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The Louisiana Legislature has been mulling alternative energy policies, and while legislation for wind energy infrastructure has been embraced, solar energy has not seen the same acceptance, Louisiana Illuminator reports.
Last week’s joint meeting of the House committees on agriculture and natural resources regarding solar energy development showcased the Legislature’s hesitancy to accept solar energy. As Louisiana Illuminator writes, summoned through a study resolution approved earlier this year, the hearing was rife with misinformation, unsubstantiated statements and contradictory data. The Illuminator researched some of the most noteworthy claims made at the hearing to determine their accuracy and provide factual evidence to support or refute them.
Claim: Federal subsidies for renewable energy have created an unlevel playing field in favor of the renewable energy industry, according to Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain.
On further review: Mostly false and misleading. While it is true that direct federal subsidies for renewables are currently greater than those for conventional energy sources nationwide, it is not the case for Louisiana and has only recently become the case in many other states.
Claim: The wind and solar industries would effectively collapse if not for federal subsidies because renewable energy costs much more than fossil fuels.
On further review: False. Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, made such claims throughout the meeting. He refused to accept testimony that refuted them from one of the state’s leading economists on the subject, Greg Upton, director of LSU’s Center for Energy Studies, who says utility-scale solar is the cheapest form of energy even without federal subsidies.
