January 1, Green Energy Risks Mount as Regulators Lag

Wyatt’s Take

• Regulations aren’t keeping up with green tech risks.
• Battery fires and waste trouble local communities.
• Public safety needs to come before virtue signaling.

Green energy’s rapid growth is bringing new dangers to regular Americans and the environment, but government isn’t fixing the problems fast enough. Wind, solar, and battery projects create hazards that politicians are ignoring while they chase good press.

Years back, we saw energy booms leave regulators flat-footed, like during the Shale Revolution in north Texas. Conflicts between energy firms and neighborhoods got ugly because rules weren’t ready for new problems in populated areas.

Now, as wind and solar farms spread out across farmland and wildlife spaces, state rules still can’t deal with the trash from old blades and panels or the impact on small towns. After decades of taxpayer support, hardly any state has real plans for tearing down and tossing these gigantic sites.

Lithium-ion batteries make things worse. These batteries power electric cars and store wind and solar power, but they can overheat and catch fire without warning. Reports of burning buses and freight ships have become all too common.

Communities are starting to push back. On Long Island, folks are rallying against big battery storage projects near their homes. “We’re not guinea pigs for anybody … we are not going to experiment, we’re not going to take risk,” said Island Park’s mayor Michael McGinty.

Airlines are struggling too. The FAA counted 89 runway or in-air smokes and fires from lithium batteries in 2024, with even more since August 2025. One recent fire destroyed a jet in South Korea, though everyone got out alive.

Despite promises from industry insiders, it’s clear these so-called green solutions come with steep costs and dangers for ordinary Americans. Politicians need to quit chasing headlines and start fixing these gaps before disaster strikes again.

Don’t let your safety take a backseat to empty gestures.

Wyatt Matters

Folks here in the heartland know that real solutions count more than empty promises. Protecting our families and land from untested risks should always come first.

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