The American Spectator

The Public Policy

Flower Power

By Peter Ferrara on 8.14.08 @ 12:08AM

(Page 2 of 4)

In an Obama Administration, all the key energy related positions will be filled with environmental extremists, not evil energy "executives." Don't expect them to allow a single new nuclear kilowatt to be produced anywhere.

Those same extremists are today trying to shut down the nuclear plant at Indian Point on Long Island, which has operated safely for 30 years. They are vigorously opposing required relicensing for the plant by New York state regulators.

Obama makes clear in his speech how he, with his all-seeing central planning brilliance and insight, would power America's future economy. "It's in the chemistry labs that are laying the building blocks for cheaper, more efficient solar panels, and it's in the re-born factories that are churning out more wind turbines every day all across this country."

That's right, he will "encourage the production of renewable energy like wind power, solar power and geothermal energy." He enthuses, "Experts have said that Michigan has the second best potential for wind generation and production in the entire country. And as the world's largest producer of the material that makes solar panels work, [the Production Tax Credit] would also help states like Michigan grow solar industries that are already creating hundreds of millions of jobs."

Obama dreams of a future where, "working with farm owners to develop this state's wind potential and developing nanotechnology that will make solar cells cheaper," we will reach the promised land where "we can see shuttered factories open their doors to manufacturers that sell wind turbines and solar panels that will power our homes and businesses."

YES, OBAMA AND his legions of aging hippie flower children are going to liquidate reliance on the evil Terminator technology of oil and nuclear power, and fuel the modern, high technology, American economy with joyous windmills and happy sun power. Oh happy day.

Accomplishing this, Obama recognizes, "will take nothing less than a complete transformation of our economy." You betcha. But not to worry, because Obama is going to pull this off with his new neo-socialist, central economic planning from Washington, where the wise bureaucrats will see it all through.

Under this all-knowing leadership, "we will get one million 150-mile-per-gallon plug-in hybrids on our roads within six years." That is because, "We'll invest more in the research and development of these plug-in hybrids, specifically focusing on the battery technology."

Also, "by 2022, I will make it a goal to have 6 billion gallons of our fuel come from sustainable, affordable biofuels."

Under the Obama Five Year Plan, he will be "directing billions in loans and capital to entrepreneurs who are willing to create clean energy businesses and clean energy jobs right here in America." Those "entrepreneurs" will consequently be bought and paid for Obama supporters.

Under an Obama regime, America will "invest federal resources, including tax incentives and government contracts, into developing next generation biofuels" and "raise our fuel mileage standards four percent every year."

Except for Hugo Chavez and Barack Obama, the whole world learned in the last century that central economic planning does not work. Yet, that is where we are today in our national energy policy. That is why it is all such a mess.

Under Obama, it will all get much, much worse.

INDEED, WE HAVE just experienced a huge central planning disaster with the ethanol fiasco. Ethanol production consumes at least as much energy as it produces, still costs more than oil counting all of its never ending subsidies, actually harms the environment on net, and causes sharply rising food prices.

Food riots have broken out in poor Third World countries, where people are starving because so much land is being used for ethanol production rather than food production. Yet our central planning geniuses in Congress have "mandated" sharply increased use of ethanol over the coming years. This is precisely the model for Obama's energy policy.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Taxes, Barack Obama, Business, Environment, NATO, Energy, Oil