4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
JIM VAN NOSTRAND
Editor
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CARL EARL
Systems Manager
PRO-CON
Will ban on fossil fuel energy by
2045 devastate California’s economy?
AP Photo/Reed Saxon
AP Photo/Noah Berger
AP Photo/Noah Berger
TOP LEFT: Wind turbines line the Altamont Pass near Livermore, Calif. TOP RIGHT: Workers install solar electrical panels
on the roof of a home in Glendale, Calif. ABOVE: Solar Impulse 2, a solar-powered plane, flies over San Francisco in 2016.
PRO: Brown’s dream of
banning fossil fuels is a
21st century pipe dream
ALLAS — Outgoing California Gov.
That way, California can offload any
Jerry Brown wants to be remembered
additional renewable-based power during peak
times for wind and sun, and then draw on fos-
as an environmental warrior —
sil fuel-generated electricity to fill in the gaps.
regardless of how much it costs Golden State
Brown claims that unless he gets his
residents and businesses.
The governor just signed legislation requir- regional power grid, California residents will
ing utilities to generate 60 percent of their elec- have to pay a lot more for electricity. He’s
tricity from renewable sources by 2030, with a got that right, but they’re already paying a lot
goal of phasing out all fossil fuels by 2045.
more.
Then he headed to the Global Climate
The EIA says the average retail price for
Action Summit in San Francisco for a victory
electricity in California is 15.23 cents per
lap, where he boasted that the state would
kilowatt hour — higher than all but six states.
launch its “own damn satellite” to track “cli-
Unfortunately, Brown’s efforts will likely
mate pollutants” — apparently trying
make California the most expensive
to outdo NASA’s Orbiting Carbon
state for electricity ratepayers, and
Observatory-2, which has been doing
he knows it. Sometimes it’s not good
just that since 2014.
being No. 1.
Even though California’s per-per-
Brown told an audience at the bill
son carbon emission rate is fairly low,
signing ceremony, “Those who don’t
it’s the second-largest state emitter
want (the regional grid) are going
MERRILL
of carbon dioxide, according to the
to be foisting very high prices on
MATTHEWS California.”
government’s Energy Information
Administration (EIA).
No, governor, it’s you who are
Ironically, given the cleaner-than-thou rhet- foisting very high prices on Californians by
oric coming from the governor, California’s
pushing your all-renewable-energy dream,
reduction in hydro power meant its reliance on even as you try to hide the state’s reliance on
non-carbon sources for electricity generation
fossil fuels.
actually fell between 2000 and 2015, from 78
A better solution would be for California to
billion kilowatt hours to 59 billion, according
turn to “carbon capture” from natural gas.
to the EIA.
The Associated Press reports that California
By contrast, oil and natural gas mega-pro-
has 54,000 active wells and is the 15th largest
ducer Texas more than doubled its renewable
producer of natural gas among the states.
energy usage from 39 billion kilowatt hours in Natural gas is already one of the cleanest-burn-
2000 to 86 billion in 2015, and nearly all of the ing fossil fuels, but a new generation of natural
gas-powered generators hopes to remove all of
increase was from wind power.
That should indicate that fossil fuels and
the carbon.
renewable energy aren’t contradictory, they’re
One is just starting up in Texas. News and
complimentary — and will have to be for
opinion website Vox reports that the company
decades to come.
Net Power says it will be able to “generate
Although California has in recent years
power more efficiently than conventional
significantly increased its reliance on wind
power plants, in a smaller physical footprint,
and solar power for electricity generation
with zero air pollution, and capture the carbon
— especially solar, where it has become the
— all at a capital cost below traditional power
national leader — both wind and solar power
plants.”
are sporadic, producing electricity only when
That’s a tall order and it’s still a work in
the wind blows and the sun shines.
progress. But it’s much more believable — and
Brown hopes to address that intermittency
doable — than Brown’s all-renewables power
problem by transitioning to a regional elec-
plants. And it might actually cost Californians
trical power grid that includes other western
less. Wouldn’t that be a change for the better?
states — which, not coincidentally, use fossil
Merrill Matthews is a resident scholar with
the Institute for Policy Innovation.
fuels to create electricity.
D
CON: Fossil fuel ban
will actually boost
California’s economy
B
ALTIMORE — Requiring clean
One major reason is that green technol-
ogies produce new jobs faster. Investments
energy will help California’s econ-
in green technologies create jobs at a higher
omy, not hurt it.
rate than investments in comparable conven-
One obvious reason is that electric and
tional technologies.
hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are extremely
And the first beneficiaries of green job
efficient technologies that improve the
state’s economy by saving consumers a lot of growth will be workers who are currently
unemployed, according to a report from UC
money in fuel costs.
Berkeley.
The benefits of electric vehicles are well-
When it comes to electricity generation
known. Driving an EV decreases the nation’s
in the U.S., the Department of Energy’s
dependence on oil, reduces fuel costs over
2017 Energy and Employment Report
time and cuts pollution.
found that the solar industry now employs
And, most EVs on the road in the United
more people than coal, oil, and gas
States are also made in America.
combined.
For example, a report from Argonne
More than 373,000 Americans
National Laboratory found a higher
worked part or full time in solar
fraction of plug-in electric vehicles
energy, and just over 260,000 of
(PEVs) were assembled in the United
them — or about 70 percent —
States than non-PEVs in 2017.
spent a majority of their time on
Achieving the greenhouse gas
WHITT
solar projects.
emissions reduction targets would
FLORA
Most solar energy jobs were in
support a $76 billion increase in
installation, construction and man-
California’s gross state product as
ufacturing, as the relatively new industry
well as a $48 billion increase in real house-
hold incomes and the creation of 403,000
continued to add capacity.
new efficiency and climate-driven jobs.
According to the Sierra Club’s analysis,
California already gets more clean energy nearly every state in the country has more
venture capital investment than all states
jobs in clean energy than fossil fuels; just
combined.
nine states have more jobs in fossil fuels
Alternative energy is by far the fast-
than in clean energy.
est-growing segment of the energy industry
The green economy could soon become
today. Wind and solar alone account for
the nation’s fastest-growing job segment,
more than half of the new electricity capacity accounting for roughly 10 percent of new
installed in the U.S., and they’re growing
jobs over the next 20 years — up to 4.2
domestically and around the world.
million new green jobs — with 500,000
In 2009, while other sectors saw little or
in California alone, according to a recent
no investment, the clean technology sector in report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
California received $2.1 billion, 60 percent
Conservative pundits love to lampoon
of the total in North America.
Jerry Brown, nicknaming him “Gov.
Venture capital investments there totaled
Moonbeam” for his infectious enthusiasm
nearly $6.6 billion from 2006 to 2008, about for new ideas.
five times more than its nearest competitor.
Brown hasn’t figured out how to create
Also, venture capital investment produces energy from moonbeams yet, but he’s
thousands of new jobs. Each $100 million
doing a pretty good job with sun beams and
in venture capital funding helps create 2,700 wind gusts. From where I sit he deserves
jobs, $500 million in annual revenues for
applause, not boos.
Whitt Flora, an independent journalist,
two decades and many indirect jobs.
covered the White House for The Columbus
The ban on fossil fuel energy likely
(Ohio) Dispatch and was chief congressional
will increase venture capital investment
correspondent for Aviation Week & Space
in California, according to a study by the
National Venture Capital Association
Technology magazine.