Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., doesn't see the need to praise California Gov. Gavin Newsom for narrowly avoiding a total energy blackout within his state.
And yet, Obernolte pointed out that some media outlets are portraying the near-miss crisis as a success, as California grips with a heat wave.
"In California, we almost failed to keep the lights on" for residents, a bare-minimum responsibility for government officials, Obernolte told Newsmax Friday morning, while appearing on "National Report" with host Shaun Kraisman.
Obernolte acknowledged the hot temperatures in California are contributing to the intermittent or rolling blackouts, along with the "flex alerts" of state officials dictating thermostat temperatures inside private citizens' homes.
"But the root cause is the disastrous energy policies that have been implemented by the California state government over the last 20 years," said Obernolte, who represents the state's 8th congressional district, covering the land between Oakland and the Napa Valley.
The pricing for energy can be exorbitant for California residential consumers. As an example, Obernolte says people in the Golden State pay approximately 35 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity; but in Washington, D.C., Obernolte's current working base, it's essentially 9 cents per kilowatt hour.
For commercial electricity, California-based companies pay three times as much, compared to neighboring states like Arizona, Nevada and Oregon, said Obernolte.
And the congressman estimated that California rates for industrial electricity are four times greater than the aforementioned states.
"You can imagine the effect that has, not just on people's budgets, but also poverty here in California," said Obernolte, who's up for reelection in November.
California might be one of the largest states in the union, but Obernolte said that it also leads to the ongoing problem of powering a massive area ... with limited resources that can be accessed, without fear of political pushback.
Republicans and Democrats in California both support "renewables" initiatives, the congressman said. However, Obernolte said, "We don''t have enough renewable power to meet the energy demand of California, and that's what's causing these shortages."
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