FERC: A Rare Dud in Trump’s Otherwise Outstanding Cabinet Selections
ICYMI: Obama’s Gone
President Donald Trump has populated his version of the vast, expansive Executive Branch - with a whole lot of extraordinarily good people. Who have spent their time thus far - reducing mightily the vast expansiveness of the Executive Branch.
One aspect of Trump’s excellent hiring process - is there is a whole lot less of it.
Trump: 'We Don't Want to Fill All the Vacancies' in the Federal Government: “‘We don't need so many people coming to work,’ Trump told the Washington Examiner in an interview at the White House Wednesday. ‘When they say about putting people in, there are so many jobs in Washington, we don't want so many jobs. You don't need all of those people.’”
Indeed we do not.
And Trump’s budgets - have called for further reductions in the size of the ridiculously huge Leviathan - and its many bureaucrat minions.
But unfortunately, the federal government - is still incredibly vast and expansive. And even with less people - you still have to hire a LOT of people.
And as great as Trump has been in his hiring choices - no one is perfect. No one bats 1.000 with that many at bats.
Some of Trump’s appointees - aren’t on board with the mission statement.
To wit: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
FERC is an independent agency that exists under the auspices of the Energy Department - now led by excellent Trump appointee Rick Perry.
Trump ran for his gig promising to take the government’s boot off the neck of the coal industry. So we can get back to…well, you know, actually making actual energy.
That boot - was firmly emplaced by Trump’s predecessor:
Obama: "Under My Plan Electricity Rates Would Necessarily Skyrocket"
Obama: If You Want to Build a Coal Power Plant, I’ll Bankrupt You
Thank goodness that guy - and his massive, multi-mansion carbon footprint - is in the rearview mirror.
Energy Secretary Perry has been doing an outstanding job of implementing Trump’s coal-neck boot lift. Don’t believe me? Ask the coal industry.
Coal Mining Begins Seeing Revival as Trump Gives Industry Hope
Coal Industry Says Trump's Repeal of Obama-Era Rule Saves Jobs
In case you are unclear: More private sector jobs - good. More government jobs - bad.
And the benefits…redound and redound.
With Energy Prices Falling, Trump Has Russia’s Putin Over the Proverbial Barrel
But FERC isn’t on board with all of this success.
Energy Agency Rejects Trump Bid to Boost Coal, Nuclear Power: “The decision by the Republican-controlled Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was unexpected and comes amid repeated promises by Trump to revive coal as the nation's top power source….”
Get that? This isn’t just holdover Deep State recalcitrant malcontents making more of their obnoxious mischief. This is these annoying people - joining forces with Trump-appointed Commissioners:
“Perry was referring to his proposal to compensate power plant owners that maintain a 90-day fuel supply protected against severe weather and other disruptions, a feature shared by coal and nuclear power. Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power have far less storage capacity.”
Now - a moment on this plan. It is inarguable that a smooth, consistent energy supply - is a national security imperative. When we don’t have juice - the economy stops. So the government backing up the active supply - ain’t even close to a terrible idea.
(Of course fake energy sources like wind and solar don’t like the backup plan - because their fake energy can’t be backed up. They don’t make nearly enough energy on the front end.)
And besides weather-caused electrical outages - we face the very real threat of Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) attack:
“(A)lso sometimes called a transient electromagnetic disturbance, (it) is a short burst of electromagnetic energy. Such a pulse's origination may be a natural occurrence or man-made and can occur as a radiated, electric, or magnetic field or a conducted electric current, depending on the source.
“EMP interference is generally disruptive or damaging to electronic equipment, and at higher energy levels a powerful EMP event such as a lightning strike can damage physical objects such as buildings and aircraft structures. The management of EMP effects is an important branch of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) engineering.
“Weapons have been developed to deliver the damaging effects of high-energy EMP.”
Get that last part - about “weapons?” You aren’t the only one.
NASA Warning - Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP): The Ultimate Terrorist Attack
The Growing Threat From an EMP Attack
Thus making the Trump-Perry electricity backup plan…an even better idea than it was five seconds ago.
Thus making Trump-FERC-appointee opposition…an even worse idea than it was five seconds ago.
The anti-coal, anti-energy, anti-economy, anti-security Obama Administration - is thankfully, mercifully over.
Trump’s FERC appointees - need to start voting like it.
This first appeared in Red State.