Make Fossil Fuels Great Again Why

It was encouraging to hear the founder and CEO of a West Virginia solar installation company tell a small group of people interested in residential and commercial solar recently that solar power has become the cheapest and fastest way to meet increased energy demand. Solar can be deployed relatively quickly to meet the anticipated increase in energy demand of 25% in the PJM Interconnection area in the eastern US – where the PJM grid serves some 65 million customers.

Sadly, the New York Times brought me right back to cold, hard reality with its reporting on a proposed EPA rule set to be made public soon. This rule will magically make fossil fuels great again by simply ignoring pollution from fossil fuel sources.

This administration seems hellbent on dismantling programs, policies, and regulations designed over years by experts. It is emptying the federal government of scientists and specialists who have been figuring out how to deal with, and adapt to, climate change in order to protect their fellow Americans from the ravages of a changing climate.

Odd, isn’t it, that the administration sees no need for scientific data or expertise. Do they assume that, by not collecting data and information, the climate crisis will evaporate? And that the rest of us will turn our backs on the realities before us? It seems that no amount of scientific data, no amount of death or destruction from extreme weather events, no number of people and organizations sounding the alarm will deter our current administration from doing as much damage as it possibly can. Why? I wish I had the answer, but it completely eludes me.

What I do know is that climate change is just about the most critical challenge we face as a nation and a species. Every aspect of our lives (and the lives of our children and grandchildren) will be impacted by climate change in the coming years. It is counterproductive to cast blame. Climate change is here. It impacts our daily lives whether directly or indirectly. We must both address its causes and take steps to mitigate its impact. Just ask the folks in Texas Hill Country, New Mexico, Bethesda (a close-in suburb of Washington, DC), New York City and the Jersey suburbs… All areas hit in the past month by flash floods caused, at least in part, by a warming planet that increases moisture in the atmosphere.

What price will the country pay in lost economic and development opportunities, flood and fire relief, crop loss and resulting food price hikes, climate migration, international conflicts from resource scarcity…I could go on….

How much will Americans pay for this administration’s insistence on making fossil fuels great again?

Diane Blust retired after 25 years with the CIA. She spent 15 years in Western Europe as an operations officer. Since her retirement to West Virginia, Ms. Blust has volunteered with non-profit organizations dealing with sustainable development and local food issues. She is a member of The Steady State.

Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 300 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.