Posted on 11/19/2023 5:01:22 PM PST by george76
Dependable, low-cost electricity is essential to keeping the lights on for millions of American family-owned businesses. It is the type of essential item that touches nearly every aspect of our lives; the bakery relies on ovens, the repair shop on power tools, and the local grocer on refrigeration, and on and on. A consistent and affordable power source ensures that they can operate without interruption and keep prices competitive for their customers despite low margins and a fragile economy. Unfortunately, misguided federal policies now threaten to further disrupt our electric grid and could cause these business to shutter.
In the last several years, the U.S. has rapidly pivoted from a common sense, ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy to one motivated by the singular desire to eliminate fossil fuel-generated electricity. That goal of a energy change could even be somewhat defendable if not for the fact that our economy and power grid are clearly not ready for the rushed and reckless transition that federal regulators are rushing.
Like all other areas of the economy, energy markets adhere to the basic laws of supply and demand. Regulators have distorted the sector to force conventional power plants into early retirement, reducing total power generation and increasing prices. The Biden Administration has backed these actions based on the dubious claim that positive incentives for solar and wind projects will allow new arrays and wind farms to fully replace conventional power plants.
But reality eventually catches up, and while regulators been successful at pushing the margins to the point where many traditional power plants are struggling to compete financially, they have failed to create the conditions necessary for the rapid deployment of new technologies to replace these important resources. For reasons ranging from permitting to logistics to expense, thousands of renewable energy projects have been delayed for years, in some cases past the planned retirement dates of the existing plants they are meant to replace. All of this comes at a high cost to family businesses like manufactures which rely on affordable energy to keep their doors open and their workers employed.
Family businesses shouldn’t be made to – and can’t afford – to foot the bill for a haphazard and artificial shift to new and unproven technologies before our grid is ready for it. And while an eventual energy transition is inevitable, recent blackouts in Texas, California, and other parts of the country reveal just how far we are way from that occurring organically. Despite the best efforts of a small group of activist regulators, thermal power generation – coal, natural gas, and nuclear included – remain a critical part of our energy mix.
Small businesses all over the country are hoping that keeping energy prices from further inflation could still be a rare point of bipartisan consensus in Washington. Before the situation worsens, and irreversible harm is done to the backbone of America’s economy, policymakers must realize that abandoning the “all of the above” approach before the country is prepared will result in more business closures and therefore less jobs in our communities.
Of all the idiotic things Biden has done, invoking wartime powers to force Americans to use inefficient electric heat pumps instead of gas furnaces, is the nuttiest, unless the Biden goal is to “cull the herd” or kill off Americans during winter months:
<><> Biden invoking wartime powers for things unrelated to national defense is reckless and capricious.
<><>electric heat pumps in the colder areas of the country are unworkable.
Biden using “special wartime powers” shows you where this refugee from the Cold War is coming from.
<><>To over-the-hill Biden, a 50 year product of legislating a wartime govt, wars are essential,
<><> wars are a Rooseveltian way to boost his presidency
<><> wars are the MO to continue the flow of tax dollars to the Biden Crime Family.
Biden’s funding nine manufacturing projects with $169 million he snagged from last year’s climate bill, is being claimed under the “emergency authority of the 40’s era Cold War Defense Production Act (DPA).
“Unfortunately, misguided federal policies now threaten to further disrupt our electric grid and could cause these business to shutter.”
The policies are NOT misguided. They know exactly what they’re doing.
The US Chamber of Commerce couldn’t care less about small businesses
By Jove, I think you've got it!
Every private business needs to become part of the government. That is the liberal mindset. Only when government controls everything, can become the nirvana of.......From each according to their ability; to each according to their need.
The US Chamber of Commerce that supposedly represents business interests couldn’t care less about small businesses.
Exactly !
Questions need to be asked as to what legal theory says the constitution gave the federales this authority? They just took it and none of the supposed gatekeepers stopped it.
No one, business or no, can afford what they plan to do to our our energy prices. And no one should be made to pay for .gov bureaucrats follies or social experiments.
But here we are....
Where the hell is the house with the purse strings to put an end to this crap?
I’ve been pointing this regime’s attempt to outlaw the use of God’s gift of oil to us for a while now. There is no sane reason to forego the literal sea of petroleum we have for as-yet-to-be-proven wind and solar “green technologies” that so far use up rare substances near-slaves have to dig up from mining blights and end up needlessly killing animals in the oceans and sky.
Democrats claiming they’re about ecology and preserving nature are outright hypocrites. Another example of their transferring their sins upon conservatives.
They would prefer that they all go belly up, by any means necessary.
Small businesses??
How about:
* Homeowners
* Renters
* Schools
* Manufacturers
* Retail shops
* Universities
* Churches
* Big businesses
* etc etc etc
BUT politically connected big businesses can afford on site generation. They love the chomo’s “green” agenda to wipe out small business.
And Deep State doesn’t like competition.
I am the product of a family owned business. My father, mother, siblings, and I each gave part of ourselves for the success of the family business, even when it wasn’t in our nature. Two siblings and their children remain. This administration can KMA. We went through the Jimmy Carter years together. Made it work then, and it’s still going strong now.
Yes.
Also try to be near a modern variable capacitor bank or near a substation so the voltage and current will be as in phase as possible for best efficiency.
This will give you the greatest chance of having electricity when things go bad.
The answer is coal
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