This was written 7+years ago, and it’s more prescient today than it was then. After all of this incredible development, the Biden Administration and the “environmental community” is now pushing to eliminate ALL coal-fired power production. We The People really can’t be that stupid. Can we?
Written May, 24, 2016. Will we ever learn?-
As we continue to work to destroy our economy, and also our Society, at the altar of the Pagan god of Man-caused Climate Change, does anybody even consider the amount of energy that is wasted in this endeavor? This has nothing to do with energy “efficiency” and everything to do with the amount of capital, both financial and human, which has been wasted pursuing the favor of this false god. It is so much multi-faceted waste that it overwhelms the mind.
Once upon a time in the United States our government was a partner in the advancement, and enrichment, of our Society by celebrating freedom and innovation. But over the last 50+ years, at the direction of the environmental extremism that has infested the highest levels of government; the government has become the single greatest impediment to economic and societal success. In turn, we are spiraling in to an economic abyss. Nothing is hastening this more than our total ignorance in how we operate our energy industries. And it’s all happening because we’ve let “pseudo-science” to replace real science.
First, let me provide a little background. I’ve spent the last 30+ years of my professional life working with various operations in the energy industry, both on the utility side and on the equipment manufacturing side, including generating and distribution equipment. Over this period of time I’ve watched the whole focus in both sides of this change from working to provide the best economical and abundant energy from which our Society’s abundance has been provided, to spending abundant amounts of human and financial capital to meet regulations, most of which are based on the before-mentioned pseudo-science.
Maybe the scariest part is that we have allowed ourselves to be convinced that the gas that every living animal exhales, Carbon Dioxide, is the single most dangerous pollutant in the world. Is it just me or does this on its face appear to be a grand scam? And we now just accept it as fact. So, over the last 30+ years we have been committing economic suicide because of this “fact”. Over this same 30+ years, major industries and a lot of really smart people have wasted vast, and basically immeasurable, amounts of energy trying to vanquish this destroyer. Then there’s one volcanic eruption and more CO2 is released to the atmosphere than by all human actions to date.
Let’s just look at one piece of the energy industry that shows how truly foolish this whole folly is, coal. I can only guess the anti-American environmentalist went after coal because it is the most economical and efficient way to generate electricity. It needs to be understood that the real goal of the environmental movement is the elimination of all human production. I will not argue that there was a need to clean up the original coal generating systems. They were smoky; they produced airborne ash that some say was/is potentially toxic. So, the coal industry set out to clean up its act. I don’t believe any one argues there was a need for some regulations to “induce” the industry to get started.
So over this 30+ years I’ve been involved in the industry, I’ve watched a whole industry created to clean up the coal-fired generating systems. There have been billions upon billions of dollars spent to develop technologies to attack the various pieces of the puzzle. And billions more spent in purchasing and installing the products and technologies developed by this new industry. ALL paid for by the ratepayers across the Country and after all of that expense, coal is still the most economical way to generate electricity. I don’t believe most people realize this incredible feat of cutting-edge research and development, combined with engineering and manufacturing expertise, which was every bit as daunting as sending a man to the moon, even happened. But because it did, even those on the lowest rungs of our society’s ladder were able to have inexpensive and abundant electricity.
So after all of this investment and expense to clean up the coal generating industry and maintain the ability to provide affordable electricity everything is good right? Wrong. The new EPA “Clean Power” regulations, will in the not too distant future, force the closure of all coal-fired generating stations because of CO2. What a waste of energy.
