Lifeblood going dry
If you had to pick one human development which fueled the tremendous surge in prosperity, industrial and technological advancement, increased standard of living and the transformation of mankind into the modern age, it would surely have to be the harnessing electricity for the good of humankind. Almost all human advancements in the twentieth century were the direct result of that singular remarkable achievement without which humanity would be, relatively and figuratively speaking, still trapped in darkness.
That being true it surprising how little care we have taken to ensure the continued abundance of this most necessary of necessities of the modern world. Outside food and water the generation of electricity is the single most important commodity to modern man. Even food and water are today dependent on an available constant supply of electricity. Nowhere is this more obvious than here in the United States.
With this in mind, consider this, ten states generate over fifty percent of all the electricity consumed in the United States. While it is true that nine of these ten states are among the ten most populated, those ten states neither comprise fifty percent of the US population nor is their individual electrical generation close to equitable. California is by far is the worst offender even though it ranks fourth in electricity production. It is home to the highest percentage of the US population, 11.93% while only generating 4.7% of the nation's electricity, meaning they have to "feed" off of other states for their citizen's electrical needs. New York is also in this category even though they rank ninth in production,3% of the US total, they are home to 6.07% of the nation's population.
Before going further, it should be noted that electric generation is not at all a function of the local fuel needed for electricity production. A power plant can be built without a local supply of fuel, most are. With the exception of hydro power, fuel can be imported, this is one reason natural gas pipe lines and trains are so important to our electrical supply. That being said, California is resource rich in fuel for a wide variety of electricity generation.
If you throw nuclear into the mix, no state is burdened by lack of available resources. Take Illinois as an example. Illinois is fifth on the list of electricity producing states at 4.5% of total US electric, just slightly behind California. Illinois is not known for an abundance of fossil fuels or hydro generating rivers but it produces 54.6% of its electricity from nuclear power. My own state of South Carolina is one of only three states, Illinois and New Hampshire being the others which produce over half their electricity from nuclear power. All very diverse in location, climate and geography.
Electricity generation is not a function of fuel, fuels are readily available, it is the function of public policy and a desire by policy makers to achieve "the greater good" for their constituencies.
Which state is the largest electricity producer in the US? Well, it is Texas of course. The Lone Star State produces 13.6% of the nations electricity with "only" 8.93% of the nations population. In fact Texas and Florida produce over 20% of the nation's electricity with 15.5% of the population. When it comes to providing for the nation's best interest, Alabama shows the way, it provides the sixth most electricity (3.7%) while being the twenty fourth most populous state. Consider that, Alabama produces more electricity than New York yet has fifteen million fewer residents.
States that cannot even meet their own energy needs and draw down the "grid" are truly threatening future generations. Massachusetts for example is the fifteenth most populous state yet it is forty first in electricity production, but I am sure they are proud that 30% of it is solar generated. The entire New England region is near the bottom in electric generation, yet produce more than average of what they do produce from solar. Meanwhile Wyoming which ranks fiftieth in population ranks thirty sixth in electrical generation while Vermont which ranks forty ninth in population is last in electrical production.
Past policy decisions to "transition to renewable" energy sources are crippling the nation's power supply. This is is no small matter, it is obvious electricity is the life blood of the modern world. This resource will become increasingly vital to everyday life as we advance into the technological age. With electricity people, nations, the entire world progress, without it we will stagnate and fall backwards into a far more hostile and less prosperous environment. A much darker existence.
It is really that simple
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