WASHINGTON (AP) — Bernard McNamee’s nomination to a top federal energy board cleared a Senate committee on Tuesday even as a video showed him declaring that renewable energy “screws up” the nation’s electrical grid.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 13-10 to approve McNamee’s nomination to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and send it to the full Senate. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin was the only Democrat joining Republicans in approving the nomination.
McNamee is an Energy Department staffer who had worked on a stalled Trump administration bailout for aging coal plants.
Opposition by Democrats and environmental groups grew after a video emerged last week of McNamee’s comments in February to the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation.
In the video, McNamee compared renewable sources like solar and wind unfavorably to climate-changing fossil fuels when it came to powering electrical grids.
“Renewables, when they come on and off, it screws up the whole the physics of the grid,” McNamee told the group. “So when people want to talk about science, they ought to talk about the physics of the grid and know what real science is, and that is how do you keep the lights on? And it is with fossil fuels and nuclear.”
Committee Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, called McNamee’s statement unfortunate but voted for him.
“I do expect … he will be fuel-neutral and not a champion for one resource over another” on the energy board, Murkowski said.
Washington Democrat Sen. Maria Cantwell said McNamee’s comments showed he was “out of the mainstream” on fossil fuels despite growing concern over their impact on climate.
We just need to fix the godamn grid.
True, the grid is fucked up because utilities would rather piece meal upgrades in order to save as much cash as possible for exec bonuses. A couple of years ago an ice storm knocked out power for a week. The only reason it took that long to fix is because the utility refused overtime, refused mutual aide, etc. They however paid execs bonuses for the bang up job of repair, they also lobbied the state to ok a multi year rate increase to pay for repairs. An increase that has already provided double the amount they spent. I’m lucky that I am on solar and not grid tied or I’d be stuck with part of the bill. So bull phucky that green screws up the grid. They have done it to themselves. And we have allowed political class to go right along will the fraud.
What on earth makes you think that, Lisa?
My next question would be how the FARK does the grid know the electricity on its lines was created by a generation unit that is powered by Solar or wind or coal or his momma’s farts?
A man from Texas who most likely thinks Jesus saddled up a dinosaur and rode it thinks our energy grid should solely be powered by dead dinosaurs in the ground.