Hey, we agree with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez! President Biden’s State of the Union “left a little to be desired,” she said, particularly when it came to energy.
While Queens’ favorite socialist wanted Biden to push the Green New Deal, however, we craved a little more common sense from our Commander-in-Chief.
Releasing oil from the strategic reserve is barely a short-term gesture against rising energy prices. If you really want to help Americans — and stick it to Vladimir Putin — uncancel the Keystone pipeline and reduce punitive federal restrictions on fracking. Make America energy independent. It will cushion consumers from fluctuating prices, and the totalitarian whims of Russia and the Middle East.
AOC says “There is profound bipartisan support to a long-term shift away from fossil fuels,” which made be true, but support does not equal possibility, and wishes are not reality.
Becoming energy independent will keep Americans from having to rely on Russia and Vladimir Putin. Andrei Gorshkov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via APWind and solar provide only a fraction of our energy needs, and even spending massively on their expansion won’t solve efficiency and storage problems. It also will be enormously expensive.
This is what Germany grappled with in the past few years. Green activists forced the closing of nuclear power plants — bafflingly, as it’s one of the cleanest energy sources out there — but they didn’t change the fact that people must heat their homes. Germany had to sign on to a natural gas pipeline from, yes, Russia, to fill the gap.
This sort of performative eco-politics happens everywhere. Gov. Cuomo forced the shut down of Indian Point nuclear power station; did New Yorkers stop using energy? No, we just ended up paying ConEd more for it, shipped from other states.
Shutting down Indian Point hasn’t helped New Yorkers. AP Photo/Seth Wenig, FileRadical greens shut down pipelines, cheer their own success, then charge their iPhones from electricity generated by coal.
Only innovation will make green energy more feasible. In the meantime, acting as if we can flip a switch tomorrow without paying a massive social and economic cost is a lie. Increase local oil and gas production, and you can ban Russian oil without hurting the poor American family trying to heat their home and drive their car.
Deal with the world as it is, and build for a better world in the future.
