BRATTLEBORO — We all know the saying “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
History can be as close as yesterday. New Englanders have historically observed the mistakes of others and chosen to not repeat them. The question is, why is that changing now?
The state of Vermont has set a goal of 90 percent renewable power by 2050, similar to a goal California set a few years back. Get rid of the nuclear power, replace it with renewables, transition to electric cars, etc.
So how well is California meeting its lofty green goal?
In comments filed in late December 2011 with the California Energy Commission, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), Southern California Edison Co. and San Diego Gas & Electric Co. all said the scale of requirements driven by the state's environmental policies could have severe consequences for their customers, electric system reliability, and the state's economy.
PG&E said, “We should ensure that our efforts to transition to an ever-cleaner energy supply do not saddle customers with ever-higher costs for decades to come.” When you close nuclear plants, cost, brownouts, and carbon go up.
With things not going so well in California, why is Vermont heading down this same path, closing nuclear plants and demanding renewables at any cost? If California were a country, it would have the sixth-largest economy in the world, and that state is broke! How does Montpelier expect us to pay for all this new greenness?