Southwest
The simple solution to the ‘Californication’ of American energy policy
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President-elect Trump distills his energy policy in just three words: “Drill baby, drill.”
Last week, the incoming president outlined the executive actions he would take on Day One to reignite American energy production. Foremost among them is replenishing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and greenlighting natural gas export permits.
But in addition to boosting natural gas, Trump wants to usher in a nuclear renaissance by building new nuclear energy power plants across the country. His all-of-the above approach to power generation stands in stark contrast to Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose “climate-friendly” policies in California have gouged citizens and created one of the most unreliable grids in the United States.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President-elect Trump (Getty Images)
The president-elect and the California governor embody polar opposite mindsets when it comes to power production: Trump represents a mindset of energy abundance while Newsom represents a mindset of energy scarcity.
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One mindset leads to prosperity; the other to ruin. For the United States to remain atop the global economy, Washington must embrace the abundance mindset and resist the “Californication” of American energy policy at all costs.
The energy abundance mindset embraced by Trump equates energy usage with human flourishing. It recognizes that energy has always been the key to civilizational progress, scientific advancement and economic growth—from the time man first learned to wield fire to his discovery of nuclear fusion.
Energy usage is a good thing. And a healthy society seeks to promote, not constrain it.,
That’s why an abundance mindset sees America’s energy shortage and offers a simple solution: generate more using solar, wind, hydro, nuclear or natural gas. And don’t pick and choose who can use that energy in the process. Thanks to human ingenuity, there can be enough to go around.
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By contrast, the energy scarcity mindset embraced by Newsom views power as finite and therefore in need of rationing. Moreover, it deems certain types of generation and usage as “bad.”
The “bad” sources of energy must be eliminated. And with limited “good” energy to go around, the government must regulate its usage. This requires picking winners and losers among power producers and discriminating against end users.
Embracing an energy scarcity mindset would exacerbate, not solve, the nation’s energy crisis. It would introduce market inefficiencies that would ultimately stunt economic development and human progress. In assessing the dangers of this mindset, look no further than the damage Newsom has caused in California.
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California has some of the most onerous power regulations in the country. The state discriminates between “good” and “bad” energy by mandating that 60% of all electricity come from renewable sources by the year 2030 and 100% by the year 2045. Some major cities have even banned natural gas connections in new buildings.
Meanwhile, the state’s heavy-handed electric vehicle mandate has resulted in 1.2 million electric cars plugging into the grid. The state has effectively shrunk the pie of available energy, and mandated increased demand.
These measures burden the state’s creaking energy infrastructure, leaving consumers footing the bill. The state’s scarcity mindset has resulted in threats of rolling blackouts amid some of the highest power prices in the country, with Californians paying two times the national average for electricity and nearly 50% more for gasoline.
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Just this month, a study from the University of Southern California predicted that Californians will pay $1,000 more for gas in the coming year because of the new regulations Newsom has imposed on the industry.
In contrast to California is a state like Texas, which Trump has looked to as a model of the energy abundance mindset.
Rather than picking winners and losers, Texas opens its doors to all-comers. It remains the nation’s leader in oil and natural gas production. But it also leads the nation in eco-friendly solar and wind generation.
Moreover, the state doesn’t discriminate against end users of electricity. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has advanced policies to attract both AI and Bitcoin mining data centers to the state. And his abundance mindset has paid off in unexpected ways.
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Bitcoin miners, for example, are key to scaling up renewable energy projects and bringing more natural gas generation online. That’s because miners can serve as guaranteed, flexible customers for new energy providers, using power that would otherwise go to waste but making it available when it is needed. Texas’s forward-thinking policies have thus created a win for power providers and consumers alike.
Texas’ energy abundance mindset has led to a booming job market, cheap power prices, and the cleanest energy mix in the country. It has ushered in a new era of economic growth as technology companies and energy pioneers flock to the state. In fact, the Census Bureau reported Americans’ largest state-to-state migration in recent years was from California to Texas.
While California is a cautionary tale, Texas is a case study in energy progress. For the United States to succeed under Trump, he must find a way to scale Texas’ success on a national level.
The Lone Star State demonstrates the virtues of approaching energy development as a win-win rather than a zero-sum game. And it provides a model for US policymakers to follow in their efforts to solve the energy crisis.
By embracing an abundance mindset, Washington can unleash new possibilities for energy development and economic growth to secure American leadership on the global stage.
SAM LYMAN
Sam Lyman is the director of public policy for Riot Platforms Inc., the former chief speechwriter to Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, and the former speechwriter to the President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
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Southwest
480-year-old firearm discovered in Arizona described by researchers as the 'oldest' found in the US
A firearm discovered in Arizona is what researchers believe to be the “oldest” ever found in the continental United States.
Excavations along the Santa Cruz River in Southern Arizona brought to light a bronze cannon, or a wall gun, used during the 1539-1542 expedition led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado to the modern-day American Southwest.
The wall gun is the first ever to be found connected to the expedition, according to research published in the International Journal of Historical Archaeology on Nov. 21, 2024.
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“This wall gun is the first gun known to be associated with the Coronado expedition and is the oldest firearm ever found within the continental USA, and perhaps the oldest cannon currently known on the continent,” Dr. Deni J. Seymour and her colleagues wrote in the study.
The expedition was aimed at finding the riches of the rumored “Seven Cities of Cíbola,” according to the Oklahoma Historical Society.
A bronze medieval-style gun was discovered in Arizona. The length of the ancient artifact is 42 inches with a weight of about 40 pounds. (Dr. Deni J. Seymour)
Though Coronado did find landmarks like the Grand Canyon, he did not find the cities of treasure, according to Britannica, and was instead met with Indian settlements.
The firearm in Arizona was first found in the fall of 2020, at the settlement of San Geronimo III. It was found on the “floor of a Spanish stone-and-adobe structure,” according to the research.
A combination of radiocarbon dating and optically stimulated luminescence techniques were used as methods of dating the firearm back to the era of the Coronado expedition.
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The firearm measures about 42 inches long and weighs 40 pounds.
It was likely cast in Mexico or the Caribbean, indicated by the simplicity in its design, the research said.
The map pictures above displays the general location of the site where the cannon was found. (Dr. Deni J. Seymour)
It was designed to be mounted on a wooden tripod, used to protect fortifications, according to the research.
A firearm like the one discovered could send lead balls flying over 700 yards.
This particular example was found unloaded, with no evidence found to show that it was ever fired.
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It was seemingly abandoned at the settlement and left for hundreds of years. A probable reason why the gun was left behind is that the “town was attacked and rapidly abandoned,” the research suggests.
“This final blow seems to be the precipitating event that led to the abandonment of the wall gun, where it remained snugly encased in an eroded Spanish adobe-and-rock-walled structure [ruin] for 480 years,” researchers wrote.
When the wall gun was found, it was laid on the ground of a Spanish structure. (Dr. Deni J. Seymour)
Several other artifacts were discovered at the site, including pieces of broken swords and daggers, plus household items like fishhooks, clothing fasteners, pieces of copper vessels and more, per the research.
Further analysis is being arranged to learn more about the history behind the gun, as well as to study the other artifacts found at the site for future publications.
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A man suspected of kidnapping a woman in East Los Angeles on Thanksgiving Day has been arrested and charged, authorities announced Wednesday.
Deputies responded to the 1200 block of Dickson Avenue on Nov. 28 after witnesses reported seeing a woman being physically assaulted.
Officials obtained surveillance video that showed an apparently distressed woman exiting a white-colored SUV moments before a man approached and threw her to the ground.
“The suspect then picked up the female and forcibly placed her back into the vehicle where he proceeded to physically assault her,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stated. “The vehicle then drove off with both the suspect and victim in it.”
Detectives later identified the suspect and arrested Ivan Cruz at his residence in Santa Fe Springs without incident.
“The female adult victim observed on video surveillance being assaulted was identified as his girlfriend,” the Sheriff’s Department stated.
She was located in East Los Angeles and was treated for minor injuries by the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Cruz was ultimately arrested and on Monday he was charged with felony kidnapping and domestic violence.
He remains in custody on $1 million bail.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or may have further information was asked to call the Major Crimes Bureau at 562-946-7893.
Those who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
After a Southern California store was targeted by a shoplifter, the owner decided to feature the thief as the star of his latest clothing collection.
On Dec. 28, 2023, surveillance cameras captured the male shoplifter entering Vardagen, located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, in broad daylight.
He quickly snatches a sweatshirt and another item from a display rack near the store’s entrance before calmly walking away.
Jared Ingold, the shop’s owner, decided to use the crime to his advantage by creating a new clothing collection called “Wanted,” featuring a caricature of the suspect front and center.
“Being a small business owner, we have the theme of entrepreneurship kind of woven throughout the brand, and so it’s just ups and downs and things you deal with,” Ingold said.
Since opening seven years ago, Ingold said his shop has been constantly targeted by shoplifters and smash-and-grab robbers.
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A t-shirt from Vardagen’s new “Wanted” collection featuring a caricature of a male shoplifting suspect that targeted their store. (KTLA) -
A t-shirt from Vardagen’s new “Wanted” collection featuring a caricature of a male shoplifting suspect that targeted the store. (KTLA) -
James Ingold, owner and founder of Vardagen, shows KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo his new “Wanted” collection featuring the shoplifting suspect on Dec. 3, 2024. (KTLA) -
Socks fom Vardagen’s new “Wanted” collection featuring a caricature of a male shoplifting suspect that targeted the store. (KTLA) -
Pants from Vardagen’s new “Wanted” collection featuring a caricature of a male shoplifting suspect that targeted the store. (KTLA) -
The interior of Vardagen, a boutique clothing store located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, California. (KTLA) -
A t-shirt from Vardagen’s new “Wanted” collection featuring a caricature of a male shoplifting suspect that targeted the store. (KTLA) -
The exterior of Vardagen, a boutique clothing store located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, California. (KTLA) -
A t-shirt from Vardagen’s new “Wanted” collection featuring a caricature of a male shoplifting suspect that targeted the store. (KTLA)
The male suspect who inspired the new collection has not been arrested.
“We looked at the security tapes and we thought it was kind of funny because we couldn’t quite make him out,” Ingold said of the thief.
The distinct cartoon image of the bald, mustachioed thief is now emblazoned on t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, pants and beanies.
Since the collection debuted over the weekend, Ingold said customers are enjoying the unique design and have been eagerly buying the new merchandise.
“We’re not trying to attack anyone. It’s not so much about a singular person because there’s been a lot of people who have stolen from us,” he explained. “It’s more just commentary — an artistic take about what goes on.”
Ingold said he doesn’t plan on pressing charges over the petty theft, but said he has spotted the suspect roaming around the Venice area.
“Actually, that was the first time we ever saw him, but we have seen him around more recently as some people recognize him because he’s around on the streets,” he said.
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