Democrats at the state and national levels have embraced a slew of deadlines to hasten their goal of a renewable energy future. Nevada, for instance, seeks to produce 50 percent of its energy from green sources by 2030 and to be fully converted by 2050.
One problem, however, is that many of these mandates are not based on anything remotely resembling economic reality. Another snag is that the same green activists who demand an immediate transition from fossil fuels also favor a heavy-handed regulatory state erecting barriers to all new energy projects — renewable or not.
Consider that the Biden administration seeks a large expansion of energy produced by offshore wind farms and has designated funds to upgrade ports to facilitate shipment of the necessary components. Yet, as Reason magazine reported last week, “the biggest impediment to the federal government’s attempted development of offshore wind is, it turns out, the federal government.”