If a governor can issue an order to declare a business essential or unessential, why not energy? Why not this? “Petition Asks Sununu For Exec. Order Telling N.H. Utilities To Invest In Offshore Wind Energy.”
The “petition” is an effort by the activist group 350NH.
Remember them? Sixty Seven of these environmental yahoos got arrested for theft at Bow Station. They thought if they stole a few buckets of coal from the plant, it would help “the environment.”
To that end, they showed up in full-body Tyvek suits (made by Dow Chemical), “a chemically spun plastic fabric. Manufactured, tested, packaged, transported, delivered, worn, then disposed of (along with some coal dust, I’d imagine). Each of those steps has a carbon footprint.”
They also tried to stop a coal train from delivering to Bow Station.
Her group’s new petition asks for Sununu, by the end of this year, to order the state’s electric companies to invest in 800 megawatts of wind projects, with conditions to ensure that the energy benefits New Hampshire as directly as possible.
Sununu is pro offshore wind (and anti offshore oil and gas), and that’s a problem, but it is not THE problem.
And the carbon footprint of the wind machines (and installation) itself is lousy, front to back, and that is a problem, but it is not THE problem with this request.
Nor is the disruption to the eco-system and sea birds also a problem, but not THE problem with this idea.
The problem is that (350NH) wants Chris Sununu to whip up an executive order (government force) mandating that energy companies invest in this terrible idea.
Precedent
You are asking the state’s chief executive to use his phone and pen to force someone to do something. Better yet, you are accumulating a list of people who agree that this is a good idea, and we can’t wait to see the list.
Quick question? If a Governor should do this, like this, why couldn’t someone else ask him to make Planned Parenthood invest most of its time with prospective patients on why they should consider adoption first?
How about mandatory firearms safety training for all public school students, complete with in-school practice ranges?
He could make New Hampshire a Right to Work State with a snap of his fingers or require at least 6-months of proof of residency before you can register to vote and or end same-day registration with the swish of a pen.
Or, maybe, ask energy companies to charge more and then use that money to fund fossil fuel exploration and development. Why not?
What’s the limit, and who decides? The person with the power, that’s who.
Just imagine the sorts of things a governor could do with this power you would grant. The so-called pandemic EO’s but then get meaner.
Scratch that totalitarian itch as fast and as often as they like.
I guess the real question for 350NH is what can’t a chief executive do and if there’s no limit, why bother with a legislature or even the courts?
And isn’t that the whole problem with what progressives want out of government?
They wail like banshees about voting rights and a Democratic process they claim to defend except when it fails to give them what they want. Then they demand we crown executives king when that could (potentially) result in more of what they don’t want.
These are not the brain droppings of sane individuals, and certainly not people who should be trusted with “protecting Democracy” or directing policy.
If you want a king, move someplace where they’ve got one. I’d suggest New York or California, but one recently abdicated his throne, and the other looks like he’s about to lose a recall election.
But these states are filled with people just like the loons in 350NH, so I’m sure they’ll be back in the same hot water in short order.
As for NH, we’re working on taking that sort of random abuse of power away from the Governor, and since he appears interested in running for the US Senate, maybe he’ll sign off on that before he leaves office since it won’t have any impact on him.
Just the sort of person we don’t want in higher office.