An Energy Trojan Horse

Last week an editorial in our small town newspaper was brought to my attention. It was entitled “Energy opportunities ignored, rate payer will pay more” and is most likely behind a paywall. It was, simply put, an awful editorial. It promoted all manner of unsupportable notions about energy generation and delivery. Just to give you a flavor of the editorial, I will quote one short section.

“Energy opportunities ignored, rate payer will pay more” in a local newspaper criticized the current energy generation strategies and promoted a reliance on solar and battery storage without solid evidence. This prompted a deeper investigation into the organizations behind the editorialists.

1. Editorial Claims: The editorial suggested that cities could predominantly use solar power at prices comparable to gas plants. However, these claims lacked supporting data. The author noted a 46% rise in utility bills, largely due to increased gas usage and costs related to maintaining balance between wind and solar sources.

2. Criticism of Local Utility's Plan: The piece criticized the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) of the local utility for not following through on previous commitments to move away from fossil fuels. It advised readers to contact the Public Service Commission (PSC) to urge a focus on ratepayer costs and public health in energy decisions.

3. Writers' Affiliations: The authors are linked to the Citizen’s Climate Lobby and republicEN.org, raising questions about the influence of political affiliations on energy policy discussions. It was noted that energy decisions should be based on factual principles rather than political biases.

4. Citizen’s Climate Lobby: This group advocates for two main initiatives: permitting reform and nonpartisan climate advocacy. However, its nonpartisan claims were questioned based on the affiliations of its advisors, who are largely tied to environmental causes.

5. RepublicEN: This organization promotes conservative engagement in climate action and positions itself as a welcoming space for right-leaning individuals concerned about climate change. It is associated with the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University, which also partners in initiatives to help journalists report climate issues accurately.

6. Media Relations: The Center for Climate Change Communication works with Climate Central to produce climate stories for media outlets. This partnership emphasizes the importance of scientific accuracy, but the accuracy of the editorial discussed was disputed.

The editorial by two affiliated organizations presents as nonpartisan but reveals progressive biases upon further examination. The discussion highlights a need for factual clarity in energy policy and the importance of discerning the affiliations and motives behind published opinions. Overall, both organizations appear to be advancing more progressive agendas than they suggest. The principle of seeking truth ("Nullius in Verba") emerges as a critical takeaway. 

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/10/01/an-energy-trojan-horse/