WASHINGTON — California has been diving headlong into efforts to eliminate the use of fossil fuels for energy. One of your lawmakers in Washington is urging Congress not to get too carried away with using California as an example of effective clean energy use.
“Recently (Energy) Secretary (Jennifer) Grandholm pointed to California as the poster child of a clean energy future,” said Rep. Greg Pence (R-IN-6th) in a House hearing. “But, I can tell you Hoosiers in my district in southern Indiana don’t want to hear about higher gas prices, regular blackouts, and fuel shortages as an energy future.”
“California really is leaning in,” Granholm said earlier this month. “And, of course, the federal government has a goal of — that the president has announced — by 2030, that half of the vehicles in the U.S., the new ones sold, would be electric.”
In the latter portions of summer, California was hit with a record-breaking heat wave that has demand on the state’s power grid heightened significantly. The high demand put a strain on the grid thus resulting in power companies initiating rolling blackouts.
Many Republicans have blamed the blackouts on California governor Gavin Newsom’s clean energy policies, especially with demand going up for energy. Some of those policies include getting rid of coal and natural gas-fired power plants and instead investing in wind and solar.
“In southwest Indiana, utilities had to turn back on two coal power plants this summer just to meet capacity demand,” Pence said. “That’s something that hasn’t been a problem for decades.”
Pence wonders how the Biden Administration can push the use of alternative and renewable energy when he says there is not enough of it to meet demand. Pence points to Europe as an example of what happens when energy is cut off.
Due to the war with Ukraine, Russia has a limited supply of oil and energy to Europe which has created shortages throughout the continent. On top of that Pence says many European nations have forced similar energy transition policies like what is being pushed in California.
“European nations are even turning to burning wood and trash for energy, instead of coal,” Pence claimed. “And, they are even buying lumber from the United States.”
Pence said the rest of America could feel this same hurt in Europe if the White House adopts a similar approach to what California is doing on clean energy.
