A Tale of Two Cities

Critics of federal support for green energy projects say Agua Caliente, and the discrepancy between the economies of Yuma and Midland, is indicative of a wholly different trend.

“It represents the difference between an industry which exists of its own accord, by providing goods and services that people actually want to buy, and an industry that exists only by the grace of government, which acts to mandate demand and subsidize supply,” said William Yeatman, an energy policy expert with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, in an email.

“It should be intuitive that job creation is more robust around the industry that succeeds on the market due to its own merit, vis-a-vis that which cannot succeed without favorable politics,” Yeatman added.