“The PTC is the single most expensive energy subsidy in the federal tax code and is estimated to cost taxpayers about $40 billion from 2018 to 2027.” (IER, January 5, 2021)

“Special government favor to business–crony capitalism–can turn losers into winners. And the loser lobby can claim progress and even inevitability as if they really won. This is the postmodernism of energy policy today in regard to the two politically correct renewables: wind and (on-grid) solar.”

It does not end. What is not competitive and government dependent just continues that way. This is not only because the market picks winners and leaves the losers for politics. It is also because the market-driven, non-subsidized technology improves over time.

Recently, wind power federal Production Tax Credit received its 13th extension. Reported IER:

The U.S.

“To turn the noun ‘resources’ into the verb ‘resourcing,’ to discard entirely the notion of a resource ‘glass’ that is somewhere between full and empty, requires one more analytic step—a step that Zimmermann failed to take.”

In 1972, just two years after the first Earth Day, a team of scholars from MIT published a 200-page book called The Limits to Growth. Using the emerging instrument of computer models, they created a worldwide stir by suggesting that science had now put numbers to a few self-evident truths. Non-renewable resources are fixed; the consumption of such resources must eventually end; any civilization based on such consumption must collapse. New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis called the work “likely to be one of the most important documents of our age” (January 28, 1972).

Of course, the scholars acknowledged that they were dealing with variables.…

“New Mexico has one of the highest poverty rates in the country. Higher energy prices are in effect a regressive tax that places low-income households in the state in peril.”

Energy policies that originate from a political or quasi-religious agenda—propelled by climate zealots, misinformation, and obliviousness to basic economic principles—are on trial in the new political environment. Such policies sacrifice the public good to benefit special interests wed to rent-seeking.

While this commentary focuses on New Mexico, its urgings are applicable to other jurisdictions that currently have or are considering government-driven energy policies featuring mandates and subsidies that encourage consumers to transition away from fossil fuels. 

Three Hard Truths

Three truths should determine energy policy in New Mexico.

1. No climate benefit. Whatever action the state takes to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has a negligible effect on climate change. …

This post excerpts energy and climate material from the Media Balance Newsletter, a free fortnightly published by physicist John Droz Jr., founder of the Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions. The complete Newsletter for this post can be found here.

Unreliables (General):
Rising Electricity Rates under Biden (Texas wholesale up 200%)
An Australian community’s expensive experiment to go all renewable, is over after a fortnight of blackouts

Wind Energy — Offshore:
*** How President Trump can stop offshore wind on day one
*** ‘Not feasible’ – Engineers whack offshore wind plans
*** Sweden says no to 13 Wind Projects, as they could slow its response to a Russian missile attack
*** Massive Big Wind Project Off Massachusetts Coast Suffers Another Big Blow
Whales Declare BOEM is a Terrorist Organization Committing Genocide

Wind Energy — Other:
*** Taking the Wind Out of Climate Change (referencing 60± studies)
Intermittent Wind Generation on Full Display in the First Two November Days
Dutch coalition party calls for stop on land turbines after devastating Clintel report

Nuclear Energy:
Thorium’s potential as a source of fuel for the future, and its other important uses

Fossil Fuel Energy:
*** Resolving the Dissonance Regarding Fossil Fuels
*** Report: Estimation of the quantity of metals to phase out fossil fuels in a full system replacement, compared to mineral resources
*** Fracking and Pennsylvania: Why it Matters
*** Alec Epstein: The most heretical idea in the world
Resolving the Dissonance Regarding Fossil Fuels
Coal Is Still King In Spite Of War On ‘Fossil Fuels’

Electric Vehicles (EVs):
*** Ford lost $58,391 for every EV it sold during the 3rd quarter
*** Electric Vehicles: A Tale of Woe in the Absence of the Market Process
The “Energy Transition” coupled with “White Gold” Generates Battery Fires

Miscellaneous Energy News:
*** Affordable electricity can resolve worldwide poverty
*** SCOTUS Stumbles: EPA’s Power Plant Rule is Inflicting Irreparable Harm
Alex Epstein: Answers to questions about fracking, Keystone, hurricanes, and more
Navigating the physical realities of the energy transition
FBI thwarts man’s alleged plan to attack Nashville power grid with explosive-laden drone

Manmade Global Warming — Some Deceptions:
*** The Carbon Capture Pipeline Deception
*** A Looming Political Earthquake
*** AI knows it is biased on climate change
*** World Bank Missing $41 Billion in Climate Funds

Manmade Global Warming — Miscellaneous:
*** Climate Journalism Done Right
*** Who Really Cares About Climate Change?…