#ncga: A shot across the bow at crony capitalism
We’ve expressed our dismay at recent legislation — sponsored by a hodge-podge of statist Democrats, RINOs, and reputed conservatives — to extend the 35 percent credit for solar energy production for five years. However, hope for some common sense is on the horizon. There’s a clear record out there that shows solar energy to be impractical as a primary energy source and unaffordable without government subsidies.
HB 681– introduced by Rep. Chris Millis (R-Pender) and co-sponsored by Reps. Hager, Collins, and Warren — calls out that legislation for the costly boondoggle it is and seeks changes to current law regarding energy policy:
- Sunset of alternative energy mandates. Current law sets requirements for the total amount of alternative energy sold to utility provides at 0.02% in 2010 and increasing to 0.20 percent for 2018 and beyond. HB 681 seeks to sunset the mandate at 0.14 percent by the beginning of 2018.
- Repeal of a property tax exclusion for solar energy electric systems. Who knew about THIS? Slap some solar panels on your property and avoid property taxes? Wow.
- Require the Energy Policy Council to provide the state Utilities Commission and the Joint Legislative Study Commission on Government Operations a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of solar energy and its relationship with the power grid. (WHAT? Taking cost into consideration when looking at government policy? *Oh, the horror!*)
- Direct The State of North Carolina to promote […] renewable energy and energy efficiency in a manner that is consistent with the development of the least cost mix of generation. (*There we go again with that “least cost” stuff.*)
This bill is a step in the right direction, but why in the world should this consumer ripoff not have a stake driven through its heart immediately, instead of allowing it to continue two and a half more years? I note some of the co-sponsors have been leading the charge on liberal legislation recently. Did they push Millis to delay rescuing consumers from this monstrosity? Is our House GOP delegation in the pocket of special interests to the point that they had to water it down to get it to pass?
This bill should be amended in committee to give electric ratepayers immediate relief.
Millis continues to be a Republican who stands up for principles. We need more like him. I suspect that if he had had his way, the bill would have given immediate ratepayer relief.
We subsidize the oil and gas industry.
We subsidize the fossil fuel electric power industry.
We subsidize the nuclear fuel electric power industry.
Why would we not subsidize a free clean energy source that is all around us every day of our lives? Renewables reduce our reliance on foreign sources (increasing national security). Renewables reduce pollution of our environment. Nobody is saying we can jump all in to solar, but allowing it some foothold as the other power sources enjoy is a wise way to move to better technologies. Advancing renewable energy technology will reduce costs and add to their production through improvements/testing results.
We also need to increase our efficiencies in using energy.
With your statement if everyone else does it we should as well. Go ahead add more taxes to everything I’m sure that would make you and the other libs happy.
As my papa use to say 1/2 are ignorant everyone else is just plain STUPID! I guess you can decide where you stand.
I am sure that whichever 1/2 you place yourself, it would be with those who continue to shoot themselves in the foot.
I forgot; there’s also this to look forward to if we stick blindly to our current habit:
http://www.wral.com/residents-near-duke-ash-dumps-told-not-to-drink-well-water/14596368/
Those ”subsidies” on traditional energy sources are really just tax arrangements that apply to virtually every business.
If you think ”green energy” is free, you are delusional. When you add up all the costs, it is the most expensive form of energy out there.
Then there are all the other environmental costs, from marring pristine landscapes to the fact that both wind farms and solar farms are murder machines for birds and bats, including endangered species. And, then there are pollution from ”green” power like this pollution on a disastrous scale:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1350811/In-China-true-cost-Britains-clean-green-wind-power-experiment-Pollution-disastrous-scale.html
There are new designs for wind turbines that are far more compact and bird friendly. The main one I’ve seen looks like a corkscrew that gets wider (conical). Solar farms are big impact on open land but rooftops and parking lots (near where the energy is used anyway) are very practical.
I used to not agree with your thinking here, JBP, but we really are seeing where government assistance has sparked enough competition in the solar industry that the costs are dropping dramatically. At this rate, solar technology will soon be cost effective on its own.
Ask the Europeans who have had this crap imposed on them and seen their electric rates soar. Oh, and there was an interesting article in one of the major British newspapers some time back. People are starting to sue over the visual pollution of these things, and well they should!
If Solar faced the same amount of regulation oil, gas, and coal faced, we wouldn’t even think of using it as a source of energy. Let’s try to keep at least one foot in Realville.
If solar polluted as much as oil, gas, and coal did it would be more regulated. If solar was as dangerous to acquire as oil, gas, and coal is it would be more regulated. Thanks for adding another argument to why moving to solar is a better idea. REAL.
I would say that your idea is ”for the birds” . . . EXCEPT . . . that both wind and solar KILL birds. It is also expensive and unreliable. Real Americans need AFFORDABLE energy, not expensive wind and solar. Of course, the environmental extremists simply do not care about real everyday Americans.
Nice try but, as I pointed out, wind and solar are relatively expensive because they have not had the historical and continued subsidies that the petro and coal industries have enjoyed for so long.
As for killing birds and other life, you don’t have to look long to see that the oil, gas, coal, hydro, and nuclear industries have a poor track record as well.
The left is in cloud kookoo land on their allegations of ”subsidies” of traditional power sources. Green energy has nothing but a track record of corrupt crony capitalist subsidies, and jacking up- our electric rates.
There is a simple fact that means wind and solar will always drive up electric rates, and that is the fact that they are intermittant and therefore unreliable. If the sun in not shining or wind not blowing (or blowing too hard), they produce no power and the electric company has a huge expense of maintaining backup generating capacity. The UK almost got in a huge bind last year with a prolonged snow storm. With cold weather, there was peak demand, but the wind was not blowing and the sun not shining.
Any Obama Republican who votes for this stinking corporate welfare to the green energy crony capitalists needs to be primaried and defeated.
http://priceofoil.org/fossil-fuel-subsidies/
Tell ya what J, call the power company, and tell them to pull the meter base on your house. Then, remove most of the plastics from your house. Of coarse, the car has to go, and now you’re on foot power. Can’t use a horse, the methane you know is bad for the ozone. Replace any of these with solar, or wind, energy. Remember not to use any contraptions that utilize any evil crude products. You’ll also have to lose a good portion of your wardrobe. Show us how it’s done.
WHY should I do that???
Where did I advocate abandoning altogether any of the energy sources we do have, or products that we use for that matter???
Not that extreme? Well let’s do this then. I’m putting solar panels on my roof. Uninstalled, it’s going to cost me around 3200$. How big of a check would you like to send me towards this endeavor ? 100? 500? What’s your fair share of this path to green energy?