Maui disaster shows the Left's green energy obsession is deadly, says Peggy Grande
The left's zealous fixation on green energy and decarbonization has now gone far beyond ideological folly and has become deadly says Peggy Grande.
Maui’s fire in Lahaina will likely wind-up being the deadliest wildfire in American history. The tragic loss of life, loss of property, and loss of history is irreplaceable.
Layered on that is the unknown losses which have yet to be verified. Nearly a thousand people are still listed as missing, including perhaps hundreds of children, so this loss will only grow, expand, and intensify as there are no remaining survivors of this hellish inferno.
While placing blame is eventually part of the process, regardless of what proves to be the cause, it doesn’t change the heartbreaking loss and how countless lives were forever changed on that fateful day.
Yet it didn’t need to happen at all. Although the investigations are still underway, there are facts which we already know to be true which contributed to the conditions on the ground being ripe for the acceleration of such a catastrophic event.
Among them are the incessant lies of the left which continue to say that everything is working just fine. Regardless of what people are seeing or experiencing to the contrary, there’s nothing to see. Trust us - we, the left, have it all under control.
Democrat-led Hawaii embraced the Green New Deal and committed to having 70 percent of its energy supplied by sources deemed green by 2030.
With 70 percent of their energy mix currently coming from oil and coal, this was not only unlikely, but impossible, particularly if reliability was an objective.
Even with the current energy mix being only 30 percent from renewables, the stress put on the fragile and failing grid was unsustainable. Due to the intermittent power from renewable sources pulsing the grid, it was accelerating its failure.
Choosing the unattainable goal of decarbonization over abundant and baseload power put false hope in an unworkable solution.
An appropriated ideology of “equity” over safety, led to poor decision-making leading up to the fire, with the allocation of resources toward green ideas rather than acting on simple, practical solutions and recommendations - like brush clearance.
Not to mention that perhaps an “equity policy” regarding water usage may have delayed emergency response to the fire by up to five hours.
Inexcusable. So, under the guise of saving the planet, hundreds of lives were lost. Failed green policies and a misguided climate agenda tragically turned Lahaina, Maui into a massive crematorium.
We know the left is to blame, but who will take responsibility? Who will be held accountable? Not the left. They are never held to account and they never apologize or admit their failures.
And their leader, Joe Biden, not only refuses to accept any responsibility - he seems to not even care. His callousness in the face of great tragedy is baffling.
And infuriating. And disgusting. Rather than showing empathy for the people of Maui, Joe Biden can only offer, “No comment” when asked how he felt about the rising death toll.
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Rather than focusing on the loss and devastation of Lahaina, Joe Biden tells a story about his kitchen catching on fire and jokes that he almost lost his cat – and his beloved Corvette.
Rather than being respectful during an event with survivors, Joe Biden appears to doze off, though since he left his second vacation this month, it’s curious as to why he would be tired.
He doesn’t just appear disinterested—he is disinterested. He only made a statement because he was forced to. It didn’t even feign empathy.
He only traveled to Maui because his own base demanded it of him. Even that failed to deliver. Rather than putting focus, priority, and resources toward supporting the people of Maui, Joe Biden appears to have no empathy for the suffering, loss, and heartache of Americans, just as he did in East Palestine.
Even worse, he ignores the devastating outcomes of his policies, pretending he had nothing to do with them, and acts as if he is unable to pivot or fix it.
It’s disheartening to see the very people who champion the policies which have caused destruction, devastation, and even death seem to have no empathy for those who are harmed by those policies.
As we enter election season, the American people should take a hard look at the policies and the people who are making their lives more expensive, more difficult, and less safe.
Increasingly that appears to be the architects of progressive policies and the leaders of the Democrat party. America needs – and deserves -better.
Peggy Grande was executive assistant to Ronald Reagan and is author of “The President Will See You Now.” She was Chair of World for Brexit and served as a political appointee in the Trump Administration.
Peggy serves on the Board of Pepperdine School of Public Policy, and the Board of The Center for American Ideas.
