June 14th, 2024

• Stay up to date on all things energy by visiting the TEA Newsroom.
• Natural Gas CARES: It provides Clean, Affordable, Reliable Energy Security.
• The Supreme Court has three options on Chevron.
• Alleging links to forced labor, Republicans call for a ban on companies tied to Ford, VW EVs.
• Opinion: Natural gas is leading to a cleaner environment, better economy in Pa.
• Biden is coming after your light bulbs — again.
• Warning labels for gas stoves? A lawsuit is trying to make it happen.
• Economist warns Biden’s energy policies are empowering our enemies.
• The Mountain Valley Pipeline gets final approval from FERC.
• Block the sun to stop climate change? It’s an idea that’s on the table.

The issue: Rep. Troy Balderson is leading the drive to toss out new EPA power plant rules. This is no surprise as the Ohio Republican has long been an advocate of common-sense energy policies in Washington.

Why it Matters: He says the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan 2.0 demands that existing coal-fired and new natural gas-fired power plants control 90% of their carbon pollution will be prohibitively expensive and require implementing technology that has never before been deployed at a commercial scale. In other words, it’s not practical.

Last week, Balderson led 138 of his GOP colleagues, including all Ohio’s Republican House of Representatives members, in introducing a resolution to overturn the new regulations.

A statement from Balderson is right on the mark, saying the EPA’s plan “was created by and for extreme activists, ignoring the real-world harm it will cause to our electric grid and American energy security. Slashing our baseload energy production while power demand continues to climb at historic levels is shortsighted and will have a catastrophic impact.”

Consider:

• U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican, introduced an identical Senate measure with backing from 43 Senators, including Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.).

• Louisiana, West Virginia and Texas are among top energy producing states who rely on natural gas for heating and cooling homes and businesses, jobs and economic growth — along with providing necessary grid stability.

• The EPA rules could hinder projects like the $38.9 billion in proposed Texas gas plants that exceeded expectations after the state passed legislation to create a $5 billion fund to incentivize new natural gas investment.

Saving lives during major weather events such as Winter Storm Uri in 2021 drives home the importance of clean, affordable, reliable natural gas, along with the use of renewable natural gas.

Another prime example is Savannah, Georgia, where pollution is declining, thanks to the use of natural gas. This clearly demonstrates that economic growth can happen without compromising environmental protection.

Bottom line: 60% of U.S. electricity comes from natural gas & coal. Without it, our grid would crash. That’s why it’s important to block the Power Plan 2.0 which would put a nail in the coffin of coal and gas.

The issue: Could the U.S ban fossil fuel ads? It’s highly doubtful, but United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres raised eyebrows Wednesday when he called on world leaders to ban advertising for fossil fuels. Nationwide restrictions would be quite difficult to implement, experts agree.

Why it Matters:

The request is not without precedent as some governments already have restrictions in place. Amsterdam became the world’s first city to ban ads from fossil fuel and aviation companies in 2021. And France became the first country to ban certain advertisements for fossil fuels a year later.

Consider:

• While the United States has put in place advertising restrictions on products such as cigarettes and alcohol, those rules were aimed at protecting children — who can’t legally purchase those products.
• Those over age 50 will recall that Congress passed an advertising prohibition act banning all cigarette commercials from broadcast media effective Jan. 2, 1971.
• Even if Congress attempted to enact a fossil fuel ad ban, it would almost certainly collapse against legal challenges under current U.S. laws, said Rebecca Tushnet, a First Amendment professor at Harvard Law School.
• In general, advertising restrictions must demonstrate that something about the campaign is false, misleading or illegal.

It’s also ridiculous since natural gas saves lives in the winter months, unlike tobacco products that have been proven harmful.
Some cities or states might attempt to have warning labels attached to products, such as warnings on gasoline pumps. But federal agencies, like the EPA, would be unlikely to require nationwide warning labels for fossil fuels without a mandate from Congress.

Bottom line: Banning advertising for oil and gas is a clear violation of the 1st amendment. Comparing it to tobacco advertising is apples to oranges – cigarettes kill while fossil fuels keep our lights on and homes warm.

Gas prices haven’t moved much over the past few weeks, despite temperatures getting warmer and the summer activities in full swing. The national average for a gallon of unleaded gasoline dropped 2 cents since last Friday, now at $3.46. Experts predict that we’ll stay around the mid $3 point for the rest of the summer and into the fall.

North American Electric Reliability Corporation Meetings: On Thursday, June 20, and Friday, June 21, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation will hold meetings.

“If Trump is re-elected president, we’re going to be producing every single barrel we can. It’s going to create jobs here at home, and it’s going to hurt our enemies. What’s wrong with that?”

— Economist Stephen Moore in a Fox News interview.