Nutty energy politics in Wyoming

Grist reports:

Coal-loving Wyoming legislators are pushing a bill to outlaw wind and solar.
On the first day of the state’s legislative session, nine Republican lawmakers filed legislation that would bar utilities from using electricity produced by large-scale renewable energy projects.

The bill, whose sponsors are primarily from the state’s top coal-producing counties, would require utilities to use only approved energy sources like coal, natural gas, nuclear power, hydroelectric, and oil. While individual homeowners and small businesses could still use rooftop solar or backyard wind, utilities would face steep fines if they served up clean energy.

Banning wind and solar power is just as nutty as banning coal. Politicians should not dictate what power source is used by utilities.

Where a power source has external costs (such as CO2 emissions from coal), then the correct response is to recognise the external costs through an appropriate mechanism (tax or ETS). But politicians should not dictate what sources of power are acceptable. The Wyoming legislators are just as wrong as Green legislators who try to ban coal.

Hat Tip: No Right Turn