Dem
47
GOP
53
The Trump administration, by all indications, aspires to turn the U.S. into a petrochemical kingdom, like Saudi Arabia. The disaster in Iran, which has been an object lesson in the fragility of the petrochemical economy, does not appear to have had any effect on the White House's thinking. If it's the last thing he does, Donald Trump is going to keep America addicted to carbon-based energy sources, whether Americans like it or not.
The problem here is that a president cannot halt certain global economic and scientific forces, no matter how competent (or incompetent) that president might be. There may be no greater symbol of his energy policy than the TransAlta Centralia Coal Plant, which is the last remaining coal plant on the grid that serves north-central Washington state. It was supposed to be closed, for conversion to natural gas processing. However, the Trump-led Department of Energy ordered it to remain open, so that Washingtonians could have energy from "clean, beautiful coal." The problem here is that Washingtonians don't want that energy, and don't need that energy, particularly at the higher prices associated with coal generation. And so, for months, TransAlta Centralia has sat idle. It can't profitably process the fuel the White House demands, and it can't legally convert to the fuel that local residents demand.
Actually, now that we think about it, there's probably an even better symbol of Trump's energy policy, namely Vineyard Wind 1. We have written about this before; Trump hates green energy, and he particularly hates wind, because of a personal grudge involving one of his golf courses. So, his administration tried to shut Vineyard Wind 1 down, for... reasons. This despite the fact that it was almost complete, and was, in fact, already generating power. Then the courts got involved, and told the White House to shove it. So, Trump ultimately failed in his efforts to break wind. And now, Vineyard Wind 1 is fully operational, and is generating enough electricity for 400,000 homes.
There is, by the way, proof of concept that an energy policy that blends investment in green technology and careful management of carbon-based resources can work, and that proof of concept is China. Under Xi Jinping's leadership, the Chinese have built up a large reserve of more traditional fuels, while also developing their ability to produce forward-looking technology, from solar panels to wind turbines to electric vehicles.
We don't love to hold up the oppressive Xi regime as a model, but there's no question that he and other Chinese leaders took the long view, as China is wont to do. That means they are in a position to weather the Iran crisis, and they are also in a strong position for whenever the petrochemical energy economy fades away, something that may happen sooner or later. It's a shame that so many American politicians do not take a similarly long view on such matters. If it turns out that we are living in the final days of the American hegemony, and the early days of the Chinese hegemony, it could well turn out that energy was the linchpin on which everything turned.
That is a somewhat dark observation, we know, but the continued survival of the planet and of the human race is more important than the continued dominance of any one nation-state. And so, the inexorable march towards the hopefully more eco-friendly future of energy is a freudenfreude moment, even if it leaves the United States trailing the pack.
Have a good weekend, all! (Z)