If I were still living in California, my top priority in a gubernatorial candidate would be electability. Being a clean-energy champion would get bonus points but not be determinative.
I'm pretty concerned that the field has gotten so balkanized -- partly because of single-issue organizing -- that the Republicans manage to elect the next governor. In my book that would be far more of a problem to the clean-energy movement than a Democratic governor who isn't a top champion on the issue.
Hochul is no environmental champion, and she has definitely shown us who she really is in the last year. That said, if you are a New Yorker, please call her office and ask her to support a bill prioritizing rooftop and community solar. It's called the ASAP act. One study says that if the state deploys 20 GB of distributed solar, which is what the asap act mandates, we can meet our energy storage targets and save money
Thank you for this piece, Bill. It seems the gubernatorial race here in California is wide open. There’s even a chance GOP candidates could squeak through because of the system you speak of.
Here is another climate champion, Lucia Simonelli running in PA01 https://www.luciaforcongress.com/. She was senator Whitehouse climate advisor. She is fighting an uphill battle against a Democrat establishment in primary so any help from climate community would be appreciated.
Thank you for all the deep thought and time you devote to these letters. And thanks especially for the section on the gubernatorial races which greatly increase my knowledge about Steyer and Hochul.
Recent Seattle legislative action on hydropower for Seattle might be worth a look (from Seattle Times)
“Legislation to send the agreement to the mayor passed unanimously Tuesday.
Councilmember Debora Juarez, who chairs the Parks and City Light Committee, said what public utilities and the federal government did to rivers here “verges on violence and obscene, because it did more than just take fish.”
“And as Uncle Billy (Frank Jr.) used to say: We’re not a transient community or group, we will live and die on those rivers because it’s home,” said Juarez, an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation.
The three dams today have about 840 megawatts of generating capacity and provide about 20% of the city’s electricity. Ross Lake is the biggest of the reservoirs, helping to moderate flooding in the lower Skagit Valley and filling and storing snowmelt for energy generation. “
I live in Maricopa County, have an SRP all electric home & also receive flood irrigation on my acre lot. 4 yrs ago, when I retired, I was finally able to afford to install a rooftop solar system, & found, as I was warned, that SRP is very hostile to rooftop solar. Nevertheless, I did install the system & have had no problems except SRP's ridiculous pricing system for access to the grid.
I requested a ballot to vote in the election but was denied because I live right outside the "original" bounds of the district -- the district as it existed approx 100 yrs ago! So I was not hopeful about the outcome, but yay for us! One never knows what craziness will happen in AZ elections, but, wow, a really great result for once!
I signed up for a paid subscription by mistake. I immediately tried to cancel through substack and it would only lets you cancel 2027 , next year subscription. It said I had 7 days to canceled but it was impossible to figured out how to do that. I would like a refund for this year.
Disappointing that New York State, which should be a leader in climate change efforts, is poised to waste its opportunities on the slowest, most expensive way to produce electricity.
The increase in demand from transitioning to all-electric buildings, EVs, etc. can be partially offset by efficiency measures, but the gap should be filled with the quickest, least expensive generating technologies available: wind, solar and storage.
Instead Governor Hochul is proposing 5 new nuclear plants that will run about $20 Billion apiece (based on the Vogtle reactors, the only two built in the U.S. for the past 30 years) and will take a minimum of 10 years to implement.
To make matters worse, she is trying to move the State's long-established goal posts to compensate for her puzzling decision.
The NY State Senate and Assembly should 'just say no' to the additional years of greenhouse gas emissions the 'nuclear option' would impose.
reading from Canada. Love these newsletters about energy around the world. One thing is clear: lots of "bad energy" in USA right now. Just read your link about Leo Leonard...if only he championed something good for all of humanity, like housing the homeless...
As so often, I'm forwarding this essay to my regional newspaper, whose owners and editors know that Republicans dominate rural Ohio. They often publish op-eds, letters and articles that reasonable people find true. Bravo!
A gubernatorial race to keep an eye on: Wisconsin, where current governor Tony Evers is retiring and the leading Republican, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) is a former oil distribution manager and salesman for Zenker Oil. Tiffany is an opponent of renewable energy (source: Project Vote Smart) and is backed by the big power lobby. He's a member of the House Freedom Caucus and has fully supported the Trump agenda. He's exactly the sort of Republican who would drag Wisconsin back to the gilded age and plant giant “for sale” signs in our Great North Woods and Boundary Waters.
The leading Democrat in a crowded field is Madison legislator Francesca Hong, a DSA party member and determined supporter of renewable energy options (solar wind, geo-thermal); and defender of the state's vast forests and water resources. Other solid leftie and left-ish candidates include former Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes from Milwaukee, current Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, state Sen. Kelda Roys, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who isnt quite “left” but continues to deny ICE access to County resources and jail space (not that we have room at the inn anyway). Don’t mess with David Crowley in Milwaukee.
Our first job in this context is to hold the Democrats running accountable as conservation candidates. The future of the state's natural resources may depend upon it, and upon rejection of Tom Tiffany's bid to seat himself and the oil & gas executives in the governor's mansion. --30--
Excellent piece, Bill. Re: Delgado, I don’t think he was ever a contender and having had him as my congressman, I wasn’t impressed. I spent a few years in the Hudson Valley and NY state government generally is outdated and stagnant.
What to do with "super capacity" on a small scale. I wish I could find a small-scale electrolysis cell to create and store H2 for cooking. I know you can do it with batteries and stuff but simple?
If I were still living in California, my top priority in a gubernatorial candidate would be electability. Being a clean-energy champion would get bonus points but not be determinative.
I'm pretty concerned that the field has gotten so balkanized -- partly because of single-issue organizing -- that the Republicans manage to elect the next governor. In my book that would be far more of a problem to the clean-energy movement than a Democratic governor who isn't a top champion on the issue.
Hochul is no environmental champion, and she has definitely shown us who she really is in the last year. That said, if you are a New Yorker, please call her office and ask her to support a bill prioritizing rooftop and community solar. It's called the ASAP act. One study says that if the state deploys 20 GB of distributed solar, which is what the asap act mandates, we can meet our energy storage targets and save money
I so appreciate your excellent writing skills that make topics so easily understood. You are such a gem.
Thank you for this piece, Bill. It seems the gubernatorial race here in California is wide open. There’s even a chance GOP candidates could squeak through because of the system you speak of.
Here is another climate champion, Lucia Simonelli running in PA01 https://www.luciaforcongress.com/. She was senator Whitehouse climate advisor. She is fighting an uphill battle against a Democrat establishment in primary so any help from climate community would be appreciated.
Thank you for all the deep thought and time you devote to these letters. And thanks especially for the section on the gubernatorial races which greatly increase my knowledge about Steyer and Hochul.
Recent Seattle legislative action on hydropower for Seattle might be worth a look (from Seattle Times)
“Legislation to send the agreement to the mayor passed unanimously Tuesday.
Councilmember Debora Juarez, who chairs the Parks and City Light Committee, said what public utilities and the federal government did to rivers here “verges on violence and obscene, because it did more than just take fish.”
“And as Uncle Billy (Frank Jr.) used to say: We’re not a transient community or group, we will live and die on those rivers because it’s home,” said Juarez, an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation.
The three dams today have about 840 megawatts of generating capacity and provide about 20% of the city’s electricity. Ross Lake is the biggest of the reservoirs, helping to moderate flooding in the lower Skagit Valley and filling and storing snowmelt for energy generation. “
I live in Maricopa County, have an SRP all electric home & also receive flood irrigation on my acre lot. 4 yrs ago, when I retired, I was finally able to afford to install a rooftop solar system, & found, as I was warned, that SRP is very hostile to rooftop solar. Nevertheless, I did install the system & have had no problems except SRP's ridiculous pricing system for access to the grid.
I requested a ballot to vote in the election but was denied because I live right outside the "original" bounds of the district -- the district as it existed approx 100 yrs ago! So I was not hopeful about the outcome, but yay for us! One never knows what craziness will happen in AZ elections, but, wow, a really great result for once!
I signed up for a paid subscription by mistake. I immediately tried to cancel through substack and it would only lets you cancel 2027 , next year subscription. It said I had 7 days to canceled but it was impossible to figured out how to do that. I would like a refund for this year.
Disappointing that New York State, which should be a leader in climate change efforts, is poised to waste its opportunities on the slowest, most expensive way to produce electricity.
The increase in demand from transitioning to all-electric buildings, EVs, etc. can be partially offset by efficiency measures, but the gap should be filled with the quickest, least expensive generating technologies available: wind, solar and storage.
Instead Governor Hochul is proposing 5 new nuclear plants that will run about $20 Billion apiece (based on the Vogtle reactors, the only two built in the U.S. for the past 30 years) and will take a minimum of 10 years to implement.
To make matters worse, she is trying to move the State's long-established goal posts to compensate for her puzzling decision.
The NY State Senate and Assembly should 'just say no' to the additional years of greenhouse gas emissions the 'nuclear option' would impose.
reading from Canada. Love these newsletters about energy around the world. One thing is clear: lots of "bad energy" in USA right now. Just read your link about Leo Leonard...if only he championed something good for all of humanity, like housing the homeless...
As so often, I'm forwarding this essay to my regional newspaper, whose owners and editors know that Republicans dominate rural Ohio. They often publish op-eds, letters and articles that reasonable people find true. Bravo!
There is no such thing as “clean” energy.
Check out Mr. Bill in the documentary: “Planet of the Humans” on Youtube and you’ll get a clear picture of what he’s about.
A gubernatorial race to keep an eye on: Wisconsin, where current governor Tony Evers is retiring and the leading Republican, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) is a former oil distribution manager and salesman for Zenker Oil. Tiffany is an opponent of renewable energy (source: Project Vote Smart) and is backed by the big power lobby. He's a member of the House Freedom Caucus and has fully supported the Trump agenda. He's exactly the sort of Republican who would drag Wisconsin back to the gilded age and plant giant “for sale” signs in our Great North Woods and Boundary Waters.
The leading Democrat in a crowded field is Madison legislator Francesca Hong, a DSA party member and determined supporter of renewable energy options (solar wind, geo-thermal); and defender of the state's vast forests and water resources. Other solid leftie and left-ish candidates include former Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes from Milwaukee, current Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, state Sen. Kelda Roys, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who isnt quite “left” but continues to deny ICE access to County resources and jail space (not that we have room at the inn anyway). Don’t mess with David Crowley in Milwaukee.
Our first job in this context is to hold the Democrats running accountable as conservation candidates. The future of the state's natural resources may depend upon it, and upon rejection of Tom Tiffany's bid to seat himself and the oil & gas executives in the governor's mansion. --30--
LOTS of INFO. I appreciate trying to understand a great deal. I'm glad to hear about Steyer.
Excellent piece, Bill. Re: Delgado, I don’t think he was ever a contender and having had him as my congressman, I wasn’t impressed. I spent a few years in the Hudson Valley and NY state government generally is outdated and stagnant.
Thanks for your obvious hard work to put down some of the many issues.
I am retired with time on my hands (well not actually) but still find it difficult to give your post the time and thought it deserves.
I kid myself that I will get back to it, but Substack doesn't seem to me to make that easy. Unless of course you leave comment and one can find that!
Keep up your work.
You might be amused by my little solar project.
https://theoneabout.substack.com/p/occa-part-1-the-plan
What to do with "super capacity" on a small scale. I wish I could find a small-scale electrolysis cell to create and store H2 for cooking. I know you can do it with batteries and stuff but simple?
Qld Australia. We have our own issues.