(RightWing.org) – The Left has frequently shown a propensity for putting the Liberal Agenda above all else without regard to science, and often over common sense. One of their current pet projects is forcing the American people to accept watching their daughters get injured by biological males competing with them on the athletic field, such as the Massachusetts girl who was hospitalized after a boy launched a field hockey ball that struck her in the face creating a bloody mess.
President Joe Biden seems more than willing to follow down that same path with the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules that have been put in place regarding electric plants that burn fossil fuels. However, instead of just one girl being taken down, some experts believe that the entire country could be at risk of catastrophic failure. Not only does this put the cart before the horse, but it seems to put that cart…
Before the Horse Is Born
The April 25 announcement by the EPA sets some lofty standards that, on the surface at least, sound laudable. After all, who wouldn’t want less air, ground, and water pollution?
As has become the norm for the Leftists, they provided fodder for their supporters to use in grand-sounding speeches by saying this is in pursuit of “environmental justice.” One of the major aspects is to require coal-fired units and new natural gas plants to employ “carbon capture and sequestration/storage (CCS)” technology that the government claims can reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 90%.
The EPA press release claims that CCS technology is “available and cost-reasonable” and continues improving and becoming more affordable. This seems to be belied by a September 2023 study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (Canada) that says it has been in use for more than one half-century and yet the reality of the matter is that price reduction has been “slow.” It also says that the “economic viability” of the process is bolstered only by government subsidies, which is also part of the United States plan.
Critics of the Biden plan point out that the increase in the number of data centers being put together by big technology companies, the number of personal devices, and regulations demanding electric vehicles (EVs) replace the combustion engine are going to sharply increase the demand for electricity, and current technology doesn’t provide a viable means to provide it without risks that could impact the environment as much as, or even more than, the fossil fuel burners.
Research published in the Harvard Business Review looking at solar alternatives, showed that the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that up to 78 million metric tonnes of nonrecyclable waste could be generated by 2050 strictly by individual home users, much less industrial plants. However, those numbers seem to leave out one major factor, human nature (particularly in the United States) tends to lead people to want the newest and shiniest toys available, especially when it comes to items that are promoted as money savers.
The Review’s statistical model predicts that the waste will be 50 times what IRENA projects over the first four years because people will tend to replace the solar panels long before their advertised “30-year lifecycle.” Because of hazardous materials such as cadmium, lead, and other heavy metals, any recycling efforts would face the exorbitant cost levied by other EPA regulations and typical consumerism, waste would exceed new installation by 2031, and “by 2035, discarded panels would outweigh new units sold by 2.56 times.”
It can be frustrating to see what the Democrats in Washington, DC, foist upon unsuspecting Americans with their Agenda-above-all mentality at the best of times. When they ignore experts in favor of their own narrative, it is not hyperbole to say they may be bringing an unmitigated disaster upon the country.
Copyright 2024, RightWing.org
