Repeating Big Mistakes

What happens when we erase history?  We don't learn from it.  And when we don't learn from history, we repeat the same mistakes over and over, like a dog chasing his own tail.

I've written about this over and over during the past decade... entities with horrible ideas seem to think if they can present manipulated polls to idiotic elected officials and the uninformed masses that they can suppress any opposition to their stupid idea.  In fact, these push polls rely on the reality that the masses are uninformed about many, many things.  Case in point:  electric transmission.

This "new" poll blares that Voters support building electric power transmission infrastructure... in their own communities!

Not really.  The last pollsters who made a similar claim had to roll it back with something closer to the truth:

Polling indicates the public’s feelings about a number of various topics on any given day. But it can also be misleading if viewed out of context — especially when it comes to land use issues.

How is it, for example, that most Americans support wind energy in general, but emotive opponents can block transmission lines delivery wind energy or wind farms in some local communities?

So, the jury’s in, right? Everyone loves renewable energy projects. But wait.

But the emotional opposition appears to fly in the face of surveys and polls showing national support for clean energy generation and transmission. What’s going on? Do these polls and surveys lack credibility? No. In fact, they are spot-on in terms of reflecting how Americans feel about renewable generation and distribution projects and how they may positively impact our communities given the perceived global threats of climate change, greenhouse gases and negative impact to wildlife over time. Today, based on a solid campaign by climate change advocates, the renewable energy industry, the current Obama administration and constant media pounding, the threat to our economy and the environment posed by carbon-emitting generation sources is very real and frankly easy to grasp. The arguments have been made and, let’s face it, many Americans are buying in.

But it’s easy to support a wind energy project without a real wind turbine or transmission line literally staring you in the face. That’s where rational thinking ends and passionate “defense of the community” (or defense of the children for that matter) campaigns begin.

...shop for a home in a community of interest and share the rumor of a new 765 kV transmission line going across the property down the road, in front of the view of the mountain range. What’s the survey say then? Chances are you may not find majority support, even from residents who responded in the poll you fielded yesterday.

Perhaps at best, polling identifies the size of the silent majority you have on your side when they are under no local threat of changing their daily lives. Winning hearts and minds in a poll won’t necessarily win you a permit at town hall.

Renewable energy is great in our public opinion, just not when it gets in the way of our personal point of view.

These are the actual words of the PR geeks who did a poll about wind turbines and transmission lines circa 2009.  Sadly, this PR shop seems to have gone out of business and the evidence has been removed.  Maybe that's why some new PR shop has attempted to essentially re-invent this wheel? 

Here's the facts:  People willing to take telephone surveys will say whatever they think signals their virtuous nature, or repeat canned political talking points they have adopted without critical thought.  Sure, renewables are supposed to be good and we are virtuous if we like them.  Therefore, the polled will say they support this crap, even "in their community."  Of course "the community" doesn't include THEIR back yard or any place within sight of THEIR castle, it's supposed to happen to someone else, some place else.  When it happens in their own back yard (a question the pollster conveniently forgot to ask) it's not such a good idea after all.  In fact, it's horrible.  Not one person actually faced with a transmission line in their back yard has ever supported it, no matter what it's carrying.

And those questions about whether "voters" support speeding up transmission by giving authority to the federal government?  They contain presumptions that are not facts (such as the notion that giving authority to the federal government could speed ANYTHING up!) in order to steer the response in their desired direction.

I don't see the words "federal eminent domain" used anywhere in these questions, although that's the goal of federal permitting authority.  What if you asked people if they would support federal government authority to use eminent domain to condemn land in their back yard and use it to construct new high voltage transmission lines?  They are asking a question based on limited information.  When full information is provided, the response changes dramatically.

THIS POLL IS GARBAGE!

Of course, this poll isn't for us.  It's for our elected officials, who would have to make legislative changes to remove state authority over electric transmission in its entirety.  They have already made changes in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that allows the federal government to give itself authority over any transmission project that can be dreamed up.  They just have to work for it a bit.  What's the point of this anyhow?  It's just more trash aka "inflation reduction" that doesn't actually reduce inflation but makes it worse through more outrageous government spending.  Tell your elected officials today that you do not support "permitting reform."