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More from @AlexEpstein

Alex Epstein

@AlexEpstein

Dec 30, 2022

My Energy Story

The most frequent question I get asked is: “How did you end up doing this?”

Most people can’t imagine how or why someone would become a huge champion of fossil fuels, of all things.

And growing up, I never imagined I would.

Here’s what happened.
🧵👇

Part 1: Deciding to become a practical philosopher

Many assume I became a fossil fuel champion due to some combination of 1) industry money and 2) my personal background—e.g., my family was involved in fossil fuels, or I grew up in some pro-FF area.

Both couldn’t be more wrong.

I became a fossil fuel champion before I even knew anyone in the industry, let alone had a financial connection.

I had no family connection to fossil fuels.

And I grew up in a liberal area, Chevy Chase, MD, that had no connection to fossil fuels.

Read 62 tweets

Alex Epstein

@AlexEpstein

Dec 24, 2022

@NFL

Fellow @NFL fans who saw the Titans game delayed due to lack of electricity: it's time to wake up and recognize that this country's anti-reliable-electricity policies threaten everything about our way of life—including football.

https://twitter.com/AlexEpstein/status/1565007126107262976

To understand why we don't have reliable electricity and how to fix it, read my book Fossil Future—or at least this summary of it.

https://twitter.com/AlexEpstein/status/1565007126107262976

End preferences for unreliable electricity
alexepstein.substack.com/p/end-preferen…

Read 5 tweets

Alex Epstein

@AlexEpstein

Dec 21, 2022

The fusion distraction

The green energy movement, including the Biden Administration, is celebrating a technical breakthrough in nuclear fusion, in order to distract from the catastrophic consequences of its anti-fission, anti-fossil-fuel policies.

🧵👇

In its first 2 years the Biden administration, through its anti-fossil fuel policies, has helped cause the worst energy crisis since the 1970s.

Instead of reversing course it’s using a technical breakthrough in fusion to pretend everything is going great.
alexepstein.substack.com/p/testimony-ho…

"This is what it looks like for America to lead," Energy Sec. Granholm recently said in celebration of a recent fusion breakthrough.

But a research breakthrough that, optimistically, will be useful in several decades, doesn’t change the fact of today’s ruinous energy policies.

Read 28 tweets

Alex Epstein

@AlexEpstein

Dec 14, 2022

End preferences for unreliable electricity

Today's grids are being ruined by systemic preferences for unreliable electricity:

1) no price penalty for being unreliable
2) huge subsidies for unreliables
3) mandates for unreliables

Congress should end these now.

🧵👇

The Opportunity

America, given its combination of abundant domestic energy resources, technological ingenuity, and free-market competition, has the potential to have the best grid in the world—providing electricity that is low-cost, ultra-reliable, and increasingly clean.

The Problem

Although America could have world-leading electricity, the American grid is instead becoming a national embarrassment—with rising costs and mounting reliability problems, most problematically in California and Texas but now spreading around the country.

Read 23 tweets

Alex Epstein

@AlexEpstein

Dec 7, 2022

Reject Net Zero, Embrace Energy Freedom

"Net zero by 2050" policies would be apocalyptically destructive if fully implemented and *have already been catastrophically destructive* when barely implemented.

They should be totally rejected in favor of energy freedom policies.

🧵👇

What are "net zero by 2050 policies"?

Government (coercive) actions whose primary and binding goal is the net-elimination of CO2 (and other GHG) emissions, whose number one source is fossil fuel use, by 2050.

In practice "net zero" means: rapidly eliminate most fossil fuel use.

"Net zero by 2050" policies include:

* Escalating restrictions or bans of fossil fuel development
* Escalating restrictions or bans of fossil fuel use
* Mandates of alternatives
* Subsidies for alternatives
* (Often) hostility to development
* (Often) hostility to nuclear

Read 32 tweets

Alex Epstein

@AlexEpstein

Nov 30, 2022

"Climate reparations" are immoral

1. They punish the free world for fossil fuel use that has made the whole world better, including safer from climate.

2. They punish poor people by taking away their freedom to use the fossil fuels they need to flourish.

🧵👇

The hottest idea emerging from the UN's COP27 climate conference, enthusiastically supported by the Biden Administration, is "climate reparations": wealthy countries paying poor countries to make up for climate-related harm.

This is an immoral idea that Congress should reject.

"Climate reparations" are based on two false assumptions:

1. Free, wealthy countries, through their fossil fuel use, have made the world worse for poor countries.

2. The poor world’s main problem is dealing with climate change, which wealth transfers will help them with.

Read 22 tweets

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