In the June 22 issue of The Post-Journal, an opinion writer posted an assault against the petroleum industry, accusing it of outrageous greed. He then parroted opinion polls (source not divulged) regarding fracking in Pennsylvania.

Noticeably missing from this writer’s poll was a question about whether the people of PA would be willing to turn off their air conditioning and video games in order to end fracking.

By the way, New York state draws huge amounts of power from Pennsylvania’s “fracked” Natural Gas, especially when the wind stops blowing. Ironically, the writer had previously posted articles demanding even greater subsidies for Electric Vehicles (even as the industry shrinks for obvious reasons) and other things.

But what are subsidies?

Subsidies are merely Corporate Welfare. Subsidies are how greedy politicians force taxpayers to pay for what Taxpayers don’t want. If taxpayers wanted it, no subsidy would be necessary. Subsidies are not meant to help consumers, but rather to enrich the politically connected corporate beneficiaries who make their excessive profits through forced extraction from taxpayers.

So, to the writer, please explain how you can (in good conscience, if possible) accuse the petroleum industry of greed, when you, yourself, have placed your own greed front and center by demanding subsidies for your pet projects like Wind, Solar, and EVs, none of which will have any climate “benefit”, or other societal benefits. If you insist on talking about air quality, then please look up the chemical contamination from making turbine blades, or mining materials used in Wind/Solar/EVs.

You need to tell the whole story, not just your convenient half. By the way, over 75% of the electricity generated in New York last week was generated by technologies that must be eliminated under the law of the land (CLCPA). Isn’t it greedy on your part to force stare residents to bear the costs of blackouts and loss of jobs caused by your reckless pursuit of CLCPA’s impossible goals?

Let’s investigate. New York state invented the term DEFR (Dispatchable Emissions Free Resource) to name this imaginary technology (what we in Engineering call “Unobtanium”). NYS, under Hochul’s fantasy physics, tells us DEFR will power our future, yet DEFR is an empty term for a technology that does not, and cannot, exist at scale. Yet the writer expects state taxpayers to subsidize this fraud to the bitter and self-destructive conclusion. Ironically, DEFR now means “more coal” in Germany.

Perhaps he could also comment on his support for Corporate Welfare for Offshore Wind, where the state mandated strike price (a de-facto subsidy) is over $150/MWH (per NYS). Yet we can sustainably produce clean electricity via Nuclear or Natural Gas for less than $50/MWH, without punishing NYS consumers.

It sure seems as if greed is the driving factor in the push for Wind and Solar and EVs; to make wealthy investors even richer while forcibly extracting that wealth from the working class.

Is the writer not advocating for unearned profits for the rich investors in these areas? Why yes, he is. Perhaps he is one of them. The only question is whether the state will commit economic and social suicide before we realize we have been thoroughly conned by very greedy Wind, Solar, and EV corporate interests.

Michael Dee is a Silver Creek resident.