Big Union, Kalifornia, and Green Energy

Liberals are fond of talking about “Big Oil” as if it is supposed to mean something.  Oil is “big” because the stuff it produces (oil, gas, and diesel) runs the industrialized world.  But what about “Big” union?  Seems as though three topics “cherished” by Democrats are all nicely colliding in the muddled state of California: unions, “green” energy (it’s green because of how much public assistance it needs), and the environment:

When a company called Ausra filed plans for a big solar power plant in California, it was deluged with demands from a union group that it study the effect on creatures like the short-nosed kangaroo rat and the ferruginous hawk.

By contrast, when a competitor, BrightSource Energy, filed plans for an even bigger solar plant that would affect the imperiled desert tortoise, the same union group, California Unions for Reliable Energy, raised no complaint. Instead, it urged regulators to approve the project as quickly as possible.

One big difference between the projects? Ausra had rejected demands that it use only union workers to build its solar farm, while BrightSource pledged to hire labor-friendly contractors.

Green in the sense of how many subsidies they require.

Pretty interesting, isn’t it?  Already it has been shown that all “alternative” energy schemes favored largely by Liberals are money losers, sucking up taxpayer dollars and producing little in return but the move by Big Union to get their fingers into every project has only driven up the cost more:

It’s an added cost for an industry that can hardly afford added costs. Solar projects face a 20% increase in project costs when unions are brought on board.

What do the unions care, the money comes from taxpayers, right?  It should be no surprise that “green” energy, unions, and Democrats go together like ham, cheese, and bread.  The Democrats are eager to take care of their largest supporters by preventing union benefits from being taxed under the socialized healthcare schemes being cooked up in Washington, D.C. while the rest of us will have to pay taxes on it:

The exception, which could make the proposal more politically palatable to Democrats from heavily unionized states such as Michigan, is adding controversy to an already contentious debate. It would shield the 12.4 percent of American workers who belong to unions from being taxed while exposing some other middle-income workers to the levy.

So the Democrats and Big Union are clearly in bed with one another but it is you, the taxpayer, who is going to pay for this cozy relationship:

As California moves to license dozens of huge solar power plants to meet the state’s renewable energy goals, some developers contend they are being pressured to sign agreements pledging to use union labor. If they refuse, they say, they can count on the union group to demand costly environmental studies and deliver hostile testimony at public hearings.

If they commit at the outset to use union labor, they say, the environmental objections never materialize.

Imagine being told that if you take your car into a mechanic to have the oil changed the bill will be 20% higher just so Union Joe can do the work while non-Union Bob, across the street, stands ready to earn your business and feed his family.  Does that sound fair to you?

All of this is going to become more of an issue if President Obama’s Cap-and-Trade scheme becomes law and traditional forms of energy like oil, coal, diesel, and gasoline get taxed at absurd rates.  The rush to build more “alternative” energy plants will become much larger.  Just imagine, thanks to Big Union, every “alternative” energy plant costing 20% more just because the construction crew are members of a union.

Sounds like politics to me.  Be sure to write your local Democratic politician and thank him or her for supporting Big Union.

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