And Now, The Climate Gang Is Coming For Our Thermostats

J. Kennerly Davis, via RealClear Wire

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Joe Biden, the 2019 presidential candidate, pledged that if elected, he would '

We will end the use of fossil fuels

Since his election, he's worked tirelessly with radical environmentalists, who set the agenda and call the shots, to fulfill his campaign promise of waging a war on the production, use, and distribution of fossil fuels.

The Biden administration immediately canceled the Keystone pipeline, and then blocked all other pipeline projects.

The government has severely curtailed the issuing of permits and leases needed for the development of fossil resources offshore and on public land. It has refused applications to increase refinery capacity. It has also set unattainable limits on carbon dioxide emissions, which will force hundreds of fossil fuel-powered electric power plants to close.

The Biden Administration and its political allies within state and local government have launched a number of aggressive regulatory initiatives to restrict and increase the price of a variety of fossil fuel-powered consumer products, including gas stoves and fireplaces, gasoline and Diesel-powered vehicles and lawn care equipment powered by gasoline, as well as wood stoves.

All these regulatory actions have a utopian goal: to 'decarbonize,' or 'decarbonize the economy' of the United States and to smoothly and seamlessly transition the country to an allegedly climate-friendly and'sustainable' future powered by renewable wind and sun generators.

The decarbonization program of the Biden administration poses a serious threat to the country's electric grid.

Electricity cannot be stored in large quantities, unlike other energy sources such as oil or gas. Generators must produce it and supply to customers exactly the amount demanded at any time. Electricity will not function properly if the supply and demand are not in constant balance.

Electric system operators are able to adjust the output of nuclear and fossil fuel generators easily, as customer demand changes throughout the day. Electricity is available to all at the touch of a button, allowing us to run our lives in whichever way we choose. This flexibility has enormous economic and social benefits.

Renewables is a completely different story. The output of solar panels and wind turbine generators is not under the control of electric system operators. These technologies are only able to produce power if there is a steady wind or clear sunshine.

The smoke from recent wildfires across Canada has reduced solar production in the U.S. Northeast region by 90%.

A wind farm's output is reduced by calm weather to a fraction of its maximum production capacity. When the wind suddenly drops, operators must scramble to buy replacement power from other systems or quickly cut off power to customers to maintain system balance.

Commercial customers are impacted by power outages that cause disruptions and cost them a lot of money.

Customers in California have lost billions of dollars due to power cuts caused by wildfires.

Independent regulators in charge of maintaining the reliability and security of the electrical system warn with increasing urgency of the serious dangers posed by the forced retirements of fossil fuel power plants, as well as the increased reliance on renewable energy sources that are weather-dependent. They predict that power outages will be more frequent in the future.

Any responsible administration, when faced with this threat, would modify its energy and environment policies. Progressives don't do that. They don't change their minds, no matter what objective evidence they are presented with. They are steadfast.

To advance the decarbonization agenda system operators need the authority and resources to limit customer demand and control it on a continuous basis.

More and more electric companies, under pressure from environmentalists are installing equipment and implementing protocol that will enable them to remotely control the customer demand constantly, and not only during emergencies. California regulators announced that they want to centralize control of 7,000 megawatts by 2030.

The companies launched sophisticated media campaigns to convince consumers that switching on the power at will is an irresponsible indulgence.

To save the world from a catastrophic climate change, 'flexibility" must be demanded.

Our gas stoves, furnaces and lawn mowers were targeted. They also came for our cars, trucks, wood stoves, firepits, lawn mowers, and leaf blowers. Now, they're coming for our thermostats.

J. Kennerly Davis, also known as Ken, is a regulatory lawyer with more than 40 years' experience in the gas and electric power industries. He can be reached by calling

EMAIL