“The modern history of wind power and on-grid solar power can be summarized in four words: economically incorrect, politically correct. U.S. companies invested heavily in renewable energy technologies in the 1970s/80s only to suffer losses and, in most cases, to exit. Only massive taxpayer and consumer subsidies in the 1990s reversed these market verdicts, leading to today’s government dependence.”
Last week, the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) published my research paper, The Economic Fall and Political Rise of Renewable Energy. This study is drawn from chapter 13 of Enron Ascending: The Forgotten Years, 1984–1996, which reviewed Enron Corp.’s game-changing forays into solar power (1995), wind power (1997), as well as in other alternative energies.
Major Points
The Press Release made these five points:
“Perhaps General Motors doesn’t realize that many Americans don’t want to wait an hour to charge their BEV while away from home. Or that they don’t want to pay twice as much for the family car.”
“Who will benefit from this program? Wealthy customers in California and the other ten states who have a Zero Emissions program. Who will lose? Middle-class Americans living in the Midwest who buy SUVs and pickup trucks.”
Saved by the government during the last economic crash, General Motors (GM) again has turned to the federal government for special favor. This time they want to saddle the public with a National Zero Emissions Vehicle (NZEV) program to support expensive battery-powered vehicles (BEVs).
Until now, Mary Barra, GM’s CEO, has done a credible job of guiding GM from its tenuous situation after the government bailout to what, until now, has been steady progress.
…“The March 16, 2018, edition of the Wichita Business Journal contained a list of the top 25 Lobbyists, ranked by their Total Money Spent in Kansas during 2017. I am happy to report that KIOGA did not make the list.”
“I am always amazed by the fact that the United States is virtually the only country on earth with private ownership of minerals. So pat yourself on the back if you are producing oil and natural gas, because you have helped send kids to college, helped pay for lifesaving medical treatments, paid off farm loans, and generally had a positive impact on thousands of lives in the State of Kansas.”
– Ken White, Chair, President, Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association, KIOGA, May/June 2018, pp. 4–5.
Trade associations are part of the undesigned market order.
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