Thread by @AlexEpstein

Today I will testify at a Congressional hearing about energy in Puerto Rico. The hearing begins at 10 am ET.

While the hearing's organizers seek to rapidly eliminate fossil fuel use in PR, I will make the case for liberating and expanding it.

THREAD
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"Thank you for the honor of testifying before this committee. What I will say today may shock many of you. My views on energy are indeed unconventional, but I hope you will hear me out with an open mind since we share the same goal: a prosperous and flourishing Puerto Rico."

"I want to make the case that the one thing that will most help the people of Puerto Rico lift themselves out of crushing poverty is the thing many of you believe should be eliminated: low-cost, reliable, fossil fuel energy."

"For just a brief moment, I’d like to ask all of you to close your eyes. I’d like you to imagine an ambitious young Puerto Rican woman -- I’ll call her 'Mia.' Mia studied hard at the Emilio Delgado High School in Corozal."

"Mia's passion is Artificial Intelligence and she dreams of working at a high tech startup. Sadly, opportunities are sparse because many companies have fled Puerto Rico--and many more avoid it--due to high-cost and unreliable energy."

"Mia applies for a remote job at a Silicon Valley tech incubator, but during her interview, the electricity suddenly cuts out. The screen goes blank. She hopes it comes back quickly, but hours go by with no Internet as she waits in the sweltering heat with no AC."

"Think of Mia’s despair in those moments. Think of how much low-cost, reliable energy could have helped her when she needed it most."

"I know that every member of this committee shares the same goal I do: a healthy, prosperous and flourishing Puerto Rico. In order to help millions of talented and passionate people like Mia, we must look carefully at the full context of facts about Puerto Rico's energy options."

"Here are 3 crucial facts that I almost never hear discussed about Puerto Rico. First, the % of Puerto Ricans currently living in poverty is 43%. It's 10% in the states. Second, the cost of energy in PR vs the states is up to 3X higher. Third, per capita income in PR is $13K."

"Honorable members, does it strike you as fair that someone earning $13,000 per year should be paying 3 times what you and I pay for the energy that powers our homes? I don’t think that’s fair. And I’m sure you don’t either. So what’s the solution?"

"While we are told that solar and wind can provide low-cost, reliable energy, nothing could be further from the truth. Because solar and wind are unreliable, they don't replace reliable power plants — they add to the cost of reliable power plants."

"The more wind and solar that grids use, the higher their electricity prices. German households have seen prices double in 20 years due to wasteful, unreliable solar and wind infrastructure. Their electricity prices are 3X ours — which are already too high due to solar and wind."

"The only way for Puerto Rico to get low-cost, reliable electricity anytime soon is using low-cost, reliable fossil fuel energy sources like natural gas and coal--along with some massive regulatory reforms I discuss in my written testimony, such as scrapping the Jones Act."

"We owe it to the people of Puerto Rico to give them the full context--the benefits and drawbacks of all their options. This includes recognizing any real coal ash problems, but also recognizing that there are many solutions that don’t require shutting down power plants."

"Giving the people of Puerto Rico the full context also includes recognizing that fossil fuels' CO2 emissions do impact climate. But it also includes being precise, not hysterical, about that impact."

"As I explain in my written testimony, there is climate change, but not a climate crisis--and certainly not one that justifies condemning generations of Puerto Ricans to endless poverty by denying them low-cost, reliable fossil fuel energy."

"The stakes could not be higher. I think about Eladia Dávila, who was breathing with the help of a mechanical ventilator. During prolonged blackouts, her ventilator shut down and, tragically, she died. Her autopsy noted plainly that a ventilator 'does not work without power.'"

"Ladies and gentlemen, nothing works without power. Not ventilators. Not incubators. Not farms. Not schools. Not the millions of brave and passionate people who want to provide for their families and live lives of dignity and opportunity."

"You have it in your power today to help Puerto Ricans gain the power--the low-cost, reliable power--they need to escape crushing poverty."

"I hope that any of you who are interested in this mission will join me on a fact-finding trip to Puerto Rico in the coming weeks. We will have an honest, open discussion with Puerto Rican energy experts--who are too often left out of important policy discussions like this one."

"I would be honored to work with all of your offices -- Democrat and Republican -- to help the people of Puerto Rico flourish. I look forward to your questions. And thank you again for the opportunity to share my perspective with you."

You can read my full submitted testimony here: energytalkingpoints.com/alex-epstein-c…