Sunny Skies
What to know: A $2.2 billion solar facility in California will soon close, because it had to rely on natural gas to produce electricity.
The TPPF take: This energy debacle was entirely predictable.
“California’s policymakers prioritized renewable energy mandates over affordability and reliability,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “Over the years, they have forced utilities to integrate ever-growing amounts of wind and solar power while discouraging natural gas, nuclear and large-scale hydroelectric projects. These decisions ignored the reality that intermittent renewables require extensive grid upgrades, costly backup power sources and expensive storage solutions — all of which drive up costs for consumers and industry.”
For more on renewable energy’s broken promises, click here.
Civil Discourse
What to know: Disagreement shouldn’t be a death sentence, most Americans believe. We need civil discourse.
The TPPF take: How do we restore peace in public political and social debates?
“Ideologues—true believers—must admit their enemies are human. We cannot expect to retain our own rights if we don’t respect those of others,” says TPPF’s Dr. Cliff Porter. “The defense of fundamental individual rights is the battle of Civilization. Restoring of rights is truly revolving back to our American foundations—in fact, a revolution.”
For more on civil discourse, click here.
Learning in Texas
What to know: Fort Worth ISD has adopted the state’s high-quality Bluebonnet curriculum for kindergarten through fifth grade students, starting next year.
The TPPF take: The new curriculum consists of high-quality instructional materials.
“The purpose of the Bluebonnet Learning curriculum is to let teachers do what they signed up to do—teach, rather than spend hours every day doing lesson plans and prep work,” says TPPF’s Roy Maynard. “It’s also to ensure that what’s being taught in the classroom is being taught at grade level.”
For more on the Bluebonnet curriculum, click here.