Anti-American, pro-CCP energy policies are not limited to Blue states. We expect foolish energy policies from California, Hawaii, Massachussetts, CT, ME and NY but not so much in “Red States” like South Carolina. S.C. is one of the most Conservative states in the U.S. However the S.C. political leaders have drank the “Green Kool Aid” and continue to permit and depend on solar with battery backup to be promoted to replace the reliable and affordable coal generation in our state.
A chart of investment in renewables supports the comments of Dave Walsh. Over 91% of the new generation installed in the U.S. in 2024 was renewables. This is also corroborated on the Global Energy Monitor website.
Mark Lewis on LinkedIn has also posted a summary of the persistent building of tax subsidized, parasitic and high electricity rate driving solar and wind. Mark’s post is here. A screen shot of the ENVERUS chart is copied below. This is from Ian Nieboer Substack article. Thank you Ian. As can be seen, the subsidies for wind, solar and battery storage continue well past 2030. In my opinion and observations, the subsidies for wind and solar are the root cause of increasing electric rates nationwide and a trend toward reduced reliability as well.
Back to my Red state of S.C. SenatorTom Davis, Governor McMaster and the SC Legislature still have coal plant shutdowns planned for Santee-Cooper. Here is an excerpt of the Press Release on “All of the Above EnergyPolicy” by Senator Davis:
These coal plants have a stellar record of keeping electricity prices and reliability amongst the best in the world. Tom Davis’ Press Release after the Governor signed the SC Energy Bill implied: “We consider all forms of energy, renewables, gas and nuclear”. I emailed Davis to remind him that over 40% of Palmetto Electric’s Bulk Power is from coal and that it is the lowest cost fuel. Davis got right back to me and said, “We won’t shut coal plants down until a better source is found”….This is Not reassuring because, starving an operating plant of required maintenance $$ will simply cause it to become an unreliable and higher cost asset…then, predictably, the improperly maintained equipment wear and tear will lead to a self inflicted decay and unreliability. After the deterioration, this will lead to a then obvious decision to replace the coal plants with higher production cost gas plants. This happened at the once magnificent McIntosh Unit #3 at the City of Lakeland in Florida. I know because I worked many years for the City of Lakeland as a contractor and/or consultant, including the startup and tuning of McIntosh #3 and many maintenance efforts 1982-2012.
Reminder, the generation cost component to produce electricity, for a gas plant is about 90% fuel cost. Therefore, if the gas price doubles, so does the production cost of electricity. Let that sink in. The gas fueled RICE (Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines) will produce electricity at a cost that tracks natural gas prices.
Fast forward to next year and the U.S. exported LNG will likely increase domestic gas prices in the U.S. this winter and beyond. I support President Trump’s interest in exporting LNG but we should use more American coal for power generation here in the U.S. until new nuclear plants are built. In fact, more new coal plants should be built as well. I presented my thoughts and analysis of the importance of coal power at the Coal Institute in July. Coal is a more stable and economical fuel for Bulk Power generation.
Natural gas prices are not always low. Here is a 44 year history of gas prices compared to coal.
A minority of the folks in the U.S. population (Including Policymakers) understand the basics of energy and power generation. My estimate is less than 3%. Why? Utility generating plants became huge, highly automated and it only takes a crew of three operators to run a 600-1200 MW coal plant. Also, the 97% of the energy naive public has been bombarded with green indoctrination and lies about “Free solar and wind power”. Thus, the combination of high productivity of coal plants over the years has been done with a very small work force that has experience in power generation. Then, secondly, the successful demonization of coal by the MSM, Entertainment and well funded NGOs has led us to the point of a Self-Inflicted electricity generation crisis. ( Maybe not all Self Inflicted, some foreign actors were also involved)
Piling onto the madness of anti-American energy policies we have, Utility managers trained in accounting or law that have teamed up with similarly low Energy IQ politicians to create harmful, anti-American, Net-Zero Carbon Policies…These are so called “Energy Policies”. Why and how can these insane policies be put into place? Because the policy makers simply do not understand basic power generation fundamentals. Much of the western world has been following the same destructive Net-Zero Carbon path. Five examples are the UK, Germany, Spain, Australia and Denmark. They all have high power costs that are killing their once productive Industrial base. My adopted state of S.C. seems to be right there with the UK and Germany with regard to foolish “Green Energy Policies”.
Conclusions
Much of the Free Western World has been making the same mistakes on following a path to Net-Zero Carbon
It is my opinion that the path to Net-Zero Carbon was to reduce the productive capacity of the west and increase the dependence on manufactured products from China. Net-Zero Carbon policies are Not based on sound energy policies or for protection of the environment. At best they are to promote government control of our lives. At worst they are to weaken the western free world and therefore by default, increase the world influence of China.
Thankfully we have President Trump and Chris Wright to frame U.S. Energy Policy. However, the purpose of this article is to point out the fact that many states remain on paths to destroy reasonable cost, reliable electric power generation that supports industrial production and economic prosperity…
GRIDWATCH Australia Thank you Rafe Champion! “AT 6.30 PM eastern time THE WIND WAS CONTRIBUTING 13% OF DEMAND IN THE EAST AND 2.5% IN THE WEST OH DEAR!!” https://www.nem-watch.info/widgets/RenewEconomy/
Title of the prescient 2023 book by the late Mr. Donn Dears.
Mr. Dears wrote many books and several are listed in the references below. His last book, “Clean Energy Crisis” was written before the announcement of many Data Centers were to be built and would drastically increase the rate of electricity usage. Mr. Dears wrote much on the flaws and fiction of Net-Zero Carbon and dependence on electricity by carbon-free forms of power. In fact, his statements written in 2023 regarding “What would it take to replace Fossil Fuels” are listed below: Remember, this is before the advent of AI Data Centers.
Here is what Donn Dears calculated in power generation by 2050 from the combination of Wind, PV Solar, and Nuclear:
995,141 Wind turbines of 2.5 MW each
3,918,996 MW of PV Solar
881 new Nuclear Units like Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle Units 3 & 4
In summary of this, Mr. Dears writes: ” It is not possible to generate all the electricity needed for electrification of the economy (including the replacement of ICE vehicles and BEV’s, and the replacement of natural gas for heating with electric heat pumps) by relying on wind, PV Solar, or nuclear power, whether alone or in combination”
Thank you Donn Dears, we miss your great engineering talent and visionary work. RIP my friend, your numerous published books, blog and voluminous published technical articles warned us. It is my hope that the state and Federal Bureaucrats who create laws and regulations, will read your books and all available publications.
The Importance of Coal Power
Previous articles by me and others have highlighted the importance of coal power. Especially during peak Demand in the winter. As this is written, it is May and the period between March and May, in the U.S.A. lower 48 has always been a period of low demand, due to the mild weather not requiring much heating or cooling. The crisis periods are peak summer, July-August and winter December-February. Coal has unique and proven benefits for power generation. Such as long term on-site storage.
Here are a dozen articles that cover the importance of coal power for electricity reliability, affordability, Dispatchability and National security.
Generation of the power required for our country to remain the #1 world economy and to sustain our high quality of life will require much more electricity generation capacity. The EIA, NEMA and IEA forecast that electricity demand by 2050 will increase by 50%. (In my opinion plus the opinions of Stephen Heins, Chris Wright, Thomas Shepstone and others… this is conservative considering AI Data centers and plans to reshore manufacturing)
Satisfying this Demand increase will need to come from conventional forms of proven Primary Energy. Those proven forms of primary energy for electricity generation are natural gas, nuclear, coal and hydro-electric.
A 50% increase in capacity will be about 600 GW of generation capacity from the current 1, 200 GW of installed capacity. The 50% increase is also reported by NEMA report. So what sources of power can supply this enormous amount of growth of electricity generation Demand?
Let’s be realistic. For reliable, Dispatchable power, 24/7 that generation must come from coal, gas or nuclear. Here is my take on this. For gas power production G-E has reported record sales and the shops are full till about 2030. They hope to produce about 54 GW of power production by 2030. Let’s say with facilities modernization and expansion by 2050 they can produce say 300 GW more. That gets us to about 350 GW by 2050. Yes, I know there are also other Gas Turbine manufacturers such as Mitsubishi and Siemens. But….in my view we are already too dependent on “Just in Time” pipeline supplied gas. America is now about 45% dependent on natural gas for electricity generation.
Nuclear is well proven and has provided about 20% of our electricity for decades. However, expansion takes time and the Supply-Chain needs to be rebuilt. Back to Donn Dears forecast of 881 new nuclear plants by 2050. We must remember it took Georgia Power about ten years to build the 2200 MW expansion at Plant Vogtle. So, nuclear should be included in the portfolio of new generation. However, the entire U.S. Fleet of about 94 operating nuclear units took about 30 years to design and construct. 1957-1987. The current operating nuclear plants represent 97 GW.
I know this is rough, back of the envelope estimating, but so are all forecasts.
So, if gas plants can provide say 350 GW of new capacity and new nuclear units another 200 GW (I may be optimistic on doubling existing fleet capacity, considering the age of existing plants and the fact that some will be retired by 2050). Where do we get the remaining 50+ GW of required electricity generation capacity? I predict much more than 50 GW of new coal or other Dispatchable power will be required before 2050 and we must absolutely consider the retirements of existing coal plants. According to the Washington Times article, over 117 coal plants are scheduled to be shut down by 2030.
My suggestion is build at least 125 GW of new coal plants. This is about the same capacity as has been shut down and demolished since Obama was President. It will not be easy to do so.
A large coal plant can be imploded with explosives in about ten seconds and reduced to a pile of rubble as Green supporters cheer. However, to build a magnificent, Dispatchable, Reliable, and Affordable 600 MW coal plant will take about five years after the permitting is completed.
My next article will be on the challenges of building 125 GW of new coal plants.
Dick Storm, May 2, 2025
References and for Further Research using respected and factual sources
Solar and Wind are not the lowest cost electricity generation, in spite of what is written or hyped
Electricity Demand is Growing at the Fastest Rate in a Decade
An excerpt from the latest IEA Energy 2025 report follows:
“Global energy demand grew by 2.2% in 2024 – faster than the averagerate over the past decade.Demand for all fuels and technologiesexpanded in 2024. The increase was led by the power sector as electricity demand surged by 4.3%, well above the 3.2% growth in global GDP, driven by record temperatures, electrification and digitalisation. Renewables accounted for most of the growth in global energy supply (38%), followed by natural gas (28%), coal (15%), oil (11%) and nuclear (8%)“
The National Mining Association provides the map below which shows the U.S. States with the lowest cost electricity and also the percentage of electricity generation from coal.
The NMA illustration above is based on electricity prices in 2023. A more recent listing is compiled by the EIA, here.
The previous article I wrote covered the sad cancellation of most of the 151 new coal plants that were planned in 2008. Also, the coal plants canceled between 2007 and 2015 are covered here,here and here.
Here below is a slide I used for my presentation to the 2011 ASME Summer Meeting in Dallas for my talk on the “Importance of Coal and America’s Treasure of Fossil Fuels” as of the summer of 2011. Note the electricity prices when coal provided over 40% of America’s electricity generation. The increases are NOT simply inflation. The price increases since 2010 are primarily the result of the “War on Coal”.
Also, moving from 2011 to present day power demand, the 2025 winter peak power generation from coal remains important. Here is a typical winter day generation. This one from January 21, 2025. Coal was providing over 20% of America’s electricity.
Reliable, Affordable Electricity Powers the U.S. Economy
The WSJ recently published an article, “Economic Growth Depends on Electricity, Not Oil”. The article is good with respect to showing the relationship of reliable, affordable power, but in my opinion has too much emphasis (again) on renewable green power as the solution. Here is the historical growth of electricity as reported in the WSJ.
Green Power Obfuscation
The question of which fuel or source provides the lowest cost generation of electricity? The answer to that question gets muddled by much obfuscation by the media and even professional trade journals that are well respected. Here is a typical example. This one from Visual Capitalist.
Here is another example of greenwashing from my local electricity supplier in South Carolina. Most of the generation for Palmetto-Electric Cooperative is provided by the primarily coal fueled Santee-Cooper generation. Yet, propaganda such as this tends to indoctrinate the public that renewables are powering Hilton Head island.
Here is a slide I used in a presentation several years ago where threee well respected organizations, WSJ, Palmetto Electric and the IEA all have obfuscated the facts on the cost of new generation capacity built or power produced during 2020.
Results Engineering
One of the positions I held over the years was that of Results Engineer for Babcock & Wilcox. I thought it was a corny title at the time (1967) but after many years, can appreciate the significance of measuring the true Results of Thermal Power Generating plants. The Results Engineering Team tested new power plants to measure efficiency and other performance parameters. Back then (as is done now) the total heat input is measured that is inputed to a power generation system and then the net output is determined as the Heat-Rate based on measuring the total heat input, and the equivalent energy output. A typical modern ultra-supercritical coal plant may achieve an efficiency of 41% at design conditions. This would be a Heat-Rate of 8,323 Btus/kWh. Back to basics: one kWh of electricity is equivalent to 3412.6 BTUs. Thus, 3412.6/8323 X 100=41% Thermal efficiency
Yes, I am aware that natural gas combined cycle plants (GTCC) can achieve up to 65% Thermal Efficiency. However, with the fuel cost component about 90% for natural gas fuel, the production cost is directly impacted by increased fuel costs. Even at a much higher efficiency, a 60% GTCC plant will have a higher production cost than a 40% efficient coal plant if the fuel is 2x more expensive. More on that later.
Why are Heat-Rate and Thermal Efficiency Important?
Few energy writers discuss the importance of Thermal Power in electricity generation (or transportation). For example, the January 21, 2025 electricity generation example shown above is provided by over 90% Thermal Power. Thermal energy converted to electricity from nuclear, natural gas and coal. The importance of PRIMARYEnergy is rarely written about. One energy expert, Lars Schernikau has written much on Primary energy. As a reminder for the U.S., here is the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Sankey Diagram of Total PRIMARY Energy Flows for 2022: Note that of the total Primary Energy used in the U.S. over 94% for the entire year 2022 was from conventional forms of electric power generation when old hydro, Biomass and nuclear are included. The 100 Quadrillion BTUs of total Primary energy includes all uses of energy; electricity generation, transportation, industrial production, heating, cooking and commercial end uses.
The primary cost of Electricity production at the Bus Bar of a thermal power plant is fuel. A coal plant production cost component will be in the range of 70% of electricity cost. The natural gas fuel cost component for a GTCC or simple cycle gas turbine will be about 90% of the production cost. Therefore, the cost of the primary energy determines the production cost of electricity. One of many advantages of coal plants is the fairly level cost of fuel over the years. Thus, stable electricity prices.
Thomas Troszak has written an excellent paper on the fallacy of wind and solar. It is entitled, “Why Do We Burn Coal and Wood to Make Solar Panels“? Lars Schernikau has an excellent web page entitled “Unpopular Truths” and he has published books on the importance of Primary Energy. Suffice it to say, Primary Energy needs to be discussed more at a level for the general public to understand. The absence of sound energy education which has been masked by public green indoctrination, is one reason why the importance of primary energy is, misunderstood by the public and policy makers.
But, I digress. Let’s get back to the Results of various sources of electricity generation and comparing the end Results of wind, solar and coal power generation. One of my all time favorite words: RESULTS!
RESULTS Matter! U.S. States with Lowest Cost Power and the Primary Fuel Used for Electricity Generation
The EIA lists the electricity costs for all 50 states. That list is here. Also, Electricity Plans.com, Here. Five with the lowest average retail rates (EIA) are:
North Dakota $0.0102/kWh
Idaho $0.10.97/kWh
Utah $0.1102/kWh
Wyoming $0.117/kWh
Nebraska $0.1078/kWh
Let’s dig into the principal fuel used for power generation by North Dakota according to the EIA Energy Profile for ND. The Primary source of energy for power generation is 54.4% coal and 39.7% renewables. The next lowest cost producer of electricity is Idaho. EIA Energy Profile for Idaho shows: Natural gas 68.7% and renewables 30.8%. Nebraska is another low cost producer, data from EIA Energy Profile for Nebraska is: 48% coal, 16.7% nuclear and 33.5% renewables. These three examples are what I would consider “Balanced Generation Portfolios”. The reason the power costs are reasonable has many moving parts but primarily the low electricity rates are attributed to low cost, affordable Primary energy. Idaho is blessed with wind and abundant hydropower from Bonneville Power dams in the Columbia River system. The hydropower supply in the Pacific Northwest is unique and obviously different than the geography of Florida or the plains states of the midwest. The Green New Deal plan of solar and wind powering all 50 states just simply will not and is not working. One policy does not fit all 50 states.
How about South Carolina?
My adopted state of S.C. ranks pretty well in electricity rates, for now. The S.C. EIA Energy profile shows our state electric costs at $0.01387/kWh. Not too bad. The Primary energy sources for S.C. total state electricity generation are 56.3% nuclear (the success of nuclear in S.C. is almost never discussed by the MSM), 18.6% coal, 19.8% natural gas and 5.2% renewables. Again, in my view, a nicely Balanced generation portfolio. The high percentage of nuclear generation is from old nuclear plants. Four nuclear units which started up in the 1970’s. As a resident of South Carolina, I appreciate the good record of reliability and affordability of our electricity. However, it should be noted that the future cost and affordability of electricity are in jeopardy if the current path to eliminate coal is not changed.
The States With the Highest Cost Electricity
Here are the top seven states with the highest cost electricity.
Additional references are included below to provide information on primary energy, electricity generation profiles of states and including the highest and lowest cost electricity in the U.S. and the world.
Bjorn Lomberg, One Practical Environmentalist
Lomberg has published numerous books, magazine articles, news articles and technical papers. He has been a consistent voice of reason. Here below is one of his charts published in Canada’s Financial Post on the cost of electricity in countries that have moved deeply into carbon free, wind and solar electricity generation.
The red circled statement in the lower right corner of the chart sums up wind and solar power generation. There is “No Cheap Electricity”. Dick Storm’s take is: There is reasonable cost, reliable electricity and that is electricity generated from coal. American policy makers should study the impact of green power being forced on Germany and the consequent deindustrialization, due to high energy costs. Several of Lomberg’s other publications are listed in the references.
Conclusions, The most important points I am trying to make are:
Solar and wind are NOT less expensive sources of primary energy to produce electricity 24/7 8760 hours per year
Coal, nuclear and natural gas provide Dispatchable, affordable power and the Result in lower power costs when applied in a Balanced Generation Portfolio produce the least cost and most reliable electricity generation
When wholesale and retail electricity rates are compared from states that have high percentages of coal, nuclear, natural gas and hydropower, they have the lowest electricity rates over the course of years.
When solar and wind are forced onto the Grid, it raises electricity prices. A very good example is Hawaii which once had a coal plant and then, blessed with plenty of wind and sunshine, tried to become Net Zero Carbon. The result is the highest electricity costs in America. I wrote a few articles on Hawaii as a perfect energy island example of applying the “Green New Deal”. With no Grid to connect, the true costs of electricity show up faster than they will in a states practicing the “Green New Deal” but are connected to the Grid such as California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Maine.
The states with a high percentage of coal power generation also have amongst the lowest electricity prices
Thank you for taking time to read this and I encourage you to read more in the reference links provided below.
Congress should have reined in the Bureaucratic SWAMP monster long ago. Remember Charlie Reese’s editorial? The column title: 545 vs. 300 Million. It is here. The 435 members of Congress through their delegation of authority (or more correctly, abdication of responsibility) have allowed the EPA, Dept. of Education, Dept. of Energy and other Bureaucratic organizations to careen out of control to such an extent that they are now more lethal to our freedoms and prosperity than any other entity on planet earth. They have become the Deep State and are very intertwined (don’t forget the DOJ/Homeland Security open borders policy 2021 to 2024) with tax sheltered NGOs, certain politicians, members of the Judiciary, the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, and the other remaining heads of the SWAMP Monster. Follow the money is what Elon Musk is doing and so far, the findings are alarming. We the People have been funding much of what I and many others would consider enemies of our country. Yes, certain Rules and Regulations are against the best interests of America and I would categorize these rules and regulations as enemies from within. I wrote on Jan. 21, 2021 my thoughts regarding Joe Biden’s (un-American) policies. I thought at the time, Biden was more interested in a strong China than a strong and prosperous America.
Thomas J. Shepstone recently wrote on the USAID scandal. I liked the word GONGO that he coined. I am quoting Mr. Shepstone below and I used his graphic of the SWAMP Monster above:
“The USAID scandal grows with every chime of the clock on the wall. Jo Nova captures the essence of the crime:
Then this week it was revealed that the EPA has given $2 Billion dollars to a Climate Action Fund which is closely affiliated with Stacy Abrams. Excerpts from the New York Post follow:
“The Environmental Protection Agency recently discovered that the Biden administration awarded $2 billion to a climate group with ties to former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, a fierce supporter of former President Joe Biden.
The money was earmarked for Power Forward Communities — a nonprofit partnered with multiple left-wing groups founded by Abrams and which the Georgia Democrat has stated she was “thrilled” to be part of, the Washington Free Beacon reported on Wednesday.
The funds were set aside at an outside financial institution — Citibank — before Biden left office and part of a larger, $20 billion pot of money the former president’s EPA received through the Inflation Reduction Act to dole out to climate groups.
“It’s extremely concerning that an organization that reported just $100 in revenue in 2023 was chosen to receive $2 billion,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told the outlet, referring to Power Forward Communities’ latest tax filings. “That’s 20 million times the organization’s reported revenue.”
My take on all of this is, the corruption in government, and especially the Democrat Party is far worse than even I ever believed.
It turns out the Non-Government Organizations were really the Government.
The word for that is GONGO — a government organised non-government organisation.
“Hands up who is still reeling with the news that USAID had 50 thousand million dollars of political and media influence? The annual budget of $50 billion dollars in the hands of unaccountable activist NGOs buys a lot of “journalists,” editors and teenage protestors. Suddenly a lot of global patterns make more sense.” Thank you Thomas J. Shepstone!
GONGO the SWAMP Monster
I started using the term SWAMP Monster and few years ago. First, I referred to the “Six Headed SWAMP Monster”, then seven and now 14. The Deep State SWAMP MONSTER is the fourth branch of government and has been working against the best interests of the U.S.A. for decades.
Democrat Party
EPA
NGOs such as the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense Fund and many more
Main Stream Media
Entertainment, Hollywood, TV
United Nations
World Economic Forum
Public education K-12 and Universities
The “Swamp Bureaucrats” in addition to the EPA and USAID who are employed by Federal and state government agencies creating excessively restrictive regulations and rules and funding anti-American activists
Leftist Lawyers practicing Lawfare and so-called “Environmental Justice”
Foreign governments
Wealthy Billionaires
Banking and Finance. World Bank, IMF and top financial institutions
Activist Judges
Conclusion
Thank God President Trump is President. The government corruption of NGOs, Bureaucrats and Democrats will be very difficult to root out in just four years. I support Elon Musk as head of DOGE and his team. I have wondered for a long time why so many anti-American Regulations and policies were implemented. Now, at least to me, it seems clear. The people that have been making these Regulations have never worked in the Private Sector, do not understand what it takes to run a business and they do not care about the pain and suffering they cause to productive Americans. As stated above regarding Biden, the policies they supported were slanted toward weakening of the U.S. and strengthening of China. I wondered about why the EPA implemented so many Un-American Rules, such as:
New Source Review
The CO2 Endangerment Finding
Unattainable Vehicle Fuel Mileage Standards
These and other Rules and Regulations have created a coming electricity generation crisis and very nearly destroyed American automobile manufacturing as well as other manufacturing such as, steel, aluminum, large steam generators and fuel burning equipment for conventional power generation.
A Revolving Door of Employment
Many of the key persons appointed to high levels in the EPA moved through a revolving door of employment from activist organizations. Such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense Fund, Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, Power Forward Communities and many more. These NGOs then are inter-related with the World Economic Forum, the United Nations and others as mentioned in the news stories above on USAID and the EPA. The corruption is far worse than even I thought it could be.
I will include some references below for further reading and support of my statements above. Thank you Elon Musk, President Trump, and all of the members of the Cabinet. Let’s Make America Great Again! You all have my humble but full support.
The Biden-Harris Administration and Congressional Democrats are Self Righteous, Environmental Zealots with low energy IQ’s, they are seriously misguided and have created anti-American energy policies that are impossible to achieve. These self righteous Bureaucrats and elected officials are detached from energy reality and are destroying our country. As the quote by Churchill’s Minister of Labour said, “Heaven Runs on Righteousness and the Earth Runs on Energy” Biden, Harris and the Democrats do not understand this.
My retired engineer friends and me are amongst the 5% or so of Americans that understand energy and electricity generation. These enviro-zealot government policy makers have been placed in office by the 95% majority that does NOT understand energy and electricity generation.
The majority of Americans have been misguided into believing carbon is an existential threat, worse than nuclear weapons or other catastrophes.
How? by the Main Stream Media, Entertainment personalities, “Woke” corporations and misguided, low energy IQ politicians.
President Biden has stated that Climate Change is an Existential Threat Facing Humanity He is wrong. The war on carbon is the threat to America’s future.
Coal power has provided the foundation of America’s Industrial strength and our high quality of life. Coal continues to be important, especially during times of peak Demand. Especially winter. For Industrial production, coal is used to produce 70% of the world’s steel, 90% of cement and 61% of the aluminum.
Energy is the Lifeblood of a Developed Country’s industrial productive capacity, social functioning, food production and job creating economy. The environmental Zealots are doing their best to bleed out the energy Lifeblood of our country.
Energy is the economy, it fuels our way of life and supports a strong national defense.
One Engineer’s Steam Venting Rant
Yes, some may say I am a grumpy old man. Well, maybe I am. As I see it, I have a lot to be grumpy about. I am not alone, I know dozens of other veteran engineers that worked the same productive decades I did, beginning in the 1960’s. We studied and worked hard, long hours and we did our best to contribute to building a better America. Especially, the reliable, affordable electric Grid. After working for over 50 years to do our parts in building the “Largest Machine in the World” the American Electric Grid, here we are watching as misguided enviro-zealots destroy the foundation of what we helped build. These enviro-zealots have low energy IQ’s, nearly zero understanding of how reliable power generation functions and as they work against the fuels we depend on. Worse yet, they do not seem to care about the consequences for our country.
I predict that Blackouts will become more common and power costs will continue to escalate, thanks to the Net-Zero carbon path the U.S. is on. The “Inflation Reduction Act” codified the “Green New Deal” into law and the increased anti carbon Regulations of the EPA and other Alphabet soup Federal agencies have America on a perilous path.
This winter will be difficult and it is likely that there will be more lives lost, such as Texas experienced in 2021 with the winter Blackouts. I am steamed up and this commentary is my way of venting that steam.
Electricity in the 1950’s to 1970’s
Let me quote a 1950 magazine ad by Babcock & Wilcox. The last line reads:
“B&W will cooperate with our busy Utilities for still further improvement-in service-and a way of life-that have made America great and strong”
My compliments to B&W, C-E, FW, G-E, Westinghouse, Riley, Alis-Chalmers, DeLaval (and many other fine U.S. supply-chain companies with hundreds of thousands of employees) and the electric Utility industry, yes they succeeded to make America Great and Strong!
For over a hundred years, America had the most reliable, most reasonable cost electricity Grid of any major nation. America set the standard of being the best at providing affordable and dependable electricity. The economy grew and the use of coal paralleled the growth of GDP.
Then the “War on Coal” began. I am still at a loss as to why there was so much angst against the very fuel that powered America through two World Wars and built the largest industrial economy in the history of the world. I have written much on the war on coal and some of the people and organizations that promoted the “Self Inflicted Electricity Crisis“(1,2,3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9,10,11) If you wish more background, much has been published, kindly read the referenced commentaries and references included at the end.
Here are some of my personal experiences and some of the reasons why I am irritated at the enviro-zealots.
America Had Over 100 Years of Affordable, Reliable, Abundant and Dispatchable Electricity Until the War On Coal Began in the 1990’s. Now, the Infra-Structure that provided the Foundation of our Reliable Electric Grid is Being Destroyed byPolicymakers that are either misinformed or they have low energy IQ’s and have NOT done their homework. U.S. Energy Policymakers have created this crisis, right before our eyes. In 2010 about 30% of the U.S. Electricity Generation Capacity was provided by Coal Fueled Power Plants and right at 50% of electricity generation was from coal fuel. Since 2010 about half of these have been shut down. Suitable replacement of new electricity generation should have been built first before destroying about half of the reliable coal plants in America. A Balanced Portfolio would and should have included new nuclear plants, new High Efficiency, Low Emissions (HELE) coal plants and of course, natural gas combined cycle plants.
At least 125,000 MW’s of New, In Kind Generation Capacity should have been built before destroying the existing reliable, affordable and Dispatchable coal plants.
I will attempt to explain what is being done to destroy electricity reliability and what should be done: Here is an example of a typical large Utility Coal Power Plant. The Roxboro Generating Plant of Duke Energy near Roxboro, NC. The first unit started up in 1966 and Unit #4 in 1980. This one is special to me, because I was the startup engineer for Unit #3 in 1973 and I worked at the plant on all four units for several different companies over my career. So, I am very familiar with all the plant major equipment.
This plant when operating at 2500 MWh and an 80% load factor will consume about 700 tons of coal per hour. This is seven full railroad coal cars. When operating as designed, it would consume about six million tons of coal per year. Let me compare this large Thermal Plant with a large Hydro Plant, say the Robert Moses Hydro-Electric plant at Niagara Falls. This one thermal power plant in Roxboro produces as much as this huge facility and it fits on a real-estate parcel of a few thousand acres. The Robert Moses hydroelectric plant is powered by rainwater runoff from eight U.S. states and one Canadian Province. The outflow of most of the water from the Great Lakes flows to the Niagara River and through the hydroelectric generators installed there.
Comparison of Energy Density, Coal, Hydro and Solar
How Much Power Generation is 2500 MW? Did You Ever Visit Niagara Falls? The U.S. Side New York Power Authority Generation Station that uses the American share of the total outflow of the Great Lakes is about the same size in Electricity Generation Capability as the Roxboro Coal Plant. The energy density of hydroelectric power is very low, it takes enormous amounts of land area and elevation change to provide the potential for hydroelectric generation. In North America, all the large sources of falling water have been utilized. Solar power to replace a coal plant the size of Roxboro has an even lower energy density, and it would require between 40 and 160 square miles of land area to provide intermittent 25% capacity factor generation when the weather permits. With battery storage, about 160 square miles would be required to replace a 2500 MW fossil plant. Even then solar power is weather dependent on clouds and sunshine. On reliability, a snowstorm will reduce output to zero and a hailstorm destroy the capacity for months until the panels can be replaced.
So, What’s the Problem?
Over 122,000 MW of electric power generation capacity has been demolished. This is the equivalent of 50 power plants the size of Roxboro Generating Station or the size of the Robert Moses Hydro-electric plant in Niagara Falls, NY.
There has NOT been a major new coal plants built in the U.S. since 2013. Yet, America is the Saudi Arabia of coal and within our country is the highest quality, high BTU, low ash coal found on the planet.
Low Energy IQ Decision in Minnesota
Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota presided over the war on coal in Minnesota. Cheered on by CNN, here is the article where Minnesota and the “Woke” Utility serving that area have decided to shut down the very reliable Sherco Coal Plant (about 2700 MW) and replace it with solar panels. I am not kidding. Here is the link to the CNN article. From an energy and electricity planning standpoint, this is ludicrous. I have worked at the Sherco plant and it is, or at least was well run and well maintained. Like Roxboro Plant mentioned above, capable of generating electricity 24/7 in any kind of weather. Including during snow storms, hail storms, and cloudy days. This is irresponsible at the least. To be fair, it had to be agreed to by Xcel Energy’s “Woke” top management, who obviously have to know better? In my mind, I am at a loss to understand how Utility management can accept pressure from the government without educating the public and pushing back on un-American regulations. When Sherco is shut down, the winters in Minnesota will be more expensive and more difficult for the industries and residents.
Here are a couple of quotes from the CNN article by Xcel Energy President when talking about replacing the coal generation with solar panels: “It allows us to move much more quickly,” said Ryan Long, Xcel Energy’s Minnesota president, who called reusing the plant’s infrastructure “a real key to our strategy here.”
“We’re a good wind and solar state,” Wyckoff said. “Anything we burn that’s fossil fuel, we are importing. We are making the wind and solar electricity here.”
It’s also a huge step forward for Minnesota’s climate and clean energy goals. Under its Democratic governor and 2024 vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, the state is aggressively trying to decarbonize its power sector — getting to 100% clean electricity by 2040.
“That is a key driver for how we’re going to decarbonize the rest of the economy,” Wykoff said. “We’re aiming to be clean economy-wide by 2050. And I think we can get there.”
Hmmm, I suggest revisiting the viability of solar to replace coal in January or the next Polar Vortex.
How Do We Treat the Most Reliable, Most Affordable Electric Generating Plants in the U.S.?
The picture above is the implosion of the Sutton Unit #3 at Duke Energy near Wilmington, NC. This one is also personal to me, because I was also the lead Boiler Startup engineer in charge in 1972 when Sutton #3 went into commercial operation.
To generate 122,000 MW, (a conservative estimate of the total reliable coal generation capacity destroyed since 2010) it would take 290 plants like this.
Who is Cheering as these Reliable Coal Plants are Demolished?
The Sierra Club website keeps score on their “Beyond Coal” Campaign and they show 385 total coal Units shut down since 2010. According to the Sierra Club, only 145 to go.
Oh yes, there are in fact other’s that are cheering for America to sabotage our electric Grid…..
Two fair questions can be asked:
1. Who cares?
2. Do we really need these old coal plants?
I will answer the questions with an emphatic Yes, I care and Yes, we need them! We do need the remaining 145 coal plants.
What Should America be Doing? In my opinion, we should be building new nuclear power plants right now. Also, at least 50 new HELE (High Efficiency, Low Emissions) 2500 MW coal plants. Until a new and expanded nuclear fleet can be designed, built constructed and proven, we should reinforce our electricity Grid with more conventional and Dispatchable generation. A coal plant handles the “Energy Storage” security concern by having the inherent capability of storing months of fuel on site. Electricity generation is Not dependent on “just in time” pipeline provided gas flow.
Overall, America produces about 16% of our electricity from coal fuel. However, three important differences of coal plants compared to solar and wind are: Coal power is Dispatchable. Coal plants can be ramped up in power output to match the Demand. Wind and solar are intermittent and are therefore, Non-Dispatchable. Some advantages of a coal plant:
Fuel Storage on site
Coal power is less expensive to produce
Coal power generation is dependable in all weather conditions, 24/7
The greatest need for coal plants come at peak Demand hours in the summer and the winter. Especially winter.
Energy Powers Economic Prosperity Reasonable electricity cost is especially important for Industrial production. For example, production of primary metals such aluminum, steel and copper use enormous amounts of electricity. Aluminum smelting requires 5 kWh per pound of aluminum smelted from aluminum oxide. That 5 kWh does not include the processing of Bauxite into alumina, transportation and ingot remelting, forging or sheet production. In my state of S.C. we have an aluminum smelter operated by Century Aluminum and a couple of steel mills operated by NUCOR. These use hundreds of Megawatts of power and that power must be of reasonable cost to remain competitive. When it comes to economic strength, it is Industrial production that provides the jobs that allow families to prosper. Over 40% of the world’s primary energy use is for primary metals production and manufacturing. Reasonable cost, reliable electricity generation is a pre-requisite for Economic Prosperity and especially, job providing Industrial production.
What About Wind and Solar? Can these Renewables Replace Fossil Fuels?
In terms of PRIMARY Energy, wind and solar, after decades of subsidies, provide an insignificant quantity of America’s Primary Energy.
The war on coal fueled power stations is contributing to the coming electricity reliability crisis. The War on Coal” is self-Inflicted and anti-American. Wind and Solar cannot replace the PRIMARY Energy of coal, nuclear and gas. Six materials that our society depends on require enormous amounts of energy and cannot be electrified: Steel, Aluminum, Plastics, Ammonia Fertilizer and Cement.
Electricity is Secondary Energy. Electrifying everything is impossible and needs to be evaluated by a new President and Congressional Leaders that care about the future of our country. Biden-Harris and the Democrats act as if they are puppets of Xi Jinping, Putin and the Ayatollah, working to weaken the U.S. from within.
So, What about China and the Rest of the World?
In 2023, more coal was burned in the world than ever in recorded history. Developing countries and the second largest economy of the world China are lifting people from poverty and increasing manufacturing using conventional forms of power generation, including coal. China now has over 400 new ultra-supercritical, coal plants either in permitting stages or under construction. China uses about 56% of the world’s total coal consumption to power its manufacturing economy. Long story short on the “Earth Running on Energy”, China Gets it!
China uses about 10 times the coal consumption of the U.S. In fact, China accounts for 56% of global coal demand. In 2022, coal provided more than 60% of China’s power generation.
What Would it Take to Replace Fossil Fuels for Electricity Generation?
The 2023 book by Donn Dears outlined what it would take to replace coal and gas power generation in the U.S. Here is his summary:
Nuclear power is the largest carbon free form of electric power generation and the best hope for the future. However, as Mr. Dears points out, it would take about 31 nuclear plant expansions such as that just completed last year at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle. That 2,200 MW expansion took over ten years to complete. Now how feasible is it for the U.S. supply-chain (including skilled talent) to build 31 Plant Vogtles every year from now till 2050?
Conclusions
America has NO Energy Policy only a Decarbonization PolicyOnly Climate Policies that attack the very fuels that our country depends upon. The Net-Zero Carbon Path that America is on will weaken if not destroy our country’s productive capacity. Worse yet, if CO2 emissions are a concern, then shutting down all of America’s coal plants will not make a difference anyway. Further, the science of Anthropogenic Climate Change is NOT settled and there are many Scientists that have strong arguments that the consumption of carbon is only a minor contributor to Climate Change. So, why destroy America’s productive capacity and cede further manufacturing jobs to China or other countries of the world? Especially when the so called “Climate Crisis” is really Climate Fraud. (181,182)
Much of this was presented at the Liberty University CEO-Summit September 24th in Lynchburg, VA.
Yours truly,
Dick Storm, October 3, 2024
Note: To give credit where it is due, the title is a paraphrase of Churchill’s Minister of Labour, Ernest Bevin. The full quote attributed to him: “The Kingdom of Heaven Runs on Righteousness,The Kingdom of Earth Runs on Energy”
Vaclav Smil book: “The Way the World Really Works” Dr. Steve Koonin book: “Unsettled” Science based web site on Climate Science: https://climate4you.com
Here’s what the IPCC really believes about the effects of climate change compared to other factors. All the rest is scare tactics, and gross exaggeration. No way 0.5C increase in temperature, if it occurs, could be anything but positive. Note the use of the words “small” & large” Dr. Pat&t=jx86j0I-tJuKCNreXz1BDA
Donn Dears book, “Have No Fear”
Fred Singer and Dennis T. Avery book, “UnstoppableGlobal Warming” published 2007 Book, “Hot Talk, Cold Science” 3rd edition, 2021, By Singer, Legates and Lupo
CO2 Coalition has an extensive web site with more science based Climate and Atmospheric Science information: https://co2coalition.org
You Tube Presentation on the Influence of the Sun on Earth’s Climate, also at 3 minutes 10 seconds into the video, the recent excellent paper on Net Zero Carbon by William Happer, Richard Lindzen and W. A. van Wijngaarden is discussed, (link below) June 12, 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfhbEDuZXDs
Ten organizations or entities that are responsible for the policies that are weakening and destroying America aka “The Indoctrination SWAMP Monster”
Since the 1990’s I have been aware of some anti coal politicians including Bill Clinton and then EPA Head Carol Browner. Also numerous NGO’s that demonize coal, all fossil fuels and nuclear such as the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, NRDC and many more.(75, 76, 77, 78, 79) Back in the early 2000’s when I was working hard to improve coal plant efficiencies, the EPA’s “New Source Review” (NSR) became an obstacle to plant upgrading and performance improvement. NSR was counter-productive to improving coal plant efficiency and reducing production costs. Curiously wrong for America? I wondered, “How can such reckless EPA Rules and policies prevail in this great country?” Based on problems my clients (mostly electric utilities) had with NSR, I started paying attention to the opponents of coal, nuclear and all conventional fuels. I subconsciously took in news and information to try to sort it out, Why? Also, I wrote articles for POWER Magazine, technical papers and gave presentations to Technical Societies or organizations on the topic of, “What if New Source Review Went Away?”
Many authors have written on the Washington “Swamp” Bureaucrats that set policies and laws which are against the best interests of America. The forces against the America I love are numerous and are pushing their agenda “as if” it is for the protection of human health or to save the planet. These well orchestrated organizations are what I have referred to as the “Seven Headed Monster”. Now, after thinking about it the Swamp Monster has ten heads and the policies and restrictions promoted are about control of our lives, one world government and yes, Socialism. The “Greens” are not about human health or saving the planet.(16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
I am not alone. Fortunately, (but much later than it should have been), the Supreme Court has called out the D.C. Regulatory Swamp by weighing in on the Chevron vs. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) case. (2) Below is a copy of the depiction of Donald Trump and his Cabinet setting out to attack the SWAMP. This image is compliments of Patriotic artist Jon McNaughton. He captures the essence of excessive Regulations facing all of us Americans and President Trump. The artist describes his work, “Crossing the Swamp”. “Today, Trump endeavors to cross the “swamp” of Washington DC as he carries the light of truth, hope, and prosperity. The murky water of the deep state and the ten headed monster are laced with dangerous vermin, perfectly willing to destroy American prosperity for personal ideologies, financial gain and control of America by forces outside our borders. The establishment Democrats, Never-Trumper-Republicans, Deep State, and Fake News Media will do all they can to stop the majority of the American people from succeeding.” Also, some foreign involvement to support Green actions has been reported(71,72, 73, 74, 75, 76). Thank you Jon McNaughton for your outstanding painting! (1)
The purpose of this commentary is to summarize ten of the institutions, entities and organizations that function against the best interests of Americans and all of the people of the free western world. They call them “Climate Policies”, the agenda, however, is control over our lives and it is sinister.
The slide below is from one of my presentations. There are at least seven major groups within the U.S. that influence government energy policy. This illustration attempts to provide one graphic to show as the “Seven Headed Monster”. A short description of these people and organizations will follow. At the end of this essay is a list of references to support my conclusions and for further reading and research. America must win this battle. Currently, the “Indoctrination Swamp Monster” has ten heads when government agencies, government/social media/big tech and Dark Money from foreign adversaries are included.
1. Revolving Door of NGO Extremists Into Employment in High, Influential Government Positions
In 2007 there were over 100 new, clean coal plants planned for construction. Most of the proposed plants were cancelled.(3) During 2007, about 50% of America’s electric power generation was from coal fuel. America had the most reliable and affordable electric grid in the world. In 2008 President Obama came into office to “Change America”. In addition to dividing Americans, he immediately ramped up the war on coal. If you read on and check the references at the end, the connection between Socialism and environmental activism will be connected. During his two terms he appointed two extreme activists to head the EPA. First Lisa Jackson then followed by Gina McCarthy. Some of the Regulations (such as the Clean Power Plan of 2015) was later overturned in 2021 by SCOTUS in WVA vs. EPA. However, the damage to the supply-chain and new coal plant investment viability was done. Later ESG but that is a topic for another day.
Another huge factor was the masking of the high cost of renewables with a surge in availability of low cost natural gas production from Hydraulic Fracturing. The low cost gas fuel kept U.S. electricity prices stable and electricity production cost economical as many new highly efficient gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) plants were built.
To my knowledge after about 2010 only about four major new coal plants were started up, Longview in WVA, Turk in Ark, Sandy Creek Energy Station and Cliffside in S.C. It was during the Obama Administration that it became apparent (to me) that extremists were planning, scheming and lying in wait to kill coal plants . Many key people in the Obama Administration were employed by NGO’s before and after the Obama Administration. Even while employed at NGO’s they had much to do with EPA Rules and other Bureaucratic (SWAMP) Policies. The report by the 114th Congress details the “Revolving Door” of activist/extremists and then placement into influential high government positions. (4) I wrote previous commentaries on U.S. Energy policy influencers, here, here and here.(6,7,8, 51, 85) Green policies are not only weakening America’s productive capacity, but also our military strength and readiness. (32, 87)
2. Wealthy Billionaires and Foundations
There are very wealthy people and Foundations whom are not trained or experienced in electric power generation, but may feel they are doing something good for the world by demonizing carbon and conventional forms of energy. Examples are Michael Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos, Tom Steyer, Bill Gates, the Rockefeller Foundation, Arabella Network and more. These people and foundations together have provided well over two billion dollars in funding to NGO’s to fight coal, oil, gas, Hydraulic Fracturing and even nuclear plants. These reports are public information and many links are included below.
3. The United Nations
The U.N. has become distracted from the founding principles of promoting peace in the world. Russia is fighting Ukraine in an unprovoked war. The terror organization Hamas attacks Israel. Meanwhile, the top priority for the U.N. is more emphasis on Climate Policies for the Free western world. The policies are a path to Socialism and One World Government, but are called, “Climate Polices” I have written on this here. (9) China and Russia continue to produce and use record quantities of fossil fuels. China burns more coal than all of the rest of the world put together.
4. The World Economic Forum
The WEF includes thousands of wealthy individuals, companies, government officials and the U.N. Most unelected officials that come together periodically to promote policies for the countries of the world. Including Climate Policies. Make no mistake, the WEF is radical and unapologetic for the policies they promote. For example, De-growth, De-Industrialization, De-population and Restrictions on private ownership. (19, 20, 21, 22, 112)
5. The Main-Stream Media
Internationally circulated newspapers, magazines, TV stations and Internet News, other than a few exceptions such as the Epoch Times, Newsmax and Fox, tend to spread the U.N., WEF, IPCC, and Scare monger messages to misinform and indoctrinate the general public with the UN-IPCC messages and agenda.
6. Public Education, K-12, Universities, Public Service Messages to the General Public
Textbooks and teaching in our schools is based on the “Science being Settled” on manmade global warming. When in fact, the science is not settled. However, the scare tactics have been going on for a full generation of youth that are now voting adults. Billions of people of the world have been indoctrinated and scared about Global Warming.
7. Woke Corporations
Several years ago I visited Disney World in Orlando. The exhibit of the movie “Frozen” had messages regarding the need to reduce our carbon footprint, etc. Other companies and including some electric Utility companies, also contribute to the indoctrination of the public on the demonization of carbon. Few utilities push back or resist the destructive path to exit coal and depend on more expensive, less reliable, weather dependent generation from wind and sunshine.
8. Government Funding Using Our Tax Dollars, Used Against the Best Interests of America
The Biden-Harris funding of $2 Billion taxpayer dollars has gone to promote climate action. (109, 110) Included is $50 million dollars to support anti-Israel, pro-Hamas so called, Social Justice. The huge dollar flows however, are through Planned Parenthood and the alignment of Abortion and Environmental activism. (95, 96, 97)
9. Dark Money, Including from Foreign Adversaries
Foreign influence of U.S. energy and environmental policy has been documented for many years. Numerous references are included below of funds from Russia, China and other foreign governments to influence U.S. environmental policy. As nearly everyone is aware, the Climate Policies promoted by the Paris Agreement have not reduced the fossil fuels production and use of Russia, China and other BRICS. Meanwhile, the U.S. Climate Policies are weakening our country and including military preparedness.(50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 71, 72)
10. Big Tech and Social Media
The influence of Big Tech and Social Media is well known. The involvement and cooperation with government is concerning. Especially when the topic of social credit scores and control over our lives as is experienced in China. Therefore, it is only mentioned as everyone has a very good idea of the influence of Tik Tok, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. Especially on the younger generation.
Conclusion
The 2024 election is important to save America. This is not hyperbole. The alliances of the Deep State, entrenched Bureaucrats in our government, open borders, U.N. control of energy policy and ever greater influence from non-elected officials has our country on a path to destruction. The late Donn Dears wrote about a dozen books warning us about Net Zero policies. It was Donn Dears in one of his last conversations with me that said, “Dick, We have got to win this battle”. Yes we do Donn, RIP. You may not like Donald Trump’s mean Tweets or his sarcasm, however, there is no doubt about his policies are Pro-America and keeping our Pro-Constitutional Republic. I wrote on the “Saving America from Destruction, the Real Issues that Matter”. (111) Keeping in mind, Energy provides the basis for everything we do. Energy Independence and practical energy policies are a large part of keeping our freedoms. Please read some of the 113 references provided below.
Book: “Merchants of Despair” by Robert Zubrin, on Radical Environmentalists, Criminal Pseudo-Scientists and the Fatal Cult of Antihumanism: Published 2012 by Encounter Books and again in 2016 by the Heartland Institute
Sheldon Whitehouse’s new book where he will claim the opposition party does what he and his party have done very effectively, for decades: “The Scheme, where He accuses Republicans of using Dark Money”, when in fact, the Democrats do it much more: https://thenewpress.com/books/scheme
Elections have consequences and American voters can take a lesson from history. A case study of “Good Consequences” are chronicled in the recently published book, “The Peacemaker” which records the Presidency of Ronald Reagan. When Reagan took office in 1980 America was in decline both domestically and by world respect, the “Misery Index” (Unemployment+Seasonally adjusted Inflation Rate) was 19.23. During the Carter administration the Misery Index hit a high of 21.98. Energy was a huge issue then as it is now. More on Reagan and his accomplishments as President later.
Election year voter preferences have me worried. Why? because as I view the issues, the Biden and Congressional Democrats are simply on a path to Destroy America as we have come to know and enjoy it. Many voters seem to be influenced by social issues and the personality of politicians. The purpose of this commentary is to highlight the importance ofthe realIssues that Matter.
These 14 issues are what I think are the most important to keep America Great. Not social matters, the true issues that are vitally important for good results.
Issues That Matter
First and the most important issue on this list: Election Integrity. Election results must be 99%+ reliable (1)
Restore the nuclear family and Judeo-Christian family morality, work ethic and values.
Secure the border.
Restore confidence in Law and Order, support the Police and the American Judicial system
Restore a strong Military and encourage “Peace through Strength”
Reject the Paris Climate Agreement. President Trump did it before, and we need it again. Biden’s so called “Climate Policies” are destroying America and they are not about environmental protection or pollution. Climate Policies are a path to Socialism and one world government, . Not about Public Health or Protecting the environment. Climate Policies of the Biden Administration are un-American and a gift to those countries that hate the U.S.
Increase American energy production of all forms including nuclear, oil, gas and coal. Energy=Life as we enjoy it.
Reshore manufacturing back to the U.S. Especially primary metals, Pharmaceuticals, autos, most important raw materials and minerals
Reduce the size and influence of government
Reduce government Regulations and reign in the EPA, DOJ, BLM and other out of control “Deep State/Swamp Alphabet Soup agencies.
Unite the citizens. Ronald Reagan and Eisenhower are tough acts to follow, but they did it. So can President Trump!
Stop the decline of America and create a vision of optimism to make America Greater than ever.
Improve Public Education to get back to the fundamentals of teaching young people important life skills beginning with Reading, Writing, Math and General Science. Eliminate the foolish social engineering.
Renew American leadership in the world and defeat “Wokism”
So, What Would Reagan Do?
In Reagan’s time, America had just suffered through several Oil Embargoes the Iranian Hostage crisis and tensions of the Cold War.
America’s respect by the world was at a low point. Reagan had a difficult task ahead of him in 1980, but his success is well documented, factual and respected. I remember the years of 18% Home Mortgage rates, the hidden tax of high inflation, Utilities postponing dividends, gas lines, the Iranian hostage situation, rebuilding our military and more. The eight years of President Reagan’s leadership renewed America . In my opinion, his principled and Godly leadership saved America. Elections matter. So do the issues of the candidates. Another point made in the Peacemaker was that Reagan’s task was hard and that he had many challenges that had to be overcome. Challenges from his own staff, Congress and leaders of the world. In spite of these, he kept his Faith and focus. As the saying goes, it is all history now. The big question is. Can Donald Trump repeat such an effective and results oriented Presidency to reverse the decline after four years of Biden policies? I believe he can.
Politicians like to say, “The Best years for America Lie Ahead of Us”. In my opinion, yes the years ahead can be much better. However, I am concerned for the future of America if Democrats keep control of the Whitehouse and Congress. Return of the “Misery Index” is a minor concern when all of the hot spots of this dangerous world are considered, including Israel, Ukraine, China, Russia, Taiwan and terrorists. The current, government top priority of “Climate Policies” are in fact, destroying our country.
I used to think Democrats were simply ignorant on the knowledge of energy and electricity generation. Truly, most are trained in Political Science or are Lawyers, but they have thousands of trained engineers and energy experts that they could consult. Climate Scientists too. Therefore, it is my conclusion that, most Democrat politicians are deliberately weakening America (the only (D) I know that went slightly against the other (D’s) was Joe Manchin (D-WVA). Why would they push destructive policies such as open borders to allow criminals and illegal immigrants to enter our country and then giving criminals priority over U.S. Citizens? Reducing funding and support for Police, weakening law and order, weakening the military, having men compete in women’s sports, killing babies and killing the fuels that power our economy, killing the American auto industry, making food production more costly and rejecting the high quality of life we have enjoyed, Why? Unless they (or those who are influencing them) are intentionally trying to divide and weaken our country?
Are Biden and Congress Influenced by Foreign Pressures?
The Washington Examiner Magazine in the April 23 issue cover story relates to foreign influence of elections, anti-semitism protests and more. The cover art depicts voters controlled by the CCP. I recommend reading the Washington Examiner if you are interested in the depth of subversion within our country, read Tom Rogan’s article on page 20, also references below. (18, 19, 20, 21) Have you wondered about the anti-Israel Pro-HAMAS protests at Colleges and major road and bridge closures recently? Wonder how they just pop up at the same time? Flags and banners supporting mass murderer HAMAS and even ISIS appear across the country. Crowds are raised and anti-American speeches are delivered. This is not a good omen for election integrity in November.
Credit the Washington Examiner cover, April 23, 2024 edition
Living the American Dream
I was born during WWII and America has grown and prospered over these last 80 years of my life. I grew up in a working class family of modest income and thanks to the gift from God of good health and a strong work ethic, prevailing American freedom, values and liberty, I was able, through study, hard work, marrying a wonderful supportive wife that put up with the sacrifices of my working long hours, travel and moving my family around the country. Ultimately started my own company and we enjoyed an above average income with the earned advantages and privileges that go along with being a business owner.
I lived the American Dream and it is my Prayer and hope that my grandchildren and all of the young people in America will be able to do the same.
Some of the accomplishments of my generation come to mind. There are many great leaders that made these possible, starting with one of my favorite Presidents, Eisenhower, who was also Reagan’s mentor. My contribution to the accomplishments listed below was a very humble and small one, but the list is fact and history. These are some of what has made America Great during the last 80 years! The policies of the Democrats is Hell bent on weakening or destroying much of what was built during my lifetime.
Examples of American Greatness during the last 80 Years
The U.S. Navy secured and made ocean transport safe all around the globe to drastically reduce International Ocean shipping costs. This provided the economic advantage to Developing countries, including China
AT&T and Western Electric pioneered advanced submerged cable design and construction that even today provide pathways for over 90% of International electronic data transfer. There is a reason the U.S. is country code #1
President Eisenhower and Admiral Rickover pioneered the use of nuclear power for clean power generation through Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” initiative, spreading clean, safe nuclear power generation around the world with the partnering of great American companies such as B&W, Westinghouse, Combustion Engineering, Foster-Wheeler and General Electric
America, Proudly a Nation of Christians (7)
America was the world’s largest manufacturer of autos, appliances and electronics
America was the world’s largest producer of steel, aluminum and copper
General Motors was the largest automobile manufacturer in the world and in the 1950’s it was accepted that “What Is good for General Motors Is Good for the Country and vice versa” (2)
Babcock and Wilcox and Combustion Engineering pioneered supercritical and ultra supercritical steam generators for electric power generation
Boeing jet airliners were the best in the world
NASA was started and within President Kennedy’s Goal of ten years put a man on the moon
Public Schools practiced morning prayer and recognized two sexes, male and female
President Reagan and his “Peace Through Strength” policies succeeded in overcoming weakness of the preceding Presidential term. Reagan’s leadership restored America as the strongest nation in the world
America’s economy became the largest in the world and the U.S. Dollar, the medium of exchange for trade in the world.
General Electric, under the leadership of Jack Welsh became the strongest and best manufacturer of power plant electric generation equipment, advanced medical equipment and aircraft engines
Our Electric Grid became the most reliable in the world and electricity prices amongst the lowest in the world
American energy production and cost remained reasonable and we made great advances after the Oil Embargoes of 1973, 1974 and 1978
America became energy independent in 2019
Biden and Democrat Policies are Destroying America and Must be Stopped!
Climate Policies and the War on Conventional Fuels, Internal Combustion Engines and more that me and the American majority have grown to depend on and love.
Open Borders for terrorists and people who wish to do harm to America and American citizens
Weakening Election Integrity
Dividing the citizens of our country with codified policies to destroy women’s sports, create new sexes, DEI, SEC rules to harm business and industry and more
Pushing Social Policies that are insanely wrong and divisive. Check the Washington Examiner articles on foreign influence, Tik-Tock and more
Weakened support for our Military and weakened Department of Defense resources. The Biden top priority of “Climate Policies” is a path to weaken everything about America.
Weakened support of our Police and law and order
Out of control spending on Federal programs that cause inflation. Inflation is a “hidden Tax” on American citizens.
Crushing Regulations across all government “Alphabet Soup” agencies; EPA, OSHA, BLM, IRS, SEC, etc are all at war with the citizens, small businesses and productive American industries
Declaring war on internal combustion engines, gas stoves and more consumer products that Americans have grown to love
Support of criminals and illegal immigrants over tax paying U.S. citizens
Sacrificing U.S. Sovereignty to U.N. and WHO
Weak support of our Allies, especially Israel and a decline of world respect, similar to that faced by Reagan in 1980
By their policies, they show their hate for Mining and manufacturing in U.S.A.
And much more Totalitarian control over our lives
Election Interference
The inspiration to write this commentary was the News Media reporting of various polls of “If the election were held today, who would you vote for?”. President Trump and Biden are right at 50-50. In my view, if the status of the truly important concerns in America were compared to when Trump left office in 2020, and if all of the factors that keep America strong were considered, then the polls should be about 99% for Trump. The Pew poll graphic from 2023 is shown below. It hasn’t changed much. Trump and Biden are still within a few points of the same support.
Why would nearly half of the voters plan to vote for Biden? I am not trained in political science, but here are three demographic and social issues that, in my perception, have influenced half of the voters.
The first is the issue of abortion and a woman’s right to choose. Abortion has killed over 63 million babies since 1973 but stated as a “women’s right to choose” it does not sound so evil and many women are influenced by this single issue.
The second most influential factor is, the top 50% wage earners in America pay 97.7% of the Federal taxes. The bottom 50% pay the remaining 2.3%. So, almost half of the population gets more from government than they pay out in taxes.
The third demographic reality is that over 50% of the voters live in large cities. The cities, even in Conservative states like SC, tend to be controlled by the Democrat Party and historically have practiced voting irregularities and shenanigans. (1) Take a look at the U.S.A. map by counties of Red and Blue voting. The entire U.S.A. is mostly Red, except for the cities which have perpetual problems in election integrity.
America is approaching a Totalitarian and Dictatorial government elected by people who either are dependent on government handouts or are influenced by social issues. This is in my opinion to reason why so many are poised to vote for leaders that will destroy our country.
Conclusion and Summary
It is my hope that voters will do research and that the Republican Party will educate more citizens on the importance of the real issues that matter.
Let me close with several quotes of Ronald Reagan on his views on the importance of keeping America strong and great. The first is from Reagan’s farewell, Jan. 11, 1989:
“And that’s about all I have to say tonight, except for one thing. The past few days when I’ve been at that window upstairs, I’ve thought a bit of the ``shining city upon a hill.” The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we’d call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free.
I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I saw it, and see it still.
And how stands the city on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was 8 years ago. But more than that: After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she’s still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home.
We’ve done our part. And as I walk off into the city streets, a final word to the men and women of the Reagan revolution, the men and women across America who for 8 years did the work that brought America back. My friends: We did it. We weren’t just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger, we made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all.”
The issues matter and President Reagan showed how to make them work for the best interests of our country.
Two more from the wisdom of Ronald Reagan….
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”-1961
and
“If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth. And this idea that government is beholden to the people, that it has no other source of power except to sovereign people, is still the newest and most unique idea in all the long history of man’s relation to man. This is the issue of this election. Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.” – 1964
President Donald Trump also applied policies that renewed America during his term. It is my hope and prayer that starting in 2025, policies will be in place to return America to greatness. Ronald Reagan proved that America can be saved from decline.
In Part 2, I will cover some of the NGO’s, individuals, foreign influence and other factors, besides the U.S.-DOJ that are in fact, actively participating in election interference. The November 2024 election may be our last chance to save America and there are many forces, organizations and government officials that are influencing voters by effective use of smear politics and Un-American (Woke) social/Cultural indoctrination. These are very real factors. Some of the influence is from foreign sources. (18, 19, 20, 21)
Last week I wrote an article on the Reality of Electrifying Everything. I stand behind my concerns and conclusions on that and the other articles I have written on energy and electricity generation. However, this week I attended the two part and outstanding USCB-OLLI course: “THE KOREAN WAVE 2024 – CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE LOWCOUNTRY” . Professor Juanita (Babet) Villena-Alvarez was the instructor and she presented an incredible story of the growth of Hyundai from founding in 1967, to becoming the huge conglomerate it is now. The course was well researched and presented in a compelling and interesting way on the massive investments by Hyundai in south east Georgia only about an hour drive from Hilton Head. The course purpose was to inform and educate local citizens of the coming cultural changes and the infrastructure challenges that come along with the rapid growth. This was not a technical discussion on EV’s, it was a course on culture, business and demographics. However, in my mind, I was thinking about the challenges to electricity generation to make it all possible.
Getting back to my normal topic of writing on energy and electricity generation. I should point out another large project, now completed and within 100 miles of the HMG Metaplant, is Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle, now the largest nuclear generating plant in the U.S.
Professor Villena-Alvarez was kind enough to share dozens of references. Many are included at the end of this. The point of this article is to show the enormous commitment Hyundai has made toward “Electrifying Transportation”. Sitting in class it occurred to me, “What Am I Missing?”…..Here is an update on Hyundai’s project which is in the low country, within an hour drive from my home. Needless to say, I was impressed, this is a huge commitment.
Hyundai Invests in The Largest Project in GA State History According to Governor Kemp
Governor Brian Kemp stated,(6)“In a single year, we broke ground on the largest project in state history, landed multiple suppliers across the state for Hyundai’s Metaplant, and welcomed LGES to Bryan County. Today, we’re building on that success as we continue to make Georgia the e-mobility capital of the nation,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “These types of major investments ultimately go to hardworking Georgians in the form of paychecks, improved schools and infrastructure, and more. Thank you to Hyundai Motor Group and LGES for again recognizing that the No. 1 state for business is a good investment.” As I studied the materials that Professor Villena-Alvarez prepared, I was impressed. Here are some points and references that may interest you too.
Some Points of the Economic Impact
Hyundai is a huge company. Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) is just one division. Until I took the short course, I had no idea of just how large Hyundai and other South Korean firms are and their economic impact in the U.S.
I learned that not only Hyundai, but also other South Korean firms including, Sam Sung, LG, SK-Battery and others have invested over $200 Billion in plants in the U.S. Hyundai makes Hyundai, KIA and Genesis autos. Also, Steel, Shipping and more. Here is a bullet list of some key facts of economic impact from Korean direct investment into Georgia and the U.S.A.
Over 8,100 jobs will be created by HMG in Georgia, over 14,300 including supply-chain providers of components
The Panamax capable Port of Savannah will be enlarged with additional new Ship to Shore Cranes. Savannah is already one of the busiest ports in the U.S.
The Talmadge Bridge over the Savannah River will be raised to accommodate Panamax Ships.
Hyundai is now the #3 world auto manufacturer, after Toyota and VW, HMG plans to build 500,000 vehicles/year at the new GA MetaPlant. The professor said BMW produced 412,000 vehicles in 2022 as comparison
The Hyundai Meta Plant covers almost 3,000 acres off of I-16
Hyundai is partnering with Georgia Tech to collaborate on the use of Hydrogen for future Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles
Hyundai had a large plant in China. In August 2023, Hyundai pulled out of China (24)
Time Will Tell….
Hyundai and others have made an enormous investment into “Electrifying Transportation”. My position and my concerns have been discussed in numerous blog posts. As the years roll on, we shall see how this all turns out. A couple tidbits of South Korean business culture and history: A majority of South Korean’s are Christians and share the values of western civilization. Hyundai, now a world manufacturing power was founded in 1967 by Chung Ju Yung.
Mr. Chung, interestingly to me, was born in North Korea. These folks are accustomed to making right decisions and growing manufacturing at a fast pace.
In the meantime, I thought you might be interested in checking the references below to reveal the South Korean infusion of optimism and enormous investment in America.
Dick Storm, April 13, 2024
References and Information on Korean Direct Investment into the U.S.A.:
Korea Energy Profile by IEA. A reminder that a growing economy requires enormous use of energy. Here is where South Korea obtains their energy: https://www.iea.org/countries/korea
Energy and climate policies, if not reversed, are progressing toward shortages of not only fuels for transportation and electricity, but also the supply of products for our materialistic society.(359) This includes food supplies, freedom of travel, quality of life in the western world, weakening of the Free World economy and including an acceleration in the decline of American influence in the world and more…. There is no climate emergency and there are thousands of credible atmospheric and climate scientists that have studied, researched, spoken out and written science based and scholarly articles on the impact of human involvement on climate. However……
The policy makers, including the U.S. EPA, Congress and the Bureaucrats in the Biden Administration have not paid attention to or seemed the least bit interested in digging into the facts.
Climate has changed naturally and with some influence from human behavior. A long list of references are copied below done by credible scientists that understand Meteorology, Atmospheric Science, Engineering and Physics who have analyzed climate and weather patterns. Eight of my individual favorite experts are Dr. Judith Curry, Donn Dears, Dr. Roy Spencer, Dr. John Christy, Dr. Richard Lindzen, the NASA Right Climate Stuff Team, Dr. William Happer and Anthony Watts. Some of these and other experts have joined the CO2 Coalition, Committee For a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), CLINTEL, the Heartland Institute, Heritage Foundation and others. There are over 330 references included below. I am not an expert on climate or weather so I defer to those mentioned (and listed below, most with live links) to explain why we should not destroy our country in the name of so called, Climate Policies” to save the planet. (347) There is no Climate Emergency, so why is the Free World Sabotaging our Energy and Electricity Infra-structure? Please bear with me and read on. It is very complicated and cleverly done so that scare tactics with no accountability has been thoroughly obfuscated….According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the meaning of Obfuscate is: “to make something less clear and harder to understand, especially intentionally“
Origins of Anti-American, Anti-Human, De-Industrialization and De-Growth Environmental Policies
So, how did such wrong headed policies come to be? I wrote a couple years ago, on my thoughts (and with references) how the war on carbon began. That article and references is here. I also, wrote on the Czech Republic’s Vaclav Klaus book, Freedom is not free, What is Endangered, Climate or Freedom? ”Blue Planet in Green Shackles” hereand the relationship of energy policies and economic growth for the U.S. here and comparison of U.S. energy and electricity use to that used by China, here. These articles were written more than a year ago.
Last week I finished reading an interesting book on the history of the Federal Reserve. Not expecting to find information on energy or climate policy, one chapter turned out to be quite informative on the world-wide environmental movement. The meticulously researched book is entitled, “The Creature from Jekyll Island” by Edward Griffin. (341) Here are some excerpts from chapter 24, “Doomsday Mechanisms”. here is a scan of pages 531 & 532.
Attempting to De-Obfuscate the topic of Climate Policies?
This is referring to world financial/economic leaders meeting about the time of the drafting of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Also known as the “Earth Summit” More info on the U.N. conference and the IPCC here.(1, 66, 342, 343, 344 )
Interestingly, the author of “The Creature from Jekyll Island” does not mention the “World Economic Forum” but many of the same individuals or the organizations the WEF members are part of, or have been involved all along with the World Economic Forum. (171, 172, 173, 174, 175)
The WEF influencers are linked. Examples are the Environmental activist. NGO’s, U.S. government Bureaucrats, Billionaire Climate activists and the United Nations. Check the references below to verify for yourself. (170, 195, 196, 197, 198, 345, 346, 358)
In addition to the links to the credible organizations with Internet articles listed below, There are numerous books published which also corroborate the twisting of science by the IPCC. (47, 344, 354) These and more are also shown in the references below.
Conclusions
Anthropogenic Climate change policies are not needed and are in fact, weakening America and the western world.
Much of the science behind the Climate Policies is distorted and flawed
The true agenda of the U.N., WEF, Environmental activist NGO’s, Billionaires (358) and politicians(360) is Control over the citizens, not protection of the environment.(355)
Please check and read the references listed below, then decide for yourself.
Yours very truly,
Dick Storm, Feb. 13, 2024
Here are some References for further reading to support my conclusions:
This report reveals much of what is wrong with the EPA. 114th Congress Report on Obama Carbon Policies and the revolving door of key people from well funded & Influential NGO Green Groups: http://www.scientificintegrityinstitute.org/USSEWP080415.pdf
Sheldon Whitehouse’s new book where he will claim the opposition party does what he and his party have done very effectively, for decades: “The Scheme, where He accuses Republicans of using Dark Money”, when in fact, the Democrats do it much more: https://thenewpress.com/books/scheme
“The Creature from Jekyll Island” by G. Edward Griffin, 5th Edition, published by American Media, Westlake Village, CA Library of Congress No. : 95-80322
“Liberty on Life Support” by Dr. Ileana Johnson Paugh ISBN: 147748308X
“AGENDA 21”, BY AMERICAN POLICY CENTER, 2016
“The Deliberate Corruption of Climate Science”, by Dr. Tim Ball, 2014 published by Stairway Press
By now almost everyone has seen or heard about Tucker Carlson’s interview with Putin. Here is a link that is less well spread where Tucker discusses his impressions of Moscow while he was in Russia for the Putin interview. I found his descriptions of walking about in Moscow to be sobering. A friend sent me the YouTube link of Tucker Carlson in Dubai discussing his impressions of Moscow after his interview with Putin. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2xa7hHMUhoLet me suggest that you skip to minute #32. My concerns for America are: We have put anti-American Climate policies as top priority which will increase the decline of the U.S. relative to other countries of the world, especially China. The words of Tucker on discussing the comparisons of Moscow to cities in the U.S. is sobering. The term MAGA has been demonized. A reminder of what MAGA is an acronym for: Make America Great Again. What is so wrong with that? Three more points. Gatestone Institute on it is not only Boeing jets that have declined in quality, https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20394/boeing-leadership-crisis , the condition of and quality of service of my home town Post Office. Then there is our local Public Schools where about one third of the students are performing below Grade level in reading and math. And our government has Climate policies as #1 Priority. God help us, even if we do not deserve it
The Finland GTK organization has provided comprehensive and well researched information on the challenges of providing adequate minerals for the future. I recommend referring to their excellent work. (1) Also, the National Mining Association has excellent information on their web page. (2) The current slogan for the NMA is, “Minerals Make Life”. I would add, minerals, lots of minerals are also needed for the transition to more renewable power generation. Even then, as a friend pointed out to me, the exotic minerals do not produce electricity until they are incorporated into final products such as solar panels or wind turbines. Electricity produced from renewables cannot make the products needed by society. See Ron Stein’s explanation for more on the importance of crude oil. (8, 9)
Mining and Power
My background and expertise is in electric power generation, not mining. So, why am I writing this if I am not a mining expert? The reason is, although my experiences are in combustion and power, over the last 60 years or so I traveled the world with involvement in power plants and ore processing facilities that provided electricity and combustion systems required for the mining of aluminum, copper, coal and steel. The fact is that both internal combustion engine powered vehicles and EV’s, all require lots of copper, steel and aluminum. As technologies advance for more reduced carbon power generation and use, so will the requirements for Rare Earth minerals, Uranium as well as the more common metals. Aluminum requires the most electricity for smelting of all common metals, about 5 kWh per pound. Copper mining requires a fair amount of electricity as well. For example, I once worked at the Freeport-McMoran copper mine in Irian Jaya (now called West Papua) and it had 180 MW of conventional generation just to run the ore processing equipment. A good read is the Forbes Wilson book, “Conquest of Copper Mountain” which is better than fiction on the story of how one of the largest copper mines in the world came to be. (7) Let’s get back to minerals and metals.
Time to Wake Up!
This is the title of the GTK report and I have taken the liberty of using some of the illustrations from GTK. The first slide in the GTK presentation shows the relationship of metal/minerals required by 2050 compared to the current world use of coal, oil and gas. My previous articles have elaborated on the need to supply the U.S. alone with 100 Quadrillion BTUs of energy. Mr. Michaux provides the graphic below as another approach to communicating the need of minerals.
The metals and minerals needed for batteries alone is enormous. GTK shows the relationship of minerals used now and minerals needed as more power generation is produced from renewables and more electricity is used for transportation.
Energy is required to produce these metals. Lots of energy, both primary energy such as Diesel fuel as well as electricity which is secondary energy. For example, take a look at the 400 ton mine haul truck below. This modern and efficient truck uses a 4,000 hp Diesel engine for propulsion. Keep in mind that ore deposits are mostly dirt with a little bit of metal. Typical rich copper deposits are about 1 -2% copper. So, it takes about 50-100 tons of ore to produce one ton of copper. Plus, lots of energy for processing. I also worked at a gold mine in Nevada and there the gold content of the ore was 0.2 ounce per ton of dirt and rock. So, it takes huge haul trucks to move a lot of dirt and rock for these small percentages of metal.
Conclusions
The path to Net-Zero Carbon is not possible by 2050 for many reasons. The one limitation highlighted in this article is the need for enormous quantities of new metals and critical minerals. Also, huge amounts of energy to power the mining, processing and manufacturing. The U.S. government regulations are biased against mining as well as against conventional energy use. Our government seems to hate to use our natural resources. Another slogan used by the NMA that I saw bumper stickers at a Trona mine was “If it isn’t Grown, it is Mined”. See the Competitive Enterprise Institute list of 10,000 Commandments.(6) I invite the reader to visit the web sites of GTK and the National Mining Association. They are experts in minerals and metals and offer outstanding information on their web sites.
What about Nuclear Power?
Nuclear power generation provides the greatest amount of carbon free electricity. Nuclear is the most likely solution for reduced carbon electricity expansion. Since the 1990s, despite ample domestic reserves, the U.S. has increasingly relied on imported uranium for use in nuclear power plants. Our near complete import reliance for uranium is concerning, including 60 percent of our uranium imports coming from Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The U.S. is currently heavily reliant on China for advanced rare earth materials needed for EVs, wind energy, and other advanced technologies, including those needed for national defense. This need not be the case, whether for uranium, rare earths or other energy materials. The NMA has further information on uranium, rare earth minerals and mining. (2, 4)
A great read not only fascinating but also better than fiction! The story of the development of a copper mine in Irian Jaya, Indonesia: “The Conquest of Copper Mountain” by Forbes Wilson, 1981
Dick Storm's Thoughts on Energy, Education, Economic Prosperity & Environmental Blog 
