California officials have extended a “Flex Alert” in the midst of an energy shortage, advising residents to conserve electricity between 4:00 and 9:00 p.m. Sunday, and to “[a]void using major appliances and charging electric vehicles” during the time.
The current “Flex Alert” has been in place for five consecutive days, amid a heat wave that is expected to last through the Labor Day weekend. California is short of energy because of its movement away from nuclear power and natural gas, and due to the fact that renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power can not yet make up the difference during times of peak consumer demand.
The irony of being not to charge electric vehicles, just days after the state approved regulations banning the sale of gasoline-powered cars in 2035, was not lost on many Californians, who noted that they might not be allowed to charge the cars they are forced to buy.
In addition, gas prices are at their highest level ever in California for a Labor Day weekend, despite a steady decline in prices over the summer from their record-high levels in the late spring. California pays the highest gas prices in the nation, thanks to taxes and regulations. Moving the passenger vehicle fleet to electric vehicles will place an estimated 30% additional strain on the power grid.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.