Big Union, Kalifornia, and Green Energy
Economics, Environmentalism, Global Warming, Liberals, Unions — By Harrison on June 29, 2009 at 6:00 am
Liberals are fond of talking about “Big Oil” as if it is supposed to mean something. Oil is “big” because the stuff it produces (oil, gas, and diesel) runs the industrialized world. But what about “Big” union? Seems as though three topics “cherished” by Democrats are all nicely colliding in the muddled state of California: unions, “green” energy (it’s green because of how much public assistance it needs), and the environment:
When a company called Ausra filed plans for a big solar power plant in California, it was deluged with demands from a union group that it study the effect on creatures like the short-nosed kangaroo rat and the ferruginous hawk.
By contrast, when a competitor, BrightSource Energy, filed plans for an even bigger solar plant that would affect the imperiled desert tortoise, the same union group, California Unions for Reliable Energy, raised no complaint. Instead, it urged regulators to approve the project as quickly as possible.
One big difference between the projects? Ausra had rejected demands that it use only union workers to build its solar farm, while BrightSource pledged to hire labor-friendly contractors.
Green in the sense of how many subsidies they require.
Pretty interesting, isn’t it? Already it has been shown that all “alternative” energy schemes favored largely by Liberals are money losers, sucking up taxpayer dollars and producing little in return but the move by Big Union to get their fingers into every project has only driven up the cost more:
It’s an added cost for an industry that can hardly afford added costs. Solar projects face a 20% increase in project costs when unions are brought on board.
What do the unions care, the money comes from taxpayers, right? It should be no surprise that “green” energy, unions, and Democrats go together like ham, cheese, and bread. The Democrats are eager to take care of their largest supporters by preventing union benefits from being taxed under the socialized healthcare schemes being cooked up in Washington, D.C. while the rest of us will have to pay taxes on it:
The exception, which could make the proposal more politically palatable to Democrats from heavily unionized states such as Michigan, is adding controversy to an already contentious debate. It would shield the 12.4 percent of American workers who belong to unions from being taxed while exposing some other middle-income workers to the levy.
So the Democrats and Big Union are clearly in bed with one another but it is you, the taxpayer, who is going to pay for this cozy relationship:
As California moves to license dozens of huge solar power plants to meet the state’s renewable energy goals, some developers contend they are being pressured to sign agreements pledging to use union labor. If they refuse, they say, they can count on the union group to demand costly environmental studies and deliver hostile testimony at public hearings.
If they commit at the outset to use union labor, they say, the environmental objections never materialize.
Imagine being told that if you take your car into a mechanic to have the oil changed the bill will be 20% higher just so Union Joe can do the work while non-Union Bob, across the street, stands ready to earn your business and feed his family. Does that sound fair to you?
All of this is going to become more of an issue if President Obama’s Cap-and-Trade scheme becomes law and traditional forms of energy like oil, coal, diesel, and gasoline get taxed at absurd rates. The rush to build more “alternative” energy plants will become much larger. Just imagine, thanks to Big Union, every “alternative” energy plant costing 20% more just because the construction crew are members of a union.
Sounds like politics to me. Be sure to write your local Democratic politician and thank him or her for supporting Big Union.
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Related posts:
- Solar Is Only Green If It’s In the Red
Drill for Oil in Kalifornia – Crunchies Cry
It Ain’t Easy (or Cheap) Being Green
Instead of Crowing, Obama Eats Crow
Why Kalifornia is in Trouble (Hint: Spending)
Going Into the Red to Be Green
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10 Comments
Union groups aren’t the only ones who can demand environmental impact studies. What dilemma! I have to choose between polar bears, pikas, kangaroo rats, ferruginous hawks, and desert tortoises. I am going to have to go with gridlock. I propose that we pursue no new forms of energy. I would love nothing more than to see every clean energy project get sidelined into regulatory gridlock. I would also love nothing more than to see Utah, Nevada, and Arizona turn off the light switch to California. A week or two of no electricity would probably go a long way towards changing Californian’s opinions about energy.
Burro´s last blog ..Do You Hear the People Sing
Excellent post, Harrison! This is an issue that is rarely covered in the MSM and it should be since it will add quite a bit of cost to “green” energy. Obama has admitted long ago that Cap and Trade will make electricity rates increase. But he and “green” enablers routinely fail to mention that big labor (one of their favored constituents) will also add to the overall equation. But make no mistake about it, higher energy (fossil fuel) prices is what they want.
I have stumbled and Dugg this post…good work!
vulcanhammer´s last blog ..Dan Mitchell on cutting the Dept. of Education on CNBC
Thank you! Of course, going “green” isn’t about helping the environment it’s about increasing Federal revenues to pay for social engineering schemes favored by Liberals. What I find most amusing is the Granola Crunchies refuse to admit they are being played. It’s a big farce and the joke is on us, the taxpayers.
It is typical for green crusaders like Thomas Friedman to claim that green technologies will create new jobs and that there is an emerging entrepreneurial class who will take on this problem. You are right to point out the impact the unions will have on all of this. This is my biggest problem with global warmingism. This debate quickly slides from what’s good science or good for the planet to what’s good propaganda and what’s good for certain political interest groups.
It isn’t just the Granolas that are getting played. I just got back from DC, and every billboard, every metro ad, and everywhere you look, some major American enterprise is touting their green credentials. It was kind of like prostitutes parading their piety.
Burro´s last blog ..Do You Hear the People Sing
Yes all the innovations! Of course, fork over your billions first then we’ll see what happens. Show an ad with a truck putting out soot then show a windmill with a daisy nearby (never mind all the soot produced making and setting up that windmill) and people are easily manipulated.
not to mention all the soot produced to make that ad.
Burro´s last blog ..Do You Hear the People Sing
Isn’t it kind of sad though, how something like understanding our impact on the stuff we live on and what effect, positive or negative we have on it, has become such a political issue?
Brian Anderson´s last blog ..Can Limbaugh really believe this?
Whenever there’s money involved it always seems to go this way.