Politics and Clean Energy

Big City Pollution

A reader opines: politics in general have no place in the green energy space. 

A few thoughts:

Politics can’t help but come into this, at least in the U.S.  Here, energy is a business, and there is a significant interaction between government and business. 

Much of that so-called “interaction” is corrupt, i.e., money for political favors.  If what you’re saying is that you want this removed, I’m  100% in favor of that.  I happen to be wearing my “Move To Amend” T-shirt as I write this, meaning that I would like to see a constitutional amendment that would overturn the disastrous U.S. Supreme Court Decision “Citizens United,” which provides corporations unfettered capacity to manipulate our elections with campaign contributions of unlimited size.

Energy, perhaps more than any other sector, is subject to market conditions that are not at all free and fair.  This is because some forms of energy generation, i.e., fossil fuels, are totally dependent on the practice of dumping their waste into our skies and waterways without cost. They have transferred what should have been their cost onto the tax-payer.   That needs to cease, but it cannot change without government.

Most people, including me, believe that government should use its power to move society in directions that are conducive to human and environmental health.  This is the rationale for subsidies for social goods, and taxes for social evils.

I thank you for your opinion, and I hope I’ve shed some light onto it.