Of all the culture-war flash points that could become political wedge issues, you might think ¡°don¡¯t waste energy¡± would be toward the bottom of the list, down around ¡°a hot dog is a sandwich¡± and ¡°puppies are nice,¡± especially during a supposed energy emergency. And yet here we are. Your electric bills should feel the effects first.
Let¡¯s set the scene: During a heat wave, a political leader urges citizens to curb their energy use to ease the strain on the electric grid. He goes so far as to make specific suggestions, such as turning off unnecessary lights and electronics and avoiding the use of appliances such as dishwashers and coffee makers between certain hours. He even suggests people ¡°avoid opening refrigerators or freezers unnecessarily.¡±
Who is this Marxist nanny-state dictator? No, it¡¯s not Zohran Mamdani. It¡¯s Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, who on a sweltering day in August 2015 joined the Electric Reliability Council of Texas in prescribing certain energy-saving measures to stop blackouts. Along with the advice about coffee makers and fridges, the council suggested homeowners set their thermostats to 25.6 degrees Celsius when they were in and 29 C when they were away.
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