Best Energy Picks - June 8, 2024

Readers pass along a lot of stuff every week about natural gas, fractivist antics, emissions, renewables, and other news relating to energy.

Jun 08, 2024

This week’s best energy picks:

The Unintended Consequences of California Stupidity — Texas Moves to Save the Grid from the Bidenistas! — Watch Your Electric Bill As You Add 25 Refrigerators! — EVs Also Chocked Full of Unintended Consequences — and much more.

The Unintended Consequences of California Stupidity

The Golden State never learns:

Remember all the hoopla in 2014 when Gov. Jerry Brown signed a “groundbreaking” law that would dramatically reduce solid waste by forbidding grocery stores from providing “single-use” plastic bags?
It’s been a decade since that law turned the grocery checkout process into a grinding routine as clerks ask consumers how many bags they want to buy and cheapskate shoppers drag out bacteria-laden reusable cotton ones.
That law’s backroom negotiations offer hilarious lessons in legislative sausage-making, as unions, stores, and environmentalists jockeyed for special privileges. A key compromise allowed stores to sell thicker “reusable” plastic bags, which seemed bizarre to me.
The “single-use” bags actually had multiple uses. They were so thin I’d keep them to pick up dog poo and line bathroom trash cans.
By contrast, the “reusable” bags are so space-consuming that I always just pitch them in the trash. The Mercury News‘ Paul Rogers reported recently that this “loophole (was) inserted by some Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento who had plastic bag factories in their districts.”
I didn’t remember that detail, but it seemed obvious that replacing thin bags with thick plastic or paper ones might not actually work out as planned.
Sure enough, the ban was a bust. Aside from adding a buck to the typical grocery bill, the plastic ban has failed to cut down on solid waste.
In fact, it led to a massive increase in landfill-destined plastics…

**"Plastic bag nightmare 001" by Zainub is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.**

Apparently, the California Legislature is unaware of the term, “unintended consequences.” But that’s not going to stop it from trying again.
Two bills are now making their way through the Capitol. Senate Bill 1053 and Assembly Bill 2236 would also ban the thicker plastic bags that replaced the thinner previously banned bags. It seems as if lawmakers want us to reuse those dirty old bags stashed in the trunk or under the seat.
But even that isn’t entirely clear. As Rogers explained, Gov. Gavin Newsom “banned people from bringing their own cloth bags to stores in 2020 when the COVID pandemic first began, over fears that the virus could be transmitted by the bags.”

It doesn’t get much dumber than a California politician…

Hat Tip: S.H.

Texas Moves to Save the Grid from the Bidenistas!

Texas was a republic once and ought to be again so some of us could immigrate there…

The EPA and other federal agencies have relentlessly assaulted the Texas power market with various regulations…
The real purpose of the recent EPA rule is to immediately make coal and natural gas power generation illegal, although the rules say that doesn’t happen until 2039…
Those arbitrary end dates mean that private financing for new natural gas generation stops immediately because the economics of generating plants are based on 25 or 30-year project life spans. The EPA rule immediatley spells the end of private financing, and they know it but choose to lie about it as reflected in the long title and thousands of pages that no mortal can read and comprehend. The EPA staff is undoubtedly celebrating their success in hoodwinking the public while getting accolades from their colleagues in the anti-fossil fuel NGOs.
Luckily for Texas residents, the State recognized the potentially dangerous and economically devastating problem that EPA was creating and established a $10 billion Texas Energy Fund, which taxpayers approved as Proposition 7 in the May 2023 statewide elections. Texas residents agreed such funding was necessary and overwhelmingly approved the fund's creation.

When the State of Texas created the Texas Energy Fund, they hoped to attract 10 gigawatts of new power generation. On Friday, May 31, 2024, 125 notices of “intent to apply for funds” from the Texas Energy Fund to build a new power generation totaled 55 gigawatts, which is almost equal to the existing natural gas generation. Those seeking low-interest loan guarantees to finance up to 60% of the cost of their project were required to file a notice of intent by Friday before applications opened the next day on Saturday, June 1.
The proposed projects are impressive. An industry group, Powering Texans, announced that its members had submitted plans to construct 5,000 megawatts of natural gas-fired generation, including 1,000 megawatts from Houston-based Cappine, 1,600 megawatts from Houston-based NRC Energy, and 2,000 megawatts from Irving-based Vistra, including plans to convert a coal-fired plant to natural gas…
The move by Texas to create the Texas Energy Fund is proving to be exactly what needed to be done to preserve the power grid of the fastest growing State in the U.S…
Texas is showing other states that they, too, can fend off attempts by the EPA to destroy America's power grids and regain control by unleashing the power of free markets.

God Bless Texas!

Hat Tip: E.I.

Watch Your Electric Bill As You Add 25 Refrigerators!

25 refrigerators!
That’s how much the additional electricity consumption per household would be if the average US home adopted electric vehicles (EVs).
Congressman Thomas Massie—an electrical engineer—revealed this information while discussing with Pete Buttigieg, the Secretary of Transportation, President Biden’s plan to have 50% of cars sold in the US be electric by 2030.
The current and future grid in most places will not be able to support each home running 25 refrigerators—not even close. Just look at California, where the grid is already buckling under the existing load.

**"Large Household Appliances in a Home Improvement Store in California, in 2024 (16)" by Stilfehler is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.**

Massie claims, correctly, in my view, that the notion of widespread adoption of electric vehicles anytime soon is a dangerous fantasy based on political science, not sound engineering.
Nonetheless, governments, the media, academia, large corporations, and celebrities tout an imminent “transition” to EVs as if it’s preordained from above.
It’s not.
They’re trying to manufacture your consent for a scam of almost unimaginable proportions.
Below are three reasons why something sinister is going on with the big push for EVs.

Reason #1: EVs Are Not Green…
Reason #2: EVs Can’t Compete Without Government Support…
Reason #3: EVs Are About Controlling You

If EVs were simply government-subsidized status symbols for wealthy liberals who want to virtue signal how they think they’re saving the planet, that would be bad enough.
But chances are, the big push for EVs represents something much worse…
Along with 15-minute cities, carbon credits, CBDCs, digital IDs, phasing out hydrocarbons and meat, vaccine passports, an ESG social credit system, and the war on farmers, EVs are likely an integral part of the Great Reset—the dystopian future the global elite has envisioned for mankind.
In reality, the so-called Great Reset is a high-tech form of feudalism.
Sadly, most of humanity has no idea what is coming.

How true! The costs of the electricity used to run those EVs will be subsidized and hidden at first and then passed on to us directly until electricity is rationed to keep us at home.

Hat Tip: D.S./R.N.

EVs Also Chocked Full of Unintended Consequences

They just keep coming:

I had no idea what "chocks" were unless connected in a phrase to "Full O' Nuts."
What can I say? I was a veritable babe in the north Jersey woods.
For those who haven't been introduced to "chocks," this is what they are (see waht the guys pull from around the wheels):

**"Sailors remove tire chocks from the landing gear of an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter." by Official U.S. Navy Imagery is licensed under CC BY 2.0.**

Mechanics use them in garages, too.
“Aircraft chocks are small wedges triangular in shape placed in front of and behind the aircraft's wheels lightly in contact with the tyre to prevent an aircraft from moving when parked.

The wheel chocks are commonly used to prevent an aircraft from accidentally rolling and colliding with other aircraft and damaging its parts, protecting the ground crew from harm during handling operations and protecting nearby infrastructure.”
"Pulling chocks" enters your everyday lexicon as a phrase meaning "we're outta here" after working around airplanes enough. Every last squadron Marine I know, no matter how old and salty, still says it.
Never did I relate it to school buses, though, but I am learning that it's a thing in many states. Buses are heavy, so it does make sense. Some state regs are just for inspections or some if the bus is parked on a grade or out of the bus yard with the driver gone.
Even parking a school bus, particularly an expensive green electric one, is no longer as simple as "park," parking brake, and turning off the key.
Apparently, if you forget to throw chocks around the wheels, these buggers will roll on you. And, that's just for starters.