September 22nd, 2023

• Stay up to date on all things energy by visiting the TEA Newsroom.
• Natural Gas CARES: It is the world’s Cleanest, Affordable, Reliable Energy Source.
• President Biden’s offshore wind target slipping out of reach.
• McCarthy hits Biden on energy policies: “We’re buying it from our enemies.”
• Biden admin unleashes 50-year mining, oil drilling ban in New Mexico.
• Democrat lawmakers call for Biden to establish a Civilian Climate Corps.
• Germany went from envy of the world to worst performing economy. Why?

We encourage states and municipalities across the country to say NO to natural gas bans. This echoes the third step in TEA’s Common Sense Energy Agenda.

The latest battles are headed for a fight in the court system. A 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in April striking down the first ban on gas in new buildings in Berkeley, Calif. Other U.S. jurisdictions continue moving forward to promote electrification.

In fact, in Ohio State Sen. Michael Rulli introduced a resolution this week to encourage continued investment in natural gas infrastructure. We applaud Sen. Rulli and strongly urge other legislators to support this vital measure.

Why it matters: 

• Our access to clean, affordable and reliable energy like American natural gas is one of those slowly disappearing rights.
• Access to abundant and reliable natural gas is essential to affordable energy for everyday Americans and small businesses because 61% of American adults live paycheck to paycheck and 45% of them can’t afford a $1,000 dollar emergency expense.
• Affordable energy is critical to returning manufacturing and good-paying jobs to America because there are more than 7 million small business owners trying to make payroll and 2 million working farms providing food to the rest of us and the world.

This attack on both domestic energy and America’s freedom to choose is a byproduct of the Biden administration and its green-at-any-cost allies. And it needs to be stopped. Consumers, small business owners and our nation’s farmers need to stand up and be heard.

Bottom Line:  We are a nation built on the freedom to make the choices that are right for each of us. Taking away our energy choices drives up costs, reduces reliability and is simply not the American way.

The United Auto Workers are in the midst of a strike against the Big Three automakers. The White House’s push for electric vehicle manufacturing, while not solely to blame, is part of the reason workers have walked off the job.

In fact, UAW President Shawn Fain has said President Biden has had no role in brokering a settlement and expects none in the strike involving 13,000 workers. Biden is trying to turbocharge the market for electric vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent China from solidifying its grip on a growing industry. His signature legislation, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, includes billions of dollars in incentives to get more clean cars on the roads.

Why it matters: 

• The transition will cost jobs because electric vehicles require fewer people to assemble.
• Gasoline prices have increased dramatically from the $2.39 per gallon average when Biden took office.
• As a result, families end up paying on both sides to prop up expensive, inefficient, ineffective, environmentally-destructive “green” technologies that are primarily produced in China.

Speaking of issues related to electric vehicles, new regulations in California will force trucking companies in the state to add only electric trucks to their fleets starting in January — and non-electric trucks will be fully banned by 2035.

Why it matters:

• The high cost of these electric trucks and charging equipment will likely crush small trucking firms and independent operators.
• The increased shipping costs will inevitably be passed on to American consumers through higher prices.
• California’s energy commission has estimated that to meet demand imposed by the new regulations, it will need more than 150,000 new charges dedicated to trucks by 2030  — that’s 300 to 500 chargers per week.

None of this is practical. Just like banning gas stoves or other appliances makes no sense. The short-term costs are outrageous and long-term results unattainable.

Bottom Line: The government-enforced transition to electric vehicles is causing problems across the country, from the UAW strike in the midwest to truckers in California. The lesson here is simple: government intervention in the free market creates negative economic outcomes.

Have gas prices peaked for the year? Experts say it’s too soon to say. Earlier this week, the national average for a gallon of gasoline hit its highest point of the year at $3.88. It has since come back down a few cents to $3.86. That’s the same as it was one week ago today. As we head into the fall, prices typically come down due to less drivers hitting the road and gas stations switching to less expensive winter blend gasoline. Let’s hope that trend continues this year, for the sake of American drivers.

Hearing On Offshore Small Energy Producers: On Thursday, September 28, the House Small Business Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains will have a hearing called “Energy Independence: How Burdensome Regulations are Crushing Offshore Small Energy Producers.”

Hearing On China’s Control Of Critical Minerals: On Thursday, September 28, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will have a hearing to examine opportunities to counter China’s control of critical mineral supply chains through increased mining and processing in the United States.

“Ford’s EV unit will lose close to $5 billion. The cost to Ford of the 40 percent pay increase the UAW is asking for? About $5 billion. Stop Biden’s green war on cars and give the workers a raise!”

— Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) on Twitter.