Michigan, just to belabor the obvious once more, is a significant battleground state in the imminent election. It's also a state that is aggressively pushing "green energy" in the name of dealing with the bugaboo of climate change.
And they are spending tons of taxpayer dollars to do it. Oh, sure, they say "invest," but that's just government-speak for "spend." And it's all of our money they are spending - money allocated under the Harris/Biden administration's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act and, strangely, the Inflation Reduction Act.
What all this has to do with reducing inflation is not at all clear.
Michigan has launched a new effort to accelerate public-private investments in renewable energy projects by helping community finance institutions get money from federal climate grants to finance new “green” loans.
The Michigan Climate Investment Accelerator will assist community lenders in applying for money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act fund via five national nonprofit organizations that were awarded $6 billion in GGRF this year.
Community lenders whose applications are accepted can then use the federal money to finance and make available “green” loans to Michigan households and businesses for energy efficiency improvements, such as electric vehicle chargers and electric heat pumps.
Let me translate that from climate-scoldese to English:
Michigan has launched a new effort to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on "green" energy projects of questionable value, on products that would not otherwise be commercially viable, because they are of questionable value. Most, if not all, of these loans will never be paid back, but not to worry, because when it comes to government money, the printing presses go up to 11. Most of these energy efficiency improvements aren't, but that doesn't matter, because there are virtues to be signaled here.
The Michigan Climate Investment Accelerator, we note, is aiding in the request of (taxpayer) money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act, which it seems has already distributed $6 billion in (taxpayer's) funds. But that's not the whole thing:
“Workers across Michigan are rolling up their sleeves and helping us invest in the future by expanding Michigan’s clean energy leadership,” Lieutenant Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II said Friday. “The Michigan Climate Investment Accelerator will help us continue that work, investing $11 million and unlocking billions more from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act to finance clean energy technologies, lower energy costs, and build on Michigan’s momentum as a climate leader.”
As the late, great Paul Harvey used to say, "And now you know the rest of the story." How "green" projects like this have anything to do with inflation reduction is a head-scratcher; the logical conclusion, of course, is that they do not. None of these projects will lower energy costs; this is another big-government boondoggle pouring our money down yet another climate-scold rat hole.
There will be, of course, no consequences for failure. That's not how bureaucracies work.
This seems tailor-made for scrutiny from Elon Musk, should 1) President Trump win his re-election bid, which looks likely, and 2) President Trump follows through on appointing Musk to chair a government efficiency commission. In fact, the entire federal system of subsidies for low-energy-density "green" schemes should come under scrutiny, not only from an efficiency standpoint but also from a constitutional standpoint. Why? Because the Constitution nowhere presents any of these things as enumerated powers of the federal government, which, when cast in the light of the Tenth Amendment, means that Washington has no damn business wasting our money on any of this.
See Related: Need Another Reason to Vote? Harris/Biden 'Guidelines' Will Slam Your Diet
NIMBYism Returns to Haunt Green Energy Advocates and Climate Scolds
Did you need another reason to cast your vote for Donald Trump and JD Vance? Well, here it is.
Here's the kicker, though:
“This partnership recognizes the critical role community lenders will play in climate friendly economic development, enabling low-income and disadvantaged communities to access the capital they need to equitably and actively participate in the energy transition,” GGRF Director David Wiawsky said.
In other words, these "green" loans will never be paid back.
Once more, the climate scolds are proposing to dump billions of taxpayer dollars into "green" schemes that are not economically viable. And once more, the American taxpayers are taking a soaking in the name of climate change.
If you haven't yet voted, folks, get it done. You probably didn't need another reason - but here it is anyway.
