Joe Biden said during the debate that he would close down the oil industry and transition to “alternative” fuels.
Trump: “Would you close down the oil industry?”
Biden: “Yes. I would transition.”
Trump: “That is a big statement.”
Biden: “That is a big statement.”
Trump: “Why would you do that?”
Biden: “Because the oil industry pollutes, significantly. … Because it has to be replaced by renewable energy over time, over time. And I’d stop giving to the oil industry, I’d stop giving them federal subsidies.”
Currently, the oil and gas industries receive about $11 billion in federal subsidies. These take the form of direct payments, as well as regulatory and royalty relief. The taxpayer has been amply rewarded for those subsidies in the form of cheap oil and gas as well as energy independence for the United States.
But oil and gas “pollute” the air with dirty carbon dioxide. So, it’s gotta go. But realistically, how do you “transition” from fossil fuels to “renewable” energy?
Let’s ask California. They’ve eliminated all coal-fired electrical plants and are working at closing down the few remaining nuclear plants. Of course, this means they have to “buy” energy from other Western states in order to keep the lights on because the “renewable” energy they employ has not lived up to the promises of operators to deliver power when the grid is stressed.
And sometimes, it’s not enough.
Governor Gavin Newsom blamed the blackouts on what he describes as a “gap”, as utilities continue to transition from natural gas plants to renewable energy.
“We cannot sacrifice reliability as we move on,” Newsom said.
He called for an investigation into the rolling blackouts on Monday.
“We failed to predict and plan these shortages. And that’s simply unacceptable,” Newsom said.
California’s “rolling blackouts” are accepted as a price that must be paid for this “transition.” Or, at least, leftists and greens accept it. What ordinary Californians think of it is not printable in a family publication.
“The governor says he wants an investigation. We don’t need an investigation. What we need more electricity available when we need it, and that’s gonna mean turn the natural gas plants back on,” Patterson says. “We need more electricity. Plain and simple.”
Is this what America has to look forward to if Joe Biden is elected president?
“California, in many ways, is the canary in the coal mine,” said Todd Snitchler, Chief Executive of the Electric Power Supply Association, a trade group representing power producers nationwide. “Many of the natural-gas units that some in California would like to see go away have been exactly what’s needed to keep the system operating.”
Grid operators across the country are grappling with the reliability question as wind and solar farms increasingly replace coal- and gas-fired generation, which are capable of producing steady streams of power or firing up quickly when needed.
The bottom line is clear and simple to understand: we can’t generate the same amount of power “transitioning” to renewables because we have been unable to build industrial-scale solar plants and wind farms. It is beyond our technology — even with massive subsidies. And how long can we sustain propping up industries that can’t make it in the marketplace on their own?
Joe Biden must know that his “transition” scheme will cause the lights to blink off all over the country if he’s successful at killing the oil industry. Because if solar and wind power can’t make it in California, where can they make it?
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