September 2022

Controlling Climate

This past week Governor Gavin Newsom signed 40 new climate bills to further California's Green-energy experiment.

One new bill raises the state's "clean electricity" mandate to 90% by 2025 and 100% by 2045. Since California currently generates about a third of its power from renewables such as solar and wind, utilities will have to start skewing investments even more to meet the new targets. Meeting these standards will require a rapid and huge expansion of battery storage, manufacturing and technology that does not presently exist.  If it can be done the cost will be tremendous.  

Another one of the new laws would require that California reduce greenhouse-gas emissions to 85% below 1990 levels and achieve "carbon neutrality" by 2045.  The state Air Resources Board would have tremendous power to impose regulations to reach these goals including  restricting new housing construction, manufacturing and agricultural production.  

The Western States Petroleum Association states that these new targets would cost every household in California between $5,600 and $10,700 a year and increase the cost of building a  new home by at least $50,000.  The new CO2 goals are a hidden regressive tax that will hit low and middle income Californians hardest.  

The above is a description of 2 of the bills the Governor signed.  There isn't the space to go through the other 38 bills. 

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the governance of any other.             

John Adams