What we’re thankful for at TEA
December 1, 2025
As we kick off the holiday season, it’s the time of year to take pause and consider all the things that we are grateful for. Like most of you we’re thankful for family and friends, health and wellbeing, the comfort of home and the challenges of work. But, at TEA we’re about energy policy, and we’re glad to report that we have a lot to be thankful for there too.
ARC Energy Security for all Americans.
We’re happy to see legislation that finally embraces the affordable, reliable and clean energy principles that TEA has been promoting since day one. At the federal level, the Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security Act would create simple and straightforward definitions in law for what is affordable, reliable and clean energy. Putting simple definitions behind these terms will finally create the policy environment necessary to stop the “Green New Deal”-style games that politically-motivated extremists have been playing with our energy supply for the last several years.
Introduced by Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12), this bill will protect every American’s access to their energy birthright. And, the best part, this legislation is simple and built on one of our favorite things here at TEA—good, old-fashioned common sense, not empty green promises and political slogans. We’ve seen the success of such laws in states like Louisiana that have embraced the ARC ES principles. Now we are excited to support this common-sense law that prioritizes affordable energy that we can count on for the whole country.
Trump’s Energy Emergency that paved the way for a common-sense reset of U.S. energy policies.
On his very first day in office, Trump declared a National Energy Emergency. This action shows that our nation finally has a leader that gets the assignment when it comes to energy.
At TEA we are overwhelmingly pleased with the renewed dedication to affordable, reliable and clean energy for America’s security. Trump rightly understands that growing our energy supply and infrastructure is necessary for a safe and sustainable energy future, and that keeping energy costs low is the best way to fuel the economy AND lower costs for everyday Americans. But, now is not the time to rest on laurels and slow that momentum. Trump and his advisors should embrace TEA’s ARC Energy Security legislation as a guide to where to go next.
The end of the “green” subsidy era
There has long been a problem with the way taxpayer dollars are handed out to support renewable energy endeavors. It is almost as if because of the warm and fuzzy packaging wrapped around “green energy” by activists and politicians that the rules for renewable energy are made up and the money doesn’t matter. But, the new administration in Washington is finally trying to make the green movement play by the same rules as the rest of us and treating taxpayer dollars with the thoughtfulness they should be.
According to the Institute for Energy Research before the Inflation Reduction Act was even a glint in climate activists’ eyes, “Federal subsidies to support renewable energy formed nearly half of all federal energy-related support between fiscal years 2016 and 2022. Traditional fuels (coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear) received just 15 percent of all subsidies between FY 2016 and FY 2022, while renewables, conservation and end use received a whopping 85 percent. Renewable subsidies more than doubled between FY 2016 and FY 2022, increasing to $15.6 billion in fiscal year 2022 from $7.4 billion in fiscal year 2016 (both in 2022 dollars). Federal subsidies and incentives to support renewable energy in fiscal year 2022 were almost 5 times higher than those for fossil energy, which totaled $3.2 billion in subsidies.”
The game of treating taxpayer dollars like Monopoly money under the guise of feel-good green pipe dreams needs to end. Thankfully, we finally have some leaders standing up to do just that. It’s time to stop dumping money down the renewable energy drain and start doing what we know works—building infrastructure, maximizing our resources and making energy affordable again for American families.
Build, baby, build and the pipeline comeback.
After years of going backward, the new “Build, Baby, Build” strategy is finally taking hold. That’s right. Pipelines are making a comeback. And, it’s about time. Pipelines create thousands of jobs. They bring lower and more consistent energy prices for households and businesses. They bring reliability in regions of the U.S. with some of our coldest and most volatile winters.
For far too long, this extremely necessary infrastructure has been under attack, and it’s taken its toll. According to U.S. Energy Information data, completed pipelines that move petroleum liquids have declined exponentially since peaking in 2014. In the recent years, only a handful of projects have been completed each year.
But, there’s hope. Projects are springing up all over the country with the support of an administration with bold, common-sense energy policies in Washington, as well as tacit support from some regional leaders that were blocking infrastructure projects just a few years ago.
In the Northeast, the Constitution Pipeline has found surprising bipartisan support—after years of green-at-any-cost leaders in the region blocking the necessary infrastructure to bring affordable natural gas to New England families. The Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project has seen momentum since the Trump Administration has put it at the forefront of its American energy dominance goals.
Renewed commitment to energy security
When America is the key producer of energy sources for our own needs and globally, that makes us and the world safer and cleaner. U.S. LNG is the literal light on the world’s horizon—not in its rearview mirror. Our ability to supply the world with natural gas is only growing.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. LNG export capacity will likely increase from 11.5 billion cubic feet per day in 2023 to 24.4. in 2028—more than doubling in the next five years. As energy author Robert Bryce puts it: “If that happens, US LNG export capacity will equal or exceed, the gas production of both Iran and China. (In 2023, Iran produced 24.3 Bcf/d, and China produced 22.7 Bcf/d). That, ladies and gentlemen, is evidence that the US is a natural gas superpower.”
Our ability to supply the world with natural gas has become possible because the U.S. leads the world in natural gas production. That achievement was driven by groundbreaking technological advances like hydraulic fracturing that have allowed us to tap America’s extensive natural resources. As a result, U.S. natural gas production has more than doubled. According to Bryce’s analysis of data, the U.S. is now producing more natural gas than Canada, China, Iran, Norway and Qatar combined. But, we must be vigilant. If we allow ourselves to be dragged backward by short-sighted leaders with a politicized green agenda, we will sacrifice our standing as a world energy superpower. That isn’t good for the world and it certainly isn’t good for America.