As a former head of the American Conservative Union and CPAC and having served in various capacities within the center-right movement throughout my entire life, I have seen and experienced quite a lot, and have learned early on that the Republican Party and the conservative movement are most effective when we lead with the facts, not based on how policies make us “feel.” After all, supporting a policy because it makes you feel good is what has decimated the Democratic Party and led to idiotic proposals like defunding the police and canceling Thanksgiving.
With all the news these days about data centers and electricity, I think it is important to weigh in when we’re talking about how conservatives “feel” about these issues. That leads to me a current debate taking place in Iberville Parish, in Louisiana.
Parish leaders are deciding whether or not to allow an industrial-scale solar field to be built on private property – and paid for by private entities. More specifically, the plant will be built by the local electric company, Entergy, and some of the energy it produces will be used to help power Meta’s new data center in Richland Parish.
This is a controversy, because solar power is affiliated with lefties and Democrats, and there are local conservative activists putting pressure on Republicans serving on the Parish Council to oppose allowing this solar plant to be built. Opponents to the plant say they are worried about everything from the solar panels breaking and leaching toxic chemicals into the groundwater to the panels themselves becoming dangerous projectiles in a hurricane.
My understanding is that neither of these environmental concerns w
The real issue here is does a private company and a private landowner have the right to conduct business on their land with their money – or not? As a conservative, I say the answer to that question is always “yes” unless there is a darn good reason for it to be “no” and I am not sure concerns about flying solar panels during hurricanes counts. Hypothetical environmental concerns used to clamp down on private businesses are the tools of the trade of the far left.
For example, because progressives hate fossil fuels, in places like New York and parts of New England, they are suffering from higher electricity prices because they lack adequate power supplies. As data centers come online, it would sure be nice to have that extra electricity to help ease constrictions caused by supply and demand.
That brings me back to Louisiana and Iberville Parish. With Meta’s data center under construction, having that extra electricity from this solar plant would help increase supply and make energy more affordable. That is a good thing.
Indeed, before solar panels became part of the culture war – causing some Republicans to reflexively oppose them because Democrats like them – the Parish Council passed an ordinance in 2023 laying out the rules for building solar plants. The proposed solar plant the council will vote on this week exceeds those standards, especially regarding setbacks from the road – it will be about 4 football fields from major roadways and will have vegetation barriers that are taller than the panels at their peak height. Yet even though this solar field will help spur economic growth and create additional electricity, the Parish Council may reject it. That would be a mistake, and not conservative leadership.
Finally, I suspect that many people in Louisiana are conservatives like me because they believe in this principle: keep government out of people’s lives unless it’s absolutely necessary.
In my view, building a solar plant on private property, with private money, for private companies is not an invitation for Big Government to get involved. It shouldn’t be opposed because of how some people, conservative or not, feel about solar panels. Therefore, I urge Iberville Parish to approve this solar plant, and let’s be conservatives because we believe in freedom, not intrusive government intervention.
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy PJ Media's conservative reporting that takes on the radical Left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member