Energy Abundance Key To Our National Security
June 25, 2026
Need to know
- Check out TEA’s website for the latest in energy news and opinion.
- TEA Takes: Even Einstein admitted he was wrong. We apparently can’t expect as much from Al Gore.
- Regulators greenlight plan for quick AI data center grid connections.
- Invenergy accepts a settlement agreement to pivot capital from wind to geothermal.
- Chevron is fueling a massive data center with natural gas.
- The Treasury Department authorizes Iranian oil sales through August.
- Interior moves to relax rules for drilling on public lands.
- New York’s green energy rethink is a lesson for the UK.
- Regulators cut Colorado oil and gas’ firms fines.
RealClear
- Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy story stream.
- Video: Get Real With David DesRosiers.
Common Sense
TWO ARCS, ONE GOAL: How do we restore abundant, reliable energy as the foundation of prosperity?
That was the theme at this year’s Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in London. This one drew 4,000 leaders from more than 80 countries to share a vision for a better tomorrow, with energy a primary focus.
Yes, it shares an acronym that we have popularized at TEA, that being ARC Energy Security, as we tout affordable, reliable and clean energy sources.
Why it matters: Energy Secretary Chris Wright spoke, via video link, on Tuesday, taking dead aim at climate change.
“Always more people die in the winter than die in summer because cold is a vastly larger killer than heat is,” citing the excess deaths across Europe due to high energy prices after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Wright also urged the UK to “change course” and embrace fossil fuels, and called climate change a “slow-moving phenomenon” that would be addressed by technology.
“Always more people die in the winter than die in summer because cold is a vastly larger killer than heat is,” citing the excess deaths across Europe due to high energy prices after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Wright also urged the UK to “change course” and embrace fossil fuels, and called climate change a “slow-moving phenomenon” that would be addressed by technology.
That’s because the Trump administration believes that energy abundance is vital to our national security, our ability to keep the lights on and our continued pursuit of manufacturing excellence. That’s true Energy Dominance.
Consider:
- The opposition says this group is composed of climate deniers. We prefer the term climate realists.
- Those attending the session want what we have advocated through our energy platform: Economic prosperity and human growth.
- Remember, Energy is life. The lack of it is death.
Wright’s presence, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson, is no mere diplomatic courtesy. It signals the centrality of a new energy doctrine to the ARC project: a pivot away from net-zero targets and toward a strategy of “energy abundance.”
Proponents argue that the West’s pursuit of green policies has come at the cost of economic prosperity and industrial strength, making nations vulnerable and less competitive.
Proponents argue that the West’s pursuit of green policies has come at the cost of economic prosperity and industrial strength, making nations vulnerable and less competitive.
Bottom line: The solution is to unleash the full potential of all energy sources — especially oil, natural gas and nuclear — to power a new wave of reindustrialization.
Nonsense
CLIMATE POLLUTION FEE: Bend will soon charge a fee for the installation of gas appliances in newly built homes, making the Central Oregon city the second in the state to pass such a policy with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Hogwash, to put it politely.
Why it matters: Starting April 1, 2027, builders or developers will pay up to $2,972 to the City of Bend when they receive a permit to build a new home that uses natural gas to power its heating or water system, stove, dryer or fireplace. Fees could decrease if electricity is more carbon-intensive than expected.
Mayor Pro Tem Megan Perkins was the lone “no” vote on the issue, but refused to elaborate.
Consider:
- Bend City Council passed “a climate pollution fee” in a 4-1 vote last week despite opposition from power companies, builders and union members who fear the move would hurt housing affordability efforts and jobs that rely on natural gas pipe maintenance and construction.
- The fee will take effect next year in spite of the warnings of rising costs and lost jobs.
- A similar ordinance in Ashland went into effect in January.
This is nothing more than stealing and limiting consumer choice. Plain and simple.
Communities from Berkeley, California to New York City have been on the anti-fossil fuels bandwagon for a while, meeting with success in the most liberal municipalities. States like Ohio, Texas, Florida and Arizona have rightfully pushed back against this socialist policy.
We wish Oregon residents would rise up in opposition. Sadly, they won’t because the Climate Cult is rabid there, as well as in a number of left-leaning cities and states adopting similar laws.
This is horrible policy straddling the line between incompetence and corruption.
Meanwhile, neighboring Washington state residents have taken their case to the Supreme Court to preserve their right to choose energy sources. We wish them well in their fight.
Bottom line: This is a clear reason for states to pass Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security legislation, like Louisiana has done. Common sense solutions are needed, not more bans and building fees.
A look ahead
- Nothing on the calendar for next week. There will be no CSE newsletter on July 3. Happy 250th birthday, America.
Quote of the week
“The UK should serve as a wake-up call for every country still pursuing ‘net zero’ energy policies. Even the partial implementation of ‘net zero’ in the UK has led to a drop in electricity use per capita since 2000 so big it’s exceeded by only 5 (extremely poor) countries.”
ILLUSTRATION: The Empowerment Alliance