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| -Land of the Free |
| No the electrical grid is not going to expand much or fast |
| 2023-06-01 |
| [Robert Bryce] H.L. Mencken, the dyspeptic journalist and literary critic who had his heyday in Baltimore about a century ago, coined several memorable lines. Among his most enduring: "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." Mencken’s line came to mind after reading an editorial in the New York Times called "We Desperately Need a New Power Grid. Here’s How to Make It Happen." The piece began: "To tap the potential of renewable energy, the United States needs to dramatically expand the electric grid between places with abundant wind and sunshine and places where people live and work. And it needs to happen fast...without new power lines, much of that electricity will continue to be generated by burning carbon." It cites a report published by the Department of Energy in February — the "National Transmission Needs Study" — which says the U.S. needs to build 47,300 gigawatt-miles of new power lines by 2035. That would, according to the agency, expand the existing transmission grid by 57%. The Times’ editorial writers claim that this build out can be fostered by putting "a single federal agency in charge of major transmission projects." That agency, of course, is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The editorial then cites a bill introduced in March by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) that would create a new siting authority within FERC that would "ease" the regulatory process of building new transmission. The Times claims that "shifting decision-making from state and local governments to the federal government would create a single, national forum in which policymakers can weigh the costs and benefits of power projects." There’s the "clear, simple, and wrong answer" that Mencken was referring to. Putting FERC in charge of our sprawling electric grid — a network that was constructed over multiple decades — won’t result in the quick construction of tens of thousands of miles of high-voltage transmission lines in less than a dozen years. Reality crushes moonbeams and unicorns as the article goes technical. Related: Sheldon Whitehouse: 2023-01-22 Senate Dems support full investigation into Biden document scandal: 'Irresponsible and disturbing'; DOJ secrtly got Biden permission to do search; classified docs Biden took when U.S. Senator found in new search Sheldon Whitehouse: 2023-01-21 Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: January 20th, 2023 Sheldon Whitehouse: 2022-04-26 Secretive Soros-funded group works behind the scenes with Biden admin on policy, documents show Related: Mike Quigley: 2019-11-14 Illinois Democrat Claims 'Hearsay Can Be Much Better Evidence Than Direct' Evidence Mike Quigley: 2014-02-06 Congress No Longer Needed. Mike Quigley: 2012-01-10 Feds find failures in Cook Co. homeland security project Related: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: 2023-01-02 Dams in Calif to be demolished to help salmon Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: 2022-09-07 Biden's next dangerous nominee continues reign of energy terror Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: 2021-07-01 Supreme Court won't sidetrack plans for natural gas pipeline |
| Posted by:M. Murcek |
| #4 Cash For Clunckers went so well. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2023-06-01 20:00 |
| #3 ^ yeah, well "You didn't build that" is now a prediction courtesy of Jug Ears. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2023-06-01 16:46 |
| #2 "But you need to build this transmission system so that we can use the power that we we're gonna force you to supply!" |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2023-06-01 13:18 |
| #1 More power to federal bureaucrats. What could possibly go wrong? |
| Posted by: Tom 2023-06-01 13:14 |