Teed up by Chuck Todd’s abysmal climate change question (about flood insurance prices) in the Virginia gubernatorial debate, Glenn Youngkin lived up to what one would expect from the Virginian Republican (Grand Oil Party) nominee for Governor: predatory delay truthiness.
In summary, Youngkin
- Avoided saying “climate change” and directly acknowledging basic reality which would risk alienating his climate-science denying base.
- Propagandistically described methane as “clean burning natural gas”.
- Misrepresented the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA).
- Failed to acknowledge the health, economic benefits, and other from moving to a clean-energy economy.
- Played Trump-ian “I’ve been told by someone” games to claim falsely that the VCEA’s achievable clean power targets are unrealistic.
- Falsely asserted that moving to a clean-power system will lower Virginia’s energy resiliency.
All of this, and more, in just 60 seconds!
As to Youngkin’s words (beginning 46th minute),
We’ll admit it to you first the first thing first thing we need to recognize is that we do have a challenge. We have a challenge. I’m from … I’m from Hampton Roads and the challenges that Hampton Roads are facing right now with rising sea levels and and storm water drain issues are serious
Good that Youngkin’s eyes are open enough to see how there is flooding today that didn’t exist a decade ago and that “rising sea levels” are making this worse. Noteworthy (as per above) that he isn’t linking these flooding issues with climate change.
and so we have to go to work now in order to address those we have to go to work in order to make sure that there’s funding available so that they can prepare for rising seas
“Funding” isn’t a plan. What is your plan, Glenn? Sea Walls? Managed retreat? Do you agree with Governor Ralph Northam’s administration’s work to boost resiliency or, well, what?
The challenge that we’ve got however is that the plan that’s been put forth with the virginia clean economy act is unworkable.
While it could be much stronger, has many complications and giveaways to corporate and polluter interests, to call the VCEA “unworkable” is simply peddling falsehoods.
I’ve spoken to the heads of the utilities they don’t even know how to do it dismantling all of our clean burning natural gas
Yuck, “clean burning natural gas” is simply greenwashing spin. That methane is, when burned, not as polluting as coal (or oil) doesn’t make it clean. As to the “heads of the utilities”, of course Youngkin doesn’t want to discuss the reality that “the utilities” (read Dominion Power, primarily) want to build as many methane power plants as possible since they will have a guaranteed profit on what will become stranded assets contributing little (to nothing) to Virginia’s energy resiliency in the coming years and decades.
We’re going to turn virginia into california. And, get ready, brownouts and blackouts are coming.
Huh? Continuing misleading false talking points. And, by the way, as a Dominion customer who far too regularly has power outages (more than 24 hours a year, year in, year out), existing problem don’t have anything to do clean power. And, a smart clean power (with distributed power on rooftops and otherwise) system will not just be cleaner, create more jobs, and cost less money to own and operate, it will foster greater energy resiliency in the face of the worsening climate crisis.
and the reason why Ford doesn’t want to come here is one of them is they don’t trust our power supply
Seriously, Glenn, you want us to believe that Ford wants polluting electricity supplies for factories building “zero emission” vehicles.
Like so many other major firms (including many with significant Virginia presence), Ford wants to have clean power for its facilities. Ford wants to sell massive numbers of electric vehicles and to see them powered by clean power and not electrons generated by fossil-foolish utilities.
we in fact need to have a different plan we need to embrace all aspects of power generation wind solar nuclear and our clean burning natural gas
The VCEA ’embraces’ all clean power options (including wind, solar, and nuclear) and provides a glide slope to wean Virginia’s off polluting power — including methane gas. Again, no matter how many times you confidently assert “clean burning natural” it doesn’t change the simple reality that extracting, transporting, and burning fossil gas pollutes.
my opponent wants to accelerate this transition by 10 years
Thank you Glenn for making clear a reason to vote for Terry McAuliffe for Governor of Virginia.
And, it will absolutely destabilize virginia and will cost virginia tax players even more than $800 as expected now.
No, Glenn, not “absolutely”. Despite your use of such definitive language, false assertions don’t change reality. And, as to “cost”, like Todd, Youngkin only wants to talk misleading about “cost” without talking about benefits. Moves to a clean power system come with huge benefits: more stable (and, writ large, lower) power prices, job creation, reduced pollution, improved health, greater economic and energy system resiliency, and reduced climate risks. These benefits massively outweigh Youngkin’s exaggerated costs. Climate action is an investment with a high rate of return in the short, mid, and long terms. Regrettably, for all his grandiose claims of business acumen, Youngkin seems incapable of even the simplest ROI calculation.
In contrast, Terry McAuliffe provided an inspiring response about why climate action matters and how it will payoff for Virginia and Virginians. Key points:
- “When I think of clean energy, I think of jobs.” Lots of good-paying, quality jobs!
- “I will be the clean-energy governor” and, when it comes to clean power, plans to align Virginia with the Clean Power plan and 100% clean power by 2035 (an appropriate and fully achievable acceleration of the VCEA target).
- When it comes to the explosive growth of offshore wind, McAuliffe targets Virginia as a key manufacturing and services hub to make Virginia “the green energy manufacturing hub for the United States”.
With his one minute, Glenn Youngkin convinced me that he is a fossil fool who would derail Virginia’s clean energy path forward and harm Virginia’s/Virginians’ future prospects.
With his minute, Governor Terry McAuliffe provided more reasons for Virginians to put him back in the Governor’s mansion with a forceful statement of targeting a new and economically valuable role for Virginians in the offshore wind industry.
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1 Climate change makes an appearance in Virginia gubernatorial debate (Or, how Chuck Todd exemplifies dismal media framing of climate crisis) // Sep 30, 2021 at 9:09 am
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