidies, loan guarantees, and tax breaks have created a skewed market in which utility companies are incentivized to build more solar and wind power plants instead of dependable and affordable coal, natural gas, and nuclear power plants.

Due to this short-sighted money grab, the long-term reliability of the U.S. grid is being put in peril.

Well, I’d add my two cents to this little diatribe, but Loyal Readers will recall that I have spoken about this issue several times, to wit:  February 2021, June 2021, January 2023, November 2023, and January 2024.  (I have no idea what happened to 2022 — a mild winter, maybe — but there it is.)

Adding all that up comes to somewhat less than 10,000 words, to be sure, but I’m pretty sure that collectively, the “rant” part has been well addressed, e.g.:

We need to stop being fearful about our energy needs, toot sweet, and if the existing electricity providers are being hampered, the reasons for said hampering need to be eliminated before we start having Third World problems of rolling blackouts and “load shedding”.

And by “eliminating” I mean this:

Cornerstone, Dislodged?

Looks like the Trumpistas are aiming their harpoons at another whale:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin said that the agency will review the agency’s endangerment finding — the “holy grail of the climate change religion” that has created over a trillion dollars in regulatory impact.

Wut dat?  Breitbart explains:

The finding stated that greenhouse gas emissions are an alleged threat to public health and welfare.

And when you look at the data which supposedly supports the finding, it, like most other “environmental” data, is a bunch of codswallop.

The EPA proceeded in an unorthodox manner. Slicing and dicing the language of the statute, it made an “endangerment finding” totally separate from any actual rulemaking-setting standards for emissions from cars. EPA argued it had the authority to do this because Congress didn’t specifically forbid it from taking this approach. By taking this approach, the endangerment finding intentionally ignored costs of regulations that EPA knew would follow from the finding — and indeed ignored any other policy impacts of those regulations.

Results (that you or I would care about)?

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, the director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment at the Heritage Foundation, said that the EPA regulations that arose from the endangerment finding have contributed to automobile prices to rise from $23,000 in 2009 to nearly $50,000 now.

The EPA has relied on the endangerment finding for seven vehicle regulations that reportedly have an aggregate cost of more than one trillion dollars, according to the agency’s own regulatory impact analyses. 

We all knew that enviro-bullshit was behind so much of the price increases — that, and the raft of “safety” regulations that accompanied them.

My message to Sec. Lee Zeldin:

Get rid of that stuff.

Me, I’d like to see the FedGov refund some of that trillion-dollar price increase to everyone who bought cars and trucks — internal-combustion-driven cars and trucks, that is — from 2009 until today.

Why?  Because it was taken from these buyers by government malfeasance.

And if our current government wants to “claw back” some of that money from the people and organizations who instigated this swindle, that would be fine, too.

Quote Of The Day

From EPA Head Guy Lee Zeldin:

The EPA will continue to protect human health and the environment while unleashing America’s full potential. That means reconsidering the regulations that have restricted every sector of the economy, such as the illegal Clean Power Plan 2.0, Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, and Particulate Matter 2.5 levels. Under President Trump guidance, the EPA also has ended the electric-vehicle mandate that threatened to destroy America’s auto industry and made cars cost more. Instead of forcing Americans to buy expensive vehicles they neither want nor can keep powered up, we are restoring choice to consumers and bringing automaking jobs back home in line with our Great American Comeback initiative. This commitment to our manufacturing base contrasts with Biden administration policies that shipped jobs overseas.

What was that?  Sorry, I couldn’t hear you over the sound of big American-made engines revving…

By Any Other Name, Part Deux

Let’s assume that your name was Mahmood El Snaipah, and you wanted to bring attention to the Holy Cause Of Islam by orchestrating attacks on critical energy facilities by targeting an oil pipeline in South Dakota and an electrical substation in North Dakota.

Can you spell T-E-R-R-O-R-I-S-M, children?  Of course you can.

Then there’s this asshole:

Cameron Smith, a 50-year-old Canadian national, used a high-powered rifle, to inflict significant damage to both a transformer and pipeline equipment, resulting in widespread disruption of electrical services and interrupting pipeline operations.  

But he’s not a Muzzie terrorist;  he’s an eco-terrorist, you see:

Smith told the court his actions were driven by frustration after years of trying to raise awareness of climate change through lawful means.

… so his behavior must be excused?

Not bloody likely:

Smith has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for orchestrating attacks on critical energy facilities in the United States.

Now we come to the boo-hoo part:

He said he chose remote locations to avoid harming people, and he argued for a lesser sentence, citing his autism and Crohn’s disease.

“This is tantamount to a life sentence, and I don’t think that’s right,” Smith said. He expressed doubt he would receive adequate medical care while incarcerated.

And the takeaway quote:

“I won’t survive this,” Smith said.

I hope you shit yourself to death.  Painfully.  Over the next twenty-odd years.

Rolling Back The Greenies #17

…and about fucking time, too.  More goodness from POTUS:

I am hereby instructing Secretary Lee Zeldin to immediately go back to my Environmental Orders, which were terminated by Crooked Joe Biden, on Water Standards and Flow pertaining to SINKS, SHOWERS, TOILETS, WASHING MACHINES, DISHWASHERS, etc., and to likewise go back to the common sense standards on LIGHT BULBS, that were put in place by the Trump Administration, but terminated by Crooked Joe. I look forward to signing these Orders.

Or, to be more formal about it:

President Donald Trump is waging war against former President Joe Biden’s green energy regulations on Americans’ household appliances.

Is there any way to make this stuff permanent?  Oh wait, that would require Congressional assistance.

Nemmind.

Just a reminder of what he’s talking about:

Biden imposed climate standards for some appliances, including gas stoves, washing machines, and dishwashers during his only term as president.

In July of 2023, the Biden administration cracked down on water heaters by slapping them with greater efficiency standards.

The following month, Biden imposed a ban on incandescent light bulbs, limiting what kinds of lighting would be available for consumers.

In 2023, Biden proposed a rule targeting ceiling fans.

…and the list goes on and on, all about Big Gummint sticking its nose into our private lives, and screwing it all up.