Despite the undeniable global upheaval in Europe that is capturing the attention of the world, buried among the headlines over the past few weeks, there is one story from early February that also deserves a spotlight. The European Union recently took a significant step toward classifying natural gas and nuclear energy as green energy. The EU released a final version of their plan which will be up for vote later this year. “The European Commission says it has decided that both types of energy can classify as ‘sustainable investment’ if they meet certain targets.”

The new guidelines are an opportunity for countries to lower their carbon footprint by encouraging investments in technologies and sources proven to lower emissions while still meeting demand. This is on par with the emissions strategies proposed by other developed nation leaders. John Kerry likewise recognizes the importance of natural gas as a part of America’s energy future.

Bottom Line: Europe classifying natural gas and nuclear energy as green will lower global emissions and help member countries to meet emissions reduction goals.

This may sound like the climax of a rural horror movie but in fact, this is the horrifying reality that employees at Coastal GasLink in British Columbia survived last week.

Did you miss that headline? Probably. The Canadian and American media have been fixated on the Ottawa trucker protest while personal harm and violent destruction is being carried out on blue collar workers and critical infrastructure. Nearly a week later Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have made little progress in identifying and arresting those involved in the attack. The actions have been condemned through public statements but this is an important moment for law enforcement, politicians and industry in Canada and the United States to band together and show that these actions will not be tolerated.

Bottom Line: In a story not being covered by the mainstream media, a band of eco-terrorists carried out a violent attack on a pipeline site in Canada. It’s important for our political leaders, in unison, to condemn this type of illegal behavior and hold the perpetrators accountable.

“I’m going to work like the devil to bring gas prices down” – President Joe Biden, 2/10/2022

~ Nine Days Later ~

“Work surrounding public-facing rules, grants, leases, permits and other projects has been delayed or stopped altogether” – Biden Administration court filing regarding oil and natural gas leases.

President Joe Biden nearly made the cut as a “common sense” news story for his remarks about working to bring prices down to affordable levels. His subsequent actions dashed that possibility. In the face of rising costs across the economy, the President should be encouraging supply increases to meet the national demand for goods and resources. Instead, his administration turned off the spigot and cut off the hope of a supply side fix for Americans facing budget constraints.

Bottom Line: While claiming to fight to bring energy prices down, President Biden is making the wrong move at every turn. If he’s serious about sticking it to Putin and easing sticker shock at the pump, he’d restart federal oil and gas lease sales immediately.

It’s been quite the week. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent gas futures soaring even higher than expected, with crude oil prices surpassing $105 per barrel. Since the energy market is global, Americans will experience even higher bills for heating and fuel in the near future.

As of today, average gasoline prices in the U.S. are up two cents from $5.32 to $5.34, but expect prices to jump more drastically over the next week. In a dire outlook for the upcoming spring and summer, some experts are predicting prices to reach $6 or $7 for one gallon of gas. Talk about a shock!