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To answer your question: Texas. Running on a platform of clean energy is political suicide in half of America, particularly in the south.
by kdheiwns 2mo ago
To answer your question: Texas. Running on a platform of clean energy is political suicide in half of America, particularly in the south.
- polski-g 2mo agoCounterpoint: you're wrong https://texas2036.org/news-analysis/gale-force-growth-texas-wind-energy-2000-2025/ https://texas2036.org/news-analysis/gale-force-growth-texas-...
- kdheiwns 2mo agoI'm not. Business operate in Texas. I never said that they don't. But major politicians are not making it part of their platform.
- browningstreet 2mo agoClean energy development was doing well, was powering more than half our needs, and was creating more jobs than oil. Guess that wasn’t good enough. Oh and it reduced our green house gas emissions. That was the catch. (I got coal rolled just yesterday, in Tahoe. Who knew that was still a thing…)
- rstupek 2mo agoYou don't seem to realize Texas has huge number clean energy build outs and has been for quite a few years. They lead in wind generation and commercial solar generation.
- kdheiwns 2mo agoI very much realize it. I know companies are doing it. But the angry responses to my comment shows that literacy is lacking in Texas because I said it's political suicide to run on it as a platform. Ken Paxton, who is running for Senate and currently serves as attorney general, proudly announced cracking down on "solar scams": https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-launches-major-initiative-combat-widespread-fraud-companies-selling https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-... Plus his campaign site makes no mention of supporting clean energy: https://www.kenpaxton.com/ https://www.kenpaxton.com/ I will repeat: it's political suicide to run on a platform of clean energy or education in Texas. That does not mean companies are not building clean energy. But politicians will not make it part of their platform during elections.
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- xienze 2mo ago> But the angry responses to my comment shows that literacy is lacking in Texas because I said it's political suicide to run on it as a platform. If you really think Republican voters in Texas care so much about it, wouldn't the obvious play for Democrats be pointing out how much green energy these Republican politicians have allowed to be built under their watch? I think you're painting Republican voters with an extremely broad brush here and honestly, fail to understand what exactly they object to in the first place regards to green energy. Their main objection is being _forced_ to use it (or being chided by ivory tower know-it-alls) in contexts where they have certain preferences (like driving a big ass truck). Not a single one is going to object to cheap energy so long as it doesn't degrade their current lifestyle. That's the point people like you forget when you're creating Republican straw men.
- dyauspitr 2mo agoDemocrats can’t even paint the republicans in the corner about blatant pay to play corruption or ignoring court orders. This isn’t proof of anything.
- BobbyTables2 2mo agoI think he’s more like a broken clock that is still right twice a day… I’ve seen too many solar panels installed on the north side of a house, under a tree.
- vablings 2mo agoA bifacial 500w panel will still generate significant power even under shade. I have seen people installing on north-south gable end walls and still making many kW throughout the day in overcast cloudy UK
- mminer237 2mo agoTexas leads the nation in raw renewable energy production. Solar, wind, and nuclear are hardly maligned there.
- amanaplanacanal 2mo agoI'm not in the know on Texas politics, so I'm curious. Do Texas politicians publicly support clean energy? Or do they just keep their mouths shut and let it happen? Given that the current head of the Republican party seems completely against it and how rabid some of his followers are, I'm just wondering how they thread that needle?
- kdheiwns 2mo agoTexas politicians never run with clean energy as part of their platforms. They still run with oil as their main shtick. That doesn't mean that they don't let clean energy operate in their state, because they'd be silly to completely turn down money. But they can't openly announce it as a point of pride because it'll anger their base.
- dyauspitr 2mo agoI’m pretty sure the GP knows that Texas does a lot of renewable energy. It’s just that you can’t talk about it or run on that platform as soon as you run on it people think you’re some woke liberal America destroyer.
- MetaWhirledPeas 2mo agoPretty much. When the Texas grid was failing during ice storms they were trying to blame wind farms IIRC. I suspect the success of renewables in Texas has more to do with the bottom line than anything else. They certainly get a lot of badmouthing from people in rural areas. And honestly this is the best possible outcome. The impact of good intentions wavers along with cultural evolution, but it's hard to stop something that just makes financial sense.
- goatlover 2mo ago
- deleted 2mo ago[deleted]