CEO Column

It’s early Sunday morning, and a couple of issues are on my mind. The electric utility industry has several challenges and will certainly face great change related to the enormous amount of electricity data centers are projected to need in the future.

For decades, numerous environmental organizations and the environmental media have run an increasingly pressurized campaign to eliminate the use of all fossil fuels. You have seen the headlines – Net Zero by 2050, Keep Fossil Fuels in the Ground, Clean Energy Not Dirty Fuels, and many others.

I had just gotten used to writing 2024 on my checks, and now I have to double check and make sure I write 2025. Things change quickly. As we get older, time passes quicker.

Last week I watched the 2024 version of Jimmy V Week that showcases some of the best basketball teams across the country to raise money for the V Foundation to support cancer research and cures. As usual, Coach Jimmy Valvano’s speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards, given while accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award, was shown.

I have written several articles over the past few months about the climate nonsense promoted by activists to convince the public that immediate action is required to prevent catastrophic damage to the planet. This month, I will review an article, written by Bjorn Lomborg, published in the Wall Street Journal on July 31, 2024. Mr. Lomborg is president of the Copenhagen Consensus and a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. He is an economist and not a scientist.

Environmentalists have declared: “The science of climate change is over.” As evidence that carbon emissions must be immediately reduced, the media bombards us daily with climate news about “today is the hottest day in recorded history” and “no storm has ever been as bad as Helene, except that Milton is coming next and will surely be worse because carbon emissions are higher.”

Two months ago, my friend and fellow PowerSouth employee, John Dean, provided an article for this space on peanut crops, long June days and the Dog Days of Summer. Reading John’s article brought back memories of my childhood and the endless pleasures of summertime.

Two months ago, I wrote an article on climate nonsense. I focused on silly solutions to climate change concerns like how we shouldn’t use hot water, on how climate change needs to be curbed to protect outdoor concerts, and on starvation protests meant to coerce governments to act on an individual’s personal beliefs.

Getting to know people and talking about their interests is one of the most enjoyable things in a job and in life itself. Through the years, I have gotten to know one of our employees very well and have enjoyed numerous talks about rural Alabama, farm life, and, our common passion, bird hunting.

I wash my clothes a couple of times a week. I use cold water, because I don’t wash large loads and, at times, put the whites and colors in together. My Mom told me using cold water helps to reduce fading. I recently read an article that says my washing routine is environmentally friendly because I am reducing the use of fossil fuels and cutting carbon emissions by at least 864 pounds per year. That is equivalent to planting 0.37 acres of forests, according to The American Cleaning Institute. I am climate friendly – finally.