Most people believe that the US government is “for the people” and “by the people,” but the reality is that big money has much more influence than justice, equality, or responsibility. The same is true of recent regulations aimed at environmental responsibility, such as state Renewable Energy Standards [RES] adopted by two thirds of the country. There are no federal standards because Big Oil money keeps blocking it.
In the face of mounting evidence that the global warming phenomenon is being directly caused by human activity, RES laws aim at reducing carbon-dioxide [CO2] emissions by adopting renewable energy sources, such as solar- and wind-power.
On the other hand, Heartland Institute, a libertarian think tank, denies the existence of global warming, equating it with terrorist propaganda. Additionally, Heartland Institute has now joined with American Legislative Exchange Council [ALEC], which has fought to reverse climate change regulation in the past, to write the Electricity Freedom Act [EFA].
Heartland Institute and ALEC’s new federal legislation, EFA, aims to override individual state RES regulations, citing economics as a valid reason, but failed to mention millions of dollars in donations from Exxon Mobil.
“Renewable power mandates are very costly to consumers throughout the 50 states, and we feel it is important that consumers have access to affordable electricity,” said James Taylor, senior fellow at Heartland Institute.
Apparently, according to Taylor, big oil money influence is just taking “attention away from the real issue – that alternative energy, renewable energy, is more expensive than conventional energy.” The real point is that alternative energy takes money out of Big Oil’s pockets.
