SUBSIDIZED FUELING: For all the condemnation of oil industry tax breaks, let's not forget that green energy so far is one big sunny, windy, bio-smelly sugar baby in recyclable diapers. . . that never seems to grow up.
As a free-standing, growing industry, green energy overall is so far economically UNSUSTAINABLE. For example, if electric vehicles and battery technology have been around since at least the 1970s, why haven't they caught on with businesses and consumers? After all, if entrepreneurs see an opportunity, and consumers really want electric vehicles, you wouldn't need government subsidies. Microsoft and McDonald's moved ahead without such direct subsidies.
As to oil and gas, even without any government tax breaks, those industries would still thrive. We all need gas even if we have to pay $5 per gallon.
CALIFORNIA'S INVESTMENT (i.e. taking money from taxpayers) for electric charging stations may allay concerns among motorists and operators about "running out of amps," but the fact still stands that basic market dynamics are not at work here. Once electric vehicles and charging stations pass the economic stand-alone test, along with other green forms of energy, they will earn the respect accorded those industries and products fueled by gasoline, oil, natural gas, coal, and/or nuclear power. -- M.R.
Print | posted on Thursday, June 17, 2010 4:57 PM