Energy Realism this past week just had to reexamine what happened in Texas, and we took a shot at the environmental, social, and corporate governance hypocrisy. Senior Fellow Rupert Darwall looks at the Texas energy crisis, which clearly showed that having so much reliance on weather-dependent renewable capacity makes for a less stable grid. Texas is a warning for the Biden administration that a green obsession can cause blackouts and cost American lives. Gordon Tomb agrees that the problems surrounding wind power in particular cannot be ignored. Not just naturally intermittent and thus inherently less reliable, wind turbines are unlikely to be economically viable without government subsidies anytime soon, if ever. Heather Zichal says that the Texas crisis confirms that the time to act is now. All states need to invest in diverse energy mixes and more reliable energy infrastructure while we can. This will be even more essential if we want to follow President Biden’s path to tens of millions of power-devouring electric cars on the grid. Geoffrey Pohanka gives us a first-hand account of what electric cars bring and, more importantly, do not bring to the table. Realism also wants to highlight a new book review from Rupert, covering Stephen R. Soukup's "The Dictatorship of Woke Capital." Speaking of ESG, Mark Widmar hits the movement's obvious blind spot: China. The country’s systemic persecution of the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province is how the world’s solar panels are getting made. Not just for activist investors, this shame must unite all of us. Indeed, Byrdon Ross wants us to heed the calls for American unity, healing, and reconciliation after the country’s outburst of political and ideological divisions. This is the only way we can meet our energy and climate goals. Essential Reading David T. Stevenson, Cato Institute The ten northeast U.S. states that joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative CO2 reduction program have not seen the reduction in emissions or the human health benefits as were initially advertised. RGGI works as a carbon tax that has led to higher power rates and lost manufacturing and output. In the News Ann Alexander, NRDC Michelle Celarier, Institutional Investor Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner NPR Hazel Bradford, Pensions & Investments Clifford Krauss, The New York Times Tsvetana Paraskova, Oil Price Rupert Darwall, RealClearBooks Neal Kimberley, South China Morning Post Rachel Frazin, The Hill Kevin D. Williamson, NY Post Nadège Tillier, ING Alex Epstein, Energy Talking Points Benjamin Storrow, E&E News Zachary Warmbrodt, Politico Manhattan Institute On his first day in office, President Biden signed an executive order revoking federal permitting for the Keystone XL Pipeline, simultaneously depriving the U.S. of a new source of N... Smarter Markets In the first of a 4-part mini-series on Environmental, Socially Responsible, and Governance-focused investing, Smarter Markets presents Peter Fusaro, veteran sustainability investor ... CNN Bill Magness, president and CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, explains why so many people lost power in Texas after a massive winter storm. Robert Bryce Meredith Angwin is a chemist and author, most recently, of Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid. In her second appearance on the podcast, Angwin explains why ... Bloomberg Quick Take News The icy weather that left millions without power in Texas has critics of the Biden administration’s fight against climate change blaming renewable energy, but the failures have more ... |