Legit news in 2017: Wyoming lawmakers table a bill to end renewable energy
Hopefully not a sign of things to come in other states under a Trump administration, Republican lawmakers in Wyoming have seriously introduced a bill that would kill use of large-scale renewable energy in the state. Not reduce its subsidies or incentivize more fossil fuel usage — but basically just kill it. The bill would penalize utilities that use wind or solar with a $10 per MWh fine (although it would allow net metering!)
Specifically, Senate File 71, lists six resources — coal, hydroelectric, nuclear, oil, natural gas, and net metering systems — as “eligible” generating resources, and utilities will have one year to be 95 percent compliant with the approved resources and 100 percent compliant by 2019.
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As you may have guessed, Wyoming is by far the nation’s largest coal producer and a major producer of natural gas and crude oil. The fact that 8 percent of its state’s energy comes from wind power had was obviously not a huge deal.
It is one of the more illogical, craven political bills one could conceive, and even those who drafted the bill don’t think it has much of a chance to pass, but its drafting is worth noting. No matter how much more economic and societal sense it makes to move toward more renewable energy, there are a lot of people in charge that are uninterested in facts or reason.
LMAO, you’re blocking utilities from using the low cost of wind and large solar farms and keeping net metering. WOW that’s an installers paradise. But as you say, there are people in charge oblivious to the facts.