Media Matter's Andrew Seifter has an entertaining takedown of a recent op-ed in the New York Sun that attacks Hillary Clinton's climate and clean energy plan. The op-ed, written by one of the Sun's co-founders, Ira Stoll, opens with a link to one of Hillary's youtube videos that spells out her "plan to curb climate change."
By the looks of things, Stoll's research into Clinton's plan ended with the video. Stoll suggests that instead of focusing on solar panels, Clinton should fund research and development for battery storage and set emissions goals that give states the flexibility to find the cheapest ways to reduce pollution.
The thing is, both of those things are already part of her plan, something he'd know if he had bothered to read Clinton's accompanying material. She plans to "increase public investment in clean energy R&D, including storage technology" and says a "top priority" will be defending the Clean Power Plan, which sets emissions goals and allows states flexible options for reaching their goals.
But wait, there's more! Stoll also takes issue with Hillary's proposal to install 500 million solar panels nationwide, saying "it's a classic error of measuring inputs rather than outputs." This would be a valid criticism if her second goal wasn't to "generate enough clean renewable energy to power every home in America." The latter goal IS output-focused, and partially dependent upon inputs like added solar capacity.
So while climate realists fight to put long-term plans in motion to reduce emissions and keep the lights on, detractors attempt to stall the inevitable by taking shots in the dark.
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