“Our utilities are working in collusion with NGOs and ENGOs that promote decarbonization over affordability and reliability. Compromised utility board members will waste no time using this change in statute to gaslight everyone around them into believing this is what is best for them.”

The short title of Alaska’s SB 257 – Electric Utility Regulation refers to a monstrous process of government-on-government:

“An Act relating to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska; relating to public utilities; relating to electric reliability organizations; relating to the Alaska Energy Authority; relating to the Railbelt Transmission Organization; and providing for an effective date.”

This bill was introduced by the Alaska Senate Resources Committee on March 1, 2024. Per the sponsor statement, “Senate Bill 257 lays the groundwork for an electric system that is more affordable, more sustainable, more equitable, a grid that can power a prosperous future for generations of Alaskans to come.”…

“The score for this bill in its present state is a -7 with -9 being the worst, 0 neutral, and +9 being the best for freedom and liberty.”

HB 368 was introduced by Representative George Rauscher, chair of the Special House Energy Committee. Clean Energy Standards (CES) is the evil twin of the Renewable Portfolio Standard, Despite, the claim by this committee that there are no penalties for utilities to contend with, its just smoke-and-mirrors in terms of ratepayer welfare, energy reliability, and economic freedom from energy statism.

On March 22, 2024, the House Special Committee on Energy advanced the bill out of committee by a vote of 4-3 to establish a CES under HB 368.  The purpose of the bill is “to establish a clean energy standard that requires certain electric utilities to derive increasing percentages of the utility’s net electricity sales from clean energy sources.”…

“Do we need a clean energy industry that depends on government handouts forever? Yes, if you ascribe to the climate disaster mantra…. Does anyone consider letting market forces drive technology development?”

An op-ed in Monday’s Houston Chronicle, “Houston is making a losing bet on fossil fuels,” greeted visitors to CERAWeek. Author Randall Morton attacked oil company CEOs and Houston business leaders for defending a “declining” industry. His opening sentence? “Leaders of the oil and gas industry are in Houston for CERAWeek, grappling with the inevitable decline of the industry.”

Morton then goes after the “economic development leaders at the Greater Houston Partnership [who] are doubling down on this declining industry.” He specifically identifies the GHP’s Energy Transition Initiative – hydrogen and carbon capture – as failed technologies.

Fair enough, but he misses a critical point. …

The inherent unreliability of wind power is highlighted by the recent experience in Texas.

I have written extensively about the intermittent nature of wind power (here, here, and here), highlighting that the only way wind power has survived and continues to increase is through federal tax subsidies. Wind proponents have long argued that the intermittent nature of wind is offset by over-building wind generation, based on the theory that the wind is always blowing somewhere.

The reality that the wind is not always blowing where it is needed, even over very large areas, is highlighted by the fact that wind power in Texas has been declining.

Total wind power generation in January 2024 was less than in January 2023. According to Reuters in an article published on February 16, 2024:

Cumulative wind power output in 2023 was 4,500,000 MWh, compared to 4,400,000 MWh in 2022, LSEG data shows.