The Electric Truth

If you choose to seek out different electricity providers, you will find they offer a statement listing their power sources. What is ironic is that some of the companies that like to view themselves as green have almost exactly the same sources in the same proportions as the bad old electric companies. This means that like it or not a bulk of our energy comes from three sources: oil, coal and nuclear. These sources are all held in disdain by the Obama Administration and cap and trade seeks to make it more costly to use these abundant and efficient fuels. In fact, Congress seeks to force the hands of power providers to create alternative energy even when the technology is more costly and less efficient. If you have ever been shopping for swimsuits with a teenaged daughter, you understand this mentality. The left wants something that doesn't exist. They want a clean power source that is efficient and cost effective but it simply isn't there. But they are willing to do without energy at all if it means having what they want. This is a very petulant attitude and seems to be matched on all sides by congressional actions and those of the president's staff. I mean, you could put the cast of The Hills in these roles and the results would be the same kind of snarky, sneaky double dealing we have seen in the past week. I don't know if it has to do with California or just leftists in general, but this is no way to run a country.

"...Electricity is a good thing. It powers your computer, drives economic growth, transmits images from Tehran streets, keeps preemies alive in hospitals, prevents meat from rotting and enchants and cools you in movie theaters.

Yes, electricity is a good thing. Where does it come from?

In the U.S., electricity is produced from these sources. If you are reading this on a handheld and can't read Wikipedia's wonderful pie chart, here is the breakdown:

48.9% -- Coal
20% -- Natural Gas
19.3% -- Nuclear
1.6% -- Petroleum

Got that? A tick over 88% of U.S. electricity comes from three sources: coal, gas and nuclear. Petroleum brings the contribution of so-called "evil" energy--that is, energy that is carbon- or uranium-based--to almost 90%.

The remaining sources of U.S. electricity, the renewables, are, by comparison, tiny players:

7.1% -- Hydroelectric
2.4% -- Other Renewables
0.7% -- Other

Hydroelectric accounts for 70% of renewable energy in America. But, of course, hydro is mostly tapped out. Almost every dam that could be built has been built. Ironically enough, political opposition to building more dams comes from the same crowd of tree huggers who oppose coal, gas and uranium..."