Hello, gentle readers. Coming at you today from the great state of Oregon, where, by the time you are reading this, I will have heard my son make his undergrad thesis defense (about declining attendance at MLB stadiums in the 21st century) and we are probably celebrating! I’m so proud of what he’s accomplished in four years; it’s truly an honor to be his mom.
This week’s must read: The language of redemption (The Invading Sea)
Our own Bob Inglis penned this week’s must read, and I have to admit, I was having a hard time pulled an excerpt because the whole dang piece is quote-worthy.
But here’s my shot:
“Campaigners on the left are quick to tell us of the dangers of climate change. They finger fossil fuel as the culprits and pronounce the word “corporation” as a cuss word — that way that President Ronald Reagan pronounced the word ‘government,'” Bob writes. “Meanwhile, right-of-center folks feel attacked. They like their fossil fuels, and they don’t see any practical alternatives. They take offense at being accused. They might wish for but don’t see a path to redemption. The result is resignation.”
With that, go read the whole essay!
Bob in the wild
How would we resist sharing our first ever (that I’m aware of) marquee event. Bob Inglis is in the Eastern Washington/Idaho area this week, talking about our favorite subject.
Like reliable energy?
This week’s knowledgeable guest comes to us from the Niskanen Center. Rachel Levine, the Senior Transmission Policy Analyst for Niskanen Center’s Climate and Energy team, gives us a quite digestible deep dive into transmission policy in the U.S. which, spoiler, is kinda crazy and sorely in need of updating and streamlining if we as a nation expect to meet 21st and 22nd century needs.
In other words, you like to have a charged phone and laptop? Lights to read? A TV to entertain? We need to figure this out, and she is here to educate and guide us.
Rachel leads work on high-voltage transmission development in the U.S. with a research focus on interregional transmission planning, marketplace governance, high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technologies, and federal permitting reform. Prior to joining Niskanen, Levine managed advocacy initiatives on behalf of utility clients as well as government entities in the U.S. and abroad. She holds a B.S. in Environmental and Ecological Engineering from Purdue University and a M.S. in Civil Engineering from The University of Nebraska.
Comimg up next week, Patricia Zavala from PowerHouse Texas is joined by Texas Energy and Climate Caucus co-chairs Reps. Erin Zwiener and Drew Darby for a conversation about the power sector in the Lone Star State. Texas may have a reputation for being an oil and gas state, but it’s also first in the nation in utility-scale solar and first in wind energy. In this bipartisan episode, key leaders in the state’s energy and climate policy delve into what makes Texas so special, how renewable energy has been able to rise above partisan rancor, and how other states can follow their example. [H/T to Larry Linenschmidt for the introduction to Patricia!]
Let the sun shine in!
As previously mentioned, balcony solar is hot-hot-hot with more than 20 states working on legislation modeled after what Utah did to allow the DIY plug-in solar kits to go commerical in the U.S.
You know I’m partisan about my Maine heritage, so I was happy to see on this Canary Media map that my home state is, like Utah, already on the way toward allowing more easy access to residential solar power.
Where does your state stand?
The intersection of faith and science
This seems to be a popular topic of late (if you missed it, check out my past podcast episodes with Jessica Moerman and definitely catch a screening of the movie The [Conserv]atives, in which she is featured) and we want to know what you think.
If you haven’t already, take our poll on this topic!
Calling all Manhattanites
It’s time for the monthly gathering of the NYC Climate Dinner next Monday the 13th, 7-9, at Skylight Diner, corner of 9th Avenue & 34th Street. There’s no required reading this month (aka no homework). Rejoice!