Cal Thomas - It ain’t easy being green

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Thursday, July 7th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

PAUL BUTLER, HOST: And I’m Paul Butler. Here’s commentator Cal Thomas.

CAL THOMAS, COMMENTATOR: With apologies to Kermit the Frog, it’s not easy being green.

The Supreme Court last week diminished the power of unelected bureaucrats to effectively make law. A 6-3 majority ruled the Environmental Protection Agency—or the EPA—does not have the power to set standards on greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants. It said that’s up to Congress.

Responding to the court ruling, Marc Morano wrote on his website climatedepot.org: “That's one small step for climate sanity, one giant leap for democracy. (The) ruling reigning in the power of the unelected bureaucracy to essentially regulate every aspect of the American economy under the guise of 'climate change'—has been mercifully laid to rest. CO2 is not a pollutant, humans inhale oxygen and exhale CO2.”

Even the EPA acknowledges a decline in greenhouse gasses (GHG) without the additional regulations the Biden Administration wants to impose. Two years ago, the EPA said: “…between 2018 and 2019 total reported GHG emissions from large facilities fell nearly 5%. These most recent data are consistent with the decade-long trend in which total reported GHG emissions from large facilities decreased by more than 14% from 2011 to 2019…

Despite these figures, the administration is presiding over record high gas prices, hoping they will force us into electric cars. Electricity doesn’t fall from the sky. It must be created by something, such as coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, wind, or solar power. The latter two are not available in sufficient quantities to drive 289.5 million American cars.

The Wall Street Journal carried a story last week about the rising cost of electric vehicles. General Motors has added $6,250 to the price of its Hummer electric pickup truck. That vehicle now costs between $85,000 and $105,000. Tesla and Ford have also increased prices on their EVs.

There are less expensive electric cars, but challenges remain. These include the availability of batteries. The Lithium in them comes mostly from China. Do we want to underwrite more of the Chinese economy and its military at a time when Beijing is a threat to American interests? The last time I filled up my tank with gasoline it took me about two minutes. While there are several variables, the time it takes to charge an electric vehicle is much longer. According to Carfax.com it ranges from less than an hour to twelve hours—depending on which of three charging levels one chooses.

Suppose you are stuck in traffic during an evacuation from a hurricane and your battery runs out of juice? If there is no charging station nearby, what do you do? If your vehicle stalls, a massive backup is likely to ensue and your plan to flee the hurricane will be thwarted with potentially disastrous results.

Technology should precede ideology, not the reverse. The Biden Administration and its green allies want to force us into electric cars before most people can afford them and before they become as practical and convenient as gas-powered cars.

Politicians should reverse this imposition of green energy ideology, return us to energy independence, allow technology to catch-up and, more importantly, allow us the freedom to choose how we wish to transport ourselves.

I’m Cal Thomas.

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