The $1.7 trillion dilemma - we don’t want any of the following in our community: nuclear, solar or wind farms, fossil fuel plants, data centers . . .

Photo above - Not in my backyard. We have zoning laws against power plants here . . .

$1.7 trillion is the estimated value of all the power plants which generate our electricity. Every American wants more kilowatt hours, and more internet bandwidth. We just don’t want any of the things that make this possible. Not nuclear, not vast acreage of solar or wind farms. Not coal or gas fired electric plants. Gawd dayum . . . folks don’t even want more hydroelectric dams either.

I can hardly blame them. Historically, people also are skittish about living near dairy farms, pig sties, beef feedlots, poultry farms, and mushroom operations (these all have unpleasant smells). Free ranging cattle in the west are disfavored too. Several states are on the verge of outlawing recreational fishing, duck hunting, and deer hunting. Virtually any activity which doesn’t involve Netflix binges and Doordash deliveries could be out of bounds.

Planet Earth has 8.5 billion people. Half of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa, middle east deserts, or hand to mouth villages which are 3 days walk from the nearest airport. Netflix is streaming TV shows like Yellowstone, which makes America look like Montana. Vast green pastures punctuated only by an occasional steer or horse. Clean air and water. Plenty of food on the table.

This is also the reason so many tech and finance bros want to live in locations like Montana. I don’t blame them. Nobody wants to see how sausage is made, or what happens to the leftover parts of a chicken after the wings and nuggets are extracted. (spoiler alert – dog and cat food). Despite what you hear, most residents find living in "New York, New York" a pain in the ass.

I blame Hollywood and democracy – voters like me – for the impulse to rezone neighborhoods against everything that isn't a freshly delivered Dominos pizza or a Montana cattle ranch. We all want to put the bad stuff in someone else’s neighborhood.

I’m just sayin’ . . .



Study shows solar power isn't weak - it's being ruined by fossil fuels

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/study-shows-solar-power-isn-t-weak-it-s-being-ruined-by-fossil-fuels/ar-AA24u9tp?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=6a2541a015e64c2590ae0bf18aaff414&ei=164