The Road To Hell Is Paved With Green Intentions
By
Guest Contributor
August 19, 2025
EDITOR’S NOTE: The media has been talking extensively about New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) energy plan, saying that it will do little if anything to “save the planet.” It is a bad idea and will in fact unnecessarily raise electricity prices for millions. A few headlines include: Green New Headache: Dems flee gov’s green ‘Energy Master Plan’ as election approaches,
Insane energy policies are set to burn Democrats in New Jersey, New York, and What Makes Jersey Run: Your growing energy bill is a growing issue in the big governor’s race.
Guest Essay by Willis Eschenbach
Sometimes you can’t help but marvel at how much we’re all willing to pay for the illusion of “green progress.” New Jersey decided—like half the country—that climate purity would be achieved by wind turbines, solar panels, and endless press conferences declaring victory against bad old fossil fuels. But someone forgot to run the numbers, and now the bill arrives, with a little note attached: “Due immediately. No refunds. See: your monthly utility statement.”
Let’s start with the latest funhouse mirror: PJM’s capacity auction. You’ll see the acronym “PJM” all over any story about electricity markets, grid drama, and ratepayer headaches up and down the Eastern seaboard. So what actually is PJM—besides an endless font of regulatory press releases and auction results?
PJM, when it’s at home, stands for Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection. Despite the name, it’s not just those three states anymore. It’s now the largest regional transmission organization (RTO) in the United States, covering all or part of 13 states (think New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Illinois, etc.) plus Washington, D.C., stretching from the rust belt to the edge of the South. Its territory spans 65 million people—nearly one fifth of the country—so what happens in PJM’s control room often decides whether your air conditioner hums or whimpers in August.
https://climaterealism.com/2025/08/the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-green-intentions/
