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Dumping Renewables For Reliables The Right Move

May 7, 2026

Need to know

 

  • Check out TEA’s website for the latest in energy news and opinion.
  • Afternoon TEA:The force of ARC-ES is strong in the states.
  • TEA Takes: After solar and wind farms suddenly sprang up, citizens and local governments sprang into action.
  • Opinion: OPEC crude output boost is mostly symbolic, but it matters.
  • AI boom sparks rare warning of ‘significant risks’ to grid.
  • Opinion: Operation Epic Fury is highlighting the utter brilliance of ‘Drill, baby, drill’.
  • NYC gas ban opponents see parallel with Chevron’s Supreme Court win.
  • Spiraling energy costs may tighten Texas governor’s race.
  • West Virginia voters should choose reliable and affordable energy.
  • Interior transfers 1.4 million acres to Alaska.

RealClear

  • VIDEO: The Energy Future Forum presented by RealClear.

Common Sense

FACTS, NOT FICTION: Another piece by the enterprising Energy Bad Boys, points out once again that wind and solar simply are NOT reliable sources of energy.
Why it matters: This shows the need for effective legislation at the state and federal levels to ensure that American families and businesses have access to affordable, reliable and clean energy.
Consider: For years, the power sector has been running on a vibes-based fiction, one that said we could build a grid around intermittent resources and figure out reliability later. Not a wise narrative, though a popular one in some green-at-any-cost environmental circles.
  • Nowhere is that correction more visible than in the PJM Interconnection queue.
  • Results in the first round of PJM’s reformed interconnection process are devastating for wind and solar, and the idea that these resources can reliably serve the electricity grid.
  • By a wide margin, natural gas is now leading the queue and is beating wind and solar combined.

That’s really no surprise, is it? And thanks in large part to the explosive growth of data centers, reliability matters again, and that means wind and solar should learn to code.

That’s another reason to support legislation that uses common sense as a pillar. Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) introduced such a bill last October.
“The Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security Act will rein in regulatory practices that have imperiled baseload power in the U.S. and unleash American energy dominance with common sense federal policies that support an all-of-the-above approach to meeting our energy needs. This legislation is critical to supporting American energy producers and lowering energy costs for American families and businesses.”
Those were Rep. Balderson’s words and we concur wholeheartedly. ARC Energy Security is paramount to our future energy needs.
Bottom line: When reliability matters, markets turn to stable, dispatchable power — despite subsidies and mandates favoring wind and solar.

Nonsense

COURSE CORRECTION NEEDED: California is in an energy crisis, independent of the Iran conflict, driven by years of bad policy.
Why it matters: Golden State leaders should change course, writes Lora Current, by promoting policies that reinvest in the state’s fragile fuel system and expand refining capacity to keep energy affordable and reliable for families and businesses.
Consider: Rising prices, shuttered refineries, and no plan for affordability is a poor way to run energy policy — especially in a state as large as California. As George Santayana warned in 1905, those who ignore the past are bound to repeat it.
  • A recent analysis from USC’s Marshall School of Business, using five decades of state data, reveals a stark reality: gasoline prices have risen roughly 250% while refining capacity has collapsed.
  • Over that period, in-state oil production fell by more than 60%, the number of refineries dropped by over half, and gasoline stocks declined while energy imports surged more than sevenfold.
  • That’s why gasoline prices consistently outpace the rest of the nation. As the analysis notes, gas and diesel aren’t just slightly higher — they’re on track to approach twice the price of the cheapest states and run 50–60% above the national average.

Model legislation like ARC can help; but California needs its own version that directly addresses lost refining capacity and subsequent reliance on imported energy.
Gasoline and diesel aren’t luxuries; they’re the lifeblood of the state’s economy. When fuel costs spike, every sector — from commuting to agriculture, trucking, construction and emergency services — feels the strain.
The American Legislative Exchange Council ranks California 49th for energy affordability. Not a number you’d want to brag about to new homeowners or potential industry.
Bottom line: Instead of doubling down on policies that weaken domestic production and raise electricity and fuel costs, California should pursue common-sense reforms that deliver affordable, reliable energy.

A look ahead

Nothing on the calendar next week.

Quote of the week

“The “green” movement loves to claim that we’re running out of oil. And yet proved oil reserves — oil we know exists and can likely produce profitably with today’s technology and prices — have gone up, not down, over time! The lesson: oil is not a “natural resource” that humans are simply using up. Humans turned oil into a resource—and we keep expanding that resource through better exploration, technology, and production methods.”
ILLUSTRATION: ENERGY BAD BOYS