Published

1 year ago

July 8, 2024

Alice Rush

This post is part of a series examining where 2024 candidates running for public offices in the Southeast stand on key energy and climate issues. Note: The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy does not support or oppose candidates or political parties. Links to reports, candidate websites, and outside sources are provided as citizen education tools.

In this blog post, we examine the policies and positions of Mark Robinson, Republican Party candidate running for Governor of North Carolina. Also in this series, we profile Democratic candidate Josh Stein. Election Day is November 5, 2024.

Mark Robinson currently serves as North Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor after he was elected statewide in 2020. Previously, he worked for businesses manufacturing furniture and served in the U.S. Army Reserves. Robinson grew up in Greensboro, graduated from Grimsley High School, and earned a degree from UNC Greensboro.

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

Mark Robinson opposes Governor Cooper’s goals for developing offshore wind energy. Robinson has posted on social media apparently in opposition to the Inflation Reduction Act, one the most significant national policies to drive adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Climate Change

Mark Robinson gave multiple speeches (i.e. this one and this one) last year mocking concerns about climate change, in which he called climate science, “lies,” “junk science,” and “pseudoscience,” and referred to science educators as “liars.”

Robinson said in a speech last year: ““I have tried over and over again to explain to these people about climate change. It happens four times a year. Right now, it is summer. Soon it will be fall. Then it will be winter. After that, it will be spring. And then the cycle starts over again. That’s the only climate change that I believe in.”

As a candidate in the race for Lieutenant Governor in 2020, Robinson told a forum the following about his priorities on energy if elected: “If we’re going to have success in energy and industry in this state and in this country, what we’re going to have to do is protect ourselves against the globalist climate change cabal. We have got to keep them out of this state. We can do everything that we said on this stage tonight about energy that we want to but if we have these globalist climate change people stifling us at every turn, and stopping industry and stopping our attempts to build our energy infrastructure, it’s not going to work. So as Lieutenant Governor, that would be one of the things I would focus on most when it comes to energy: is keeping the climate change cabal out of this state, and if they are in this state, keeping them in chains.”

Mark Robinson has proposed eliminating science education from elementary schools.

Electric Transportation

Mark Robinson talked about electric vehicles in a speech last year, in which he said: “There’s people running around here talking about electric cars and ‘end oil’ and all of this foolishness.”

Energy Equity and Energy Burden

As Lieutenant Governor, Mark Robinson has promoted increased fossil fuel production as a path to economic benefits and affordable energy, and has expressed concern about offshore wind energy being too expensive for energy customers.

High-Risk Energy: Coal, Nuclear, Oil, Gas

Mark Robinson supports expanding extraction and use of fossil fuels. In speeches last year, Robinson characterized increased oil drilling as a divine mandate, and said about domestic oil reserves, “We need to start getting that oil out of the ground right now. Now! Not in five years, not in ten years, not in two years.”

As Lieutenant Governor, Mark Robinson supports the Mountain Valley Southgate gas pipeline project, and sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission expressing his support for the project.

Robinson posted on social media in opposition to President Biden’s pausing of permitting new liquified natural gas export terminals.

Voter Information

Election Day is November 5. Here are important dates and deadlines to consider, from the North Carolina State Board of Elections:

Sept. 6, 2024: County boards of elections begin mailing absentee ballots to eligible voters who submitted an absentee ballot request form.
Oct. 11, 2024: Voter registration deadline (5 p.m.).*
Oct. 17, 2024: In-person early voting begins; same-day registration available.
Oct. 29, 2024: Absentee ballot request deadline (5 p.m.).*
Nov. 2, 2024: In-person early voting ends (3 p.m.).
Nov. 5, 2024: General Election Day.
Nov. 5, 2024: Absentee ballot return deadline (7:30 p.m.).*

*Voter registration and absentee voting deadlines are different for military and overseas citizen voters.

Find additional important election information here.

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#CandidatesOnEnergy2024

The post Candidate Mark Robinson On Climate & Energy appeared first on SACE | Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

Candidate Mark Robinson On Climate & Energy

Renewable Energy

Military Dictatorship – More

Published

9 hours ago

November 12, 2025

Alice Rush

I wrote a post earlier today about a British geneticist, Dr. Gordon Strathdee, who had lived in the United States for four years, and believes that, by 2028, the U.S. will fall under military dictatorship. He believes this, not because of Trump per se, but because of the mentality of the typical American voter. I hope you’ll read his incredibly astute comments here.

In the earlier post, I argued against Strathdee’s position, but I’ve given a great deal of thought to this matter over the years since Trump came on the political scene here in 2015, and I agree that there is considerable reason to be concerned about this outcome, that strokes the civilized world as being so horrible.

To summarize Strathdee’s thinking in two quick statements:

1) A solid percent of U.S. voters love Trump and everything he stands for, and there are exactly zero deal-breakers here, certainly no criminal misconduct. Did his supporters bat an eyelash when the president, deposed in the 2020 election, tried (and nearly succeeded) in overthrowing the U.S. federal government? Not for a millisecond.

2) Given this, the American people are getting exactly what they are asking for. They adore Trump’s blend of racism, cruelty, and his extending his middle finger to our nation’s traditions, e.g., working against the world’s dictators, working in concert with our allies, and accepting of the findings of the courts.

I’m sure this isn’t going to impress too many of my readers, but there is a certain justice and rightness in giving the people what they want. I need to accept the truth, i.e., that I live among tens of millions of grossly undereducated people who are thrilled with what’s happening here, and are going to be extremely resistant to changing their thinking.

We need to keep in mind that this situation is not at all limited to the United States. Until recently, Hungary, with its history of great art, architecture and especially music, was one of the most enviable societies on Earth. Now, they have a ruthless dictator. The precise mechanism behind all this I don’t know, but what about this suggestion: The people wanted one?

Military Dictatorship – More

Renewable Energy

Trump/Epstein

Published

9 hours ago

November 12, 2025

Alice Rush

It’s virtually certain that Trump will be connected to Epstein and the sex trafficking of underage girls.

The question, however, is will he lose any support? We’re talking about an adjudicated rapist who tried to overthrow the United States federal government. For the MAGA base, there are no deal-breakers.

Trump/Epstein

Renewable Energy

Military Dictatorship in the U.S.?

Published

9 hours ago

November 12, 2025

Alice Rush

British geneticist Dr. Gordon Strathdee lived in this United States for four years, and believes that the answer to the question here is yes, but not because of Trump per se. Read his incredibly astute comments here.

Here’s are two competing notions:

1) Though I’m not pro-military by nature, I have a great deal of respect for those who rose through the ranks and achieved the pinnacle of success, focused on one single thing: Their loyalty to the U.S. Constitution.

It’s true that, under Trump’s first term, a few retired generals came aboard his staff and then left, apparently because of disagreements they had with the president. At this moment, however, things seem to be fairly quiet. We even have the absurd situation that an alcoholic Fox News commentator is the Secretary of Defense, and no one’s making too much noise about it. But wait until the order comes down, “We’re invading Canada!” or some equivalent form of insanity.

The answer, which will come immediately and unanimously: “The f*** we are. You’re insane, and you’ve given your last command here.”

2) The economy, driven at least partially by extreme tariffs, goes so far in the tank that the MAGA folks can’t feed their families, and they drop Trump like a hot rock. True, these are not the type of people who are prone to admit they were wrong, even in the face of compelling evidence (which is the entire problem here), but hunger and poverty are powerful motivating forces.

Under this scenario, the congresspeople who represent the red states and are desperate to remain in office drop Trump as well, as his support on The Hill evaporates totally and immediately.