8/19/2019
Subsidies are not necessarily evil.
Many who oppose wind farming including myself will use the fact that wind farms rely on subsidies by our taxes to operate in part as a case against them.
In the case of wind energy especially after decades of subsidies it remains inefficient, thus a net loss. We are finding that the complexity of how dumping wind energy into the grid is something like dumping too many cars on a highway at one time. We see this at rush hours. In Los Angeles we see this 24/7 (exaggeration) but you get the point.
At this point in the game with wind energy we can say they are wasteful inefficient sources of energy that can cause more problems in the grid along with them being destructive to airborne wildlife and landscapes.
Subsidies are provided in many areas of our lives. Government subsdized Paradise California for rebuilding infrastructure and provide life saving services like shelter, water supply, etc. after fires that were caused by electric transmission lines that fell, and the resulting fire became uncontrolled and burned through the entire town leaving only few homes habitable.
Oil, natural gas, farming are all subsidized. The net effect though is a balancing out of these so that they keep producing their products that are key to our economies and life. Farming has ups and downs in production that are not controllable as is the same with oil production. There are varying factors that without subsidies these industries could fail thus leaving catastrophic consequences for everyone. Thus we use our taxes to subsidize and in the end they are efficient and produce more for what we put in.
Environ mentalists often will poke at oil and natural gas subsidies saying they are rich and do not need them. That's an overly simplistic view. I'm not going to get into detail on these subsidies but basically they are supporting what is so absolutely vital to our economies that that support is our life.
For example these people are always complaining that the electric companies or oil companies "never pay taxes". Even though they do they claim they pay net zero in taxes. Ok. Fine. Let's go with that.
Next summer in the blazing California or Arizona desert will these complainers be ok with not having electricity for their air conditioners, or paying more in their bills so the company can pay taxes? Will these people prefer to generate their own electric? Sure stick a windmill on your apartment.
We all get a break because they pay less if any in taxes, and, we pay less in our electric bills because they get subsidies. I don't know why people don't understand this in the environ mental movements.
copyright 2019 Kenneth Wegorowski