Vice President Kamala Harris winged her way to Arizona on the fossil fuel-powered Air Force Two on Jan. 19. Not to visit the border, of course, but for a green energy event in Tonopah. And so, the Border Czar continues her track record of ignoring the most significant humanitarian crisis of the last half a century to focus on “more important” business.
Ms. Harris was in town to tout the accomplishments of her boss and take part in the groundbreaking ceremony of the latest foray into green energy infrastructure, Ten West Link. Accompanying the VP were Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. It was a girl’s day out – although the second gentleman, who had other business in town, tagged along for the flight – and Kamala’s first official visit to the state since taking the oath of office.
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb had a thing or two to say about the nation’s so-called border czar’s failure to tackle her assignment on Fox News:
“It’s creating a ton of issues for us. Whether it’s fentanyl killing American citizens every day, poisoning them, whether it’s humans being trafficked into the sex trade or the drug trade here in America. That is what we deal with on a daily basis. And this is caused by Joe Biden’s policies and Kamala Harris’ lack of czar-ing down at the border, whether in Texas or Arizona.”
But like her boss, Harris had better things to do further north – like gloat at a renewable energy celebration.
Ten West Link is a high voltage transmission line spanning 125 miles from Tonopah, AZ, to Blythe, CA, that will deliver 500kV of renewable energy. The project, approved in 2019 by the Department of Interior, uses the US Department of Energy’s “Energy Corridor” and Bureau of Land Management’s-designated utility corridors, avoiding wildlife preserves and major population areas in both states. The company’s homepage describes the latest investment in the new power grid infrastructure:
“Ten West Link will also bring significant economic, reliability and public policy benefits to the electric power grid serving the Desert Southwest – one of America’s fastest growing regions. This will help both states achieve their renewable energy standards and carbon reduction goals.”
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
That’s a beautiful thing for the desert. But can the Biden administration produce enough water for the drought-ridden region?
The Same Old Harris Script
Harris stayed on point and reminded those assembled that all this glorious progress resulted from the administration’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which earmarked $370 billion to fight climate change. Hence the party in Tonopah. She touted the administration’s “clean energy economy;” a new catchphrase to remind people that it’s a ton of taxpayer money but well worth the effort. The VP has been traveling around the country, speaking with activists and local leaders about how the magic greening of America will happen. It seems her message has been on wash and repeat now for weeks.
Harris was brief, appreciative, and well-versed in her subject matter and, like a pro, stuck to the script. But as soon as the VP and her husband were done with the day’s activities, they jetted back home to California – no stop at the border included. As Sheriff Lamb said, it doesn’t seem Harris is “czar-ing” much at all.
