by Steve Milloy, E&E Legal Senior Policy Fellow and Junkscience.com Founder
As Appearing on The Daily Caller
Move over, Al Gore. The climate clown car has a new self-anointed driver. His name is Gavin Newsom.
The California governor is trying to use the ongoing United Nations climate conference (COP30) to position himself as the leader of the U.S., if not the world, on climate change. In hopes of advancing his presidential aspirations in 2028, Newsom is attempting to exploit the vacuum created by the boycott of COP30 by the Trump administration.
Toward that end, Newsom has attacked President Donald Trump as “an invasive species,” boasted about California’s success in climate and travelled into the Amazon jungle to “absorb a deeper spiritual connection to this issue that connects all of us.” Cue the eyeroll.
But Newsom is actually more of a tragic nuisance than any kind of hero when it comes to climate.
Californians pay the highest prices for electricity in the continental U.S. This is because Newsom has loaded the California grid with expensive wind, solar and utility-scale batteries. Not only has all this green technology caused prices to soar, it has also weakened grid reliability. During periods of peak electricity demand, EV owners are warned not to charge their vehicles.
