Trending
The federal government is pressuring auto manufacturers to ramp up production of electric vehicles -- which will pull more energy from our nation's electrical grid.
Meanwhile, the federal government also is pushing for the grid to shift to more renewable energy, particularly solar and wind, which an engineer for Lehigh Valley notes are more intermittent sources of electricity -- or to put it more bluntly, less reliable sources of electricity.
As a report in the weekend edition of the Sun-Gazette by The Center Square detailed, the juxtaposition of these goals leaves the feasibility of both questionable.
Some experts who spoke to The Center Square's reporter compared the lawmakers' goals to the movie "Field of Dreams" -- assuming the technology will be in place when the deadlines come.
We all hope that as technology improves, there can be a greater role for solar power and wind power in our nation's future. But our hopes for the future cannot replace the realities of the present.
It is an impractical approach to energy policy to neglect the potential of oil and especially natural gas to meet our energy needs while the technology to make renewable sources of electricity attainable continues to need to be developed and improved.
Especially as the gas and oil sectors contribute nearly a million jobs to our economy.
We understand the political calculus for many Democrats, who cater to the more extremist factions of environmentalism, is to make oil and natural gas scapegoats. But as the concerns of experienced engineers to whom The Center Square spoke reflect, today, oil and natural gas do not deserve to be maligned as scapegoats.
They should be recognized instead as workhorses, the industries capable in the present of meeting the needs of our country with affordable energy so our businesses and homes can thrive.