“But nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program,” Milton and Rose Friedman wrote in their 1983 primer, Tyranny of the Status Quo. And regarding government help for a developing business? “The infant industry argument is a smoke screen,” the husband-and-wife team observed. “The so-called infants never grow up.”

Industrial wind power is certainly not an infant industry, having been demonstrated as grid electricity in the nineteenth century and again during World War II. [1] But it is dilute and intermittent, fatal qualities as against fossil-fuel generated electricity.

And so although the wind interests have claimed competitiveness (actual or impending) since the 1980s, and received a lifeline subsidy in 1992 (below), the U.S. industrial wind industry is as dependent on government largesse as ever.…

“Wind and solar pose inherent problems; especially to the ultra-high electric energy ‘purity’ requirements of AI/data centers. Data centers and AI generally require nine-nines reliability and quality metrics such as voltage, frequency, harmonics, etc.”

Several recent articles have highlighted that artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers are increasing electricity usage, creating concern about adequate supply and its effect on local communities. These articles include:

• Amid explosive demand, America is running out of power

The nation’s 2,700 data centers sapped more than 4 percent of the country’s total electricity in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency. Its projections show that by 2026, they will consume 6 percent.

• Newmark: US data center power consumption to double by 2030

While the hyperscalers typically need 10-14kW per rack in existing data centers, this is likely to rise to 40-60kW for AI-ready racks equipped with resource-hungry GPUs.

Ed. Note: Yesterday, ten amendments limiting HB 50 – Carbon Storage were defeated in the Alaska legislature, indicating a path to passage. See the comment section for more information.

“To summarize, Alaska’s Carbon Storage bill ranks among the worst of the worst. When was the last time you as an Alaskan were asked if you wanted to participate in a carbon reduction strategy at all, especially considering our limited footprint on the global scale?”

Governor Mike Dunleavy’s “Carbon Management and Monetization Bill Package” is double trouble for Alaska. HB 50/SB 49 – Carbon Storage, introduced by Dunleavy at the beginning of the 33^rd session (2023–2024), is coupled with a carbon offset bill, HB 49/SB 48. “The package consists of two pieces of legislation focusing on a carbon offset program; and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) program”

The carbon offset legislation (“tree bill”) passed last session despite unanimous public testimony in opposition. The…

“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. …