Big Environment at the Federal Trough Again

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What started as a good idea in Washington (those are always short-lived) has turned into a monstrous mess that will ladle out even more of our hard-earned dollars to the wind and solar lobbies. It is Senate Bill S.2657. An analysis is here. 

Solar and, especially, wind energy destabilize the electrical grid and are very expensive. The stories you hear about them being comparable to coal or natural gas don't include:

  • Running expensive transmission lines to the windmill farms. 
  • Disposal of obsolete windmills.
  • The little-known fact that fossil-fuel generators are always running in the background because wind and solar are unreliable. 
  • The high human cost of mining rare-earth minerals that have much better uses.
  • All of the tax money that subsidizes their installation and use. 
  • Of course, there is the non-monetary cost of all of birds killed by the windmills' blades.
The federal subsidies for windmills began in the Carter Administration. I didn't oppose them at that time because I thought they might have potential. We now know they are a terrible investment that would never exist but for the federal largess. It needs to stop. Contact your Senator if you agree with me. 

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