Democratic green energy plans not well-thought-out

The comedian Carlos Mencia said that he was not a Democrat or a Republican because the Democrats want to change everything and the Republicans do not want changes. When you vote you are not really voting for the candidate, you are voting for the political agenda of a party.

The parties differ on most policies, but the most critical difference is in the area of energy. It determines everything: jobs, food, manufacturing, transportation, trade, communications, water, and heat and light. Republicans favor using all energy technologies. Democrats have an apocalyptic vision of the world that requires a radical change of all current energy systems.

The Democrats’ energy plans are spelled out in the New Green Deal, the New Mexico Energy Transition Act and Joe Biden’s Equitable Clean Energy Future. They would ban the sale of all gas vehicles, ban all oil/gas drilling and ban the sale of oil and gas, within the next 14-20 years.

This will destroy jobs and raise everybody’s costs for a dangerous unproven agenda.

Since these policies will ban natural gas, propane and generators, how will we heat our homes, schools and hospitals? People will have to pay thousands to convert to electric heating that is only 25 percent as effective as natural gas, so electric bills will more than double.

Without fuels, construction tools and equipment will not work – no large trucks, backhoes, cement trucks, generators, dump trucks or pneumatic tools. No farming equipment, tractors, harvesters, etc., will be possible. There are no electric garbage trucks, and airplanes cannot fly without fossil fuels.

It would cost billions to replace all this equipment; and the costs of everything, energy, housing, repairs and services will rise. In New Mexico, banning oil production destroys over 50,000 high-paying jobs and cuts the state budget revenues by 30 percent, almost 2 billion dollars. Nationally, over 40 million jobs will be destroyed.

There are many ironies in the banning of oil production. Oil is used to make wind turbines; and every turbine gearbox requires 10 to 60 gallons of oil. It is used in the production of tires, asphalt roads, vehicle lubricants, pharmaceuticals, refrigerators, water pipes and numerous necessary products.

Half of my neighbors heat their homes with wood. Chain saws, splitters and trucks all need gas to harvest heating wood. The anti-oil people have no technical answers as to how their plans would work.

Would banning all oil production and fuels in New Mexico and the nation change the climate? No. The United States produces less than 15 percent of planet greenhouse gases, and while we have lowered our gasses, the rest of the world is increasing their output. Anything we reduce is offset by China, which is permitted to increase pollution until 2030, according to an agreement signed by Obama in 2016.

Actually, you can see what the Democrats’ New Green Deal would look like right now. During this pandemic, airplane travel is down 90 percent [and] tourism and hotels and other businesses are on course to lose over 30 million jobs. A vote for these Democrat plans will economically ruin our state and country.