President Obama must be a Michael Jackson fan. Because when he talks about California’s energy policy, he’s definitely in Neverland.
Yesterday the President called California’s “energy-efficiency policies” an example for the rest of the nation and noted that “Californians consume 40 percent less energy per person than the national average.”
Harvard’s Edward Glaeser logically points out that California’s temperate climate has far more impact on the state’s low energy consumption than the state’s draconian energy policies.
“January temperature does a terrific job of explaining carbon emissions from home heating and July temperature does almost as well at explaining electricity usage,” Glaeser noted. “California has the most temperate climate in the country and as a result, homes use less heat in the winter and less electricity in the summer. In hot, humid Houston or frigid Minneapolis, people use plenty of energy to artificially recreate what California has naturally.”
According to the President’s illogical spin, California’s lack of power plants is another sign of its success. But in reality, California uses 20% more electricity than it generates and is forced to import power from neighboring states that aren’t crippled by California’s overly-strict environmental regulations.
The President may have been completely wrong about California, but at least he’s consistent. He’s wrong about the other 56 states, too.
Source: Wall Street Journal Best of the Web
