As I write this the weather forecast for this weekend is showing below zero temperatures, partly to mostly cloudy skies and light winds. It’s January and we will be safe and warm thanks to carbon-based energy in the form of natural gas, propane and electricity from coal. It is important to keep this in mind as the 2020 presidential election cycle starts up. (Yes, it is already starting. I am sorry)
The federal government may be shut down (as of this writing), but there is a buzz in the mainstream media over the Green New Deal proposed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.. Of course, the Green New Deal is not intended to become law, at least not yet. It is all about molding public opinion, and you can bet that a majority of the 50 or 55 Democrats running for president will support the Green New Deal.
What is this Green New Deal? It has ‘green’ in the title so it must help save the planet, right? Well, not really. The proposal does call for the ban of fossil fuels from electricity generation, agriculture and manufacturing by the year 2030. But many of the other provisions trace their lineage back to the New Deal, the Great Society and Obamacare. For example, the Green New Deal provides for single-payer health care and a federal jobs guarantee program among several non-energy related provisions. For those wanting the federal government to grow stronger and take over more and more of our lives, the Green New Deal is for you.
Conservatives can, and should, observe how progressive politicians work. They are patient, play for the long term, and carefully lay a foundation consistent with their long-term goals. They take small victories along the way, and, every so often, they go for the home run. With the Green New Deal, we are seeing the outline of the next home run.
The foundation of man-made global warming or global cooling or climate change has been so well built over the years that many do not even question the cost or effectiveness of these “green” proposals.
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And, make no mistake, the Green New Deal would cost each of us dearly. Justin Haskins, executive editor and research fellow at the Heartland Institute, in a January 5, 2019, opinion piece put it this way: “The radical plan would force families to pay more to heat, cool and provide electricity to their homes. It would raise the same costs for businesses, farmers, government and organization, driving up their operating costs – raising the prices for just about all the goods and services Americans buy.”
But rest-assured on this cold January day, North Dakota’s energy producers, our Legislature and our governor are working to ensure that our workforce and infrastructure will continue to produce inexpensive and reliable heat, electricity and transportation. Even on cold, cloudy and windless days.
