Talking Renewable Energy on Liberty Watch Radio

As I was telling my mother on the phone last night, a spate of conservative radio talk show hosts seem to have come across me as an interview subject, eager to grill me for the entertainment of the audiences.  I don’t have a problem with this whatsoever; I don’t mind a lively discussion at all, even if it gets contentious.

Most opponents of clean energy erroneously claim that, because the levelized cost of renewable energy is above that of coal, a big, intrusive government forcing clean energy down our throats is the only way to make it happen.  In truth, I support a free market approach to the selection of energy resources.  I ask only for a level playing field, i.e., one where:

• Neither side has an unfair advantage in terms of capital formation.  This requires that wind and solar be able to use the same master limited partnerships that are available to the fossil fuel industry.

• All the costs be counted.  This means “pricing in” the damage that the consumption of fossil fuels is doing to our health and environment.

Renewable energy is the deal of the century if we take this fair and even-handed approach; outside of making this happen, government is unnecessary.  Having said that, if government wants to get involved – and I think it should — I would say:

• Get rid of the subsidies to the oil companies.  Their industry is 90 years old, and they are the most profitable group in the known universe; they certainly don’t need subsidies from the U.S. taxpayer in the 21st Century.

• Understand that the governments of all the major countries on Earth see that clean energy is going to be the defining industry in the world over the next few decades, and are, in fact, subsidizing R&D in this arena.  They correctly perceive that their competitiveness in the world market – and thus their wealth and happiness of their people – is tied to their success in this space.

• Take the moral high-ground, and work to develop an international agreement to limit emissions.  Lead the way toward a sane and responsible energy policy.

We’ll see how this plays with radio personality Charles Heller (pictured above), host of Liberty Watch Radio; I’m on tomorrow morning at 11 Pacific Time.