Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been busy tilting at windmills. Egged on by the caveman caucus of the GOP, Abbott has been blaming wind power and green energy generally for the February blackout that made the Lone Star State the Freezing My Ass Off State.
The Texas Tribune: Gov. Greg Abbott tells electricity regulators to encourage building more power plants, penalize renewable energy
Although normally folks in the energy industry would welcome such enthusiasm by the Governor for ramping up carbon emissions, Abbott’s gone so far down Luddite lane that even Texas oilmen and energy bankers are saying, “whoa there doggy!”
The Financial Times: Oil industry banker urges Houston to embrace clean energy
If Houston wants to continue to be the world’s leading energy capital, then it’s going to need to be a leader in the newer forms of energy,” Bobby Tudor, chair of the investment bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co, told the Financial Times.
I know you’ll be shocked to hear this but windmills didn’t sabotage the Texas grid in the middle of the night.
The epic failure of the Texas grid occurred because gas and coal-fired electric generators failed to upgrade their systems to protect against severe weather. This was a conscious choice, debated by Texas officials for years beforehand — they simply didn’t want to pay what it would have cost. Now they’re on the hook for billions, many multiples more than it would have cost to protect the system in the first place. Abbott’s been governor for six years so most would say the lion’s share of the blame should go to him.
Abbott’s attack on green energy, though it may seem, how shall we say, counterintuitive to those in Portland watching friends die of heatstroke in June, it serves two important purposes for Abbott. One, it shifts the blame away from him and two, it appeals to Trump worshipers.
Donald Trump is a failed President, failed real estate developer, and failed insurrectionist so his expertise in green energy is obvious. Here’s what Trump has said about wind power:
“They have to make the windmills in Germany and China.” False. 80% of windmill components are manufactured in the US.
“If it doesn’t blow, you can forget about television for that night.” I think he was misquoted here. He meant if HE didn’t blow.
“If you have a windmill anywhere near your house, congratulations: Your house just went down 75% in value.” It must be awful to buy a house and wake up the next day and see a windmill appeared next door. These undocumented windmills are pouring over our borders, raping and murdering. No amnesty for windmills!
“If you believe in emissions, the fumes coming up to make these massive windmills is more than anything we’re talking about with natural gas.” And exposure to secondhand “wind fumes” causes dementia in politicians who listen with their mouths open.
“They say the noise causes cancer.” True, cancer of the soul.
“I know more about wind than you do.” Self-evidently true.
Trump worshipers are literal minded folks. Every word of the Bible is true and every word that Trump “hath spoke” is the literal truth. Appealing to these fine badly educated citizens is crucial if Abbott has any chance in ’24. Preventing Blacks and Latinos from voting “too much” will be helpful with these voters but that would still leave the state virtually undefended against surprise windmill attacks.
Hence we have yet another formerly quasi-rational elected Republican official abasing himself by pretending to be dumber than a post. Such is the state of play in today’s Republican Party and reason why the only remedy is to BURN IT DOWN.
Remarkably shallow and dumb
Thanks and keep reading!
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