Common Sense Energy: 5/7/21
May 7, 2021
Your Weekly Dose of “Common Sense“ Energy News
Brought to you by: The Empowerment Alliance
Kudos to Senator Shelley Moore Capito for recognizing the critical role natural gas must play in our clean energy future in an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Examiner. Senator Capito is spot on:
“Despite calls for ‘unity,’ in some of his first actions President Biden managed to kill thousands of jobs and paralyze America’s energy industry with executive orders. The Biden moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands is an economic, energy, and national security disaster rolled into one.”
Read her entire op-ed HERE.
Joe Biden made a stop in Louisiana on Thursday (using the fossil fuel-burning Air Force One) to pitch his infrastructure plan that the Wall Street Journal called “The Green New Deal, in disguise.” The president’s $2.3 trillion plan would be one of the “largest federal efforts ever to reduce emissions.”
EXCEPT…
This plan would directly jeopardize the economy of Louisiana, where the oil and gas industry support one out of every nine jobs. According to LMOGA, the industry provided $73 billion to the state GDP and supported 249,800 jobs in 2019.
The local media in Louisiana warned of this back in November and the impact it will have on everyday people.
Twenty percent of electric vehicle owners switch back to gas vehicles due to reasons like not having access to charging systems at their home. Let’s not forget, electric vehicles are a luxury good that are not feasible – financially or practically – for everyday Americans who need affordable energy the most.
Americans are now paying 64% more for gasoline now than they were a year ago. The current national average is $2.94/gallon. It was $1.79/gallon one year ago.
White House Hosts Congressional Leaders To Talk Infrastructure: For the first time on Wednesday, May 12, Biden will host the top four Congressional leaders from both parties at the White House. The discussion will cover a series of big-ticket legislative proposals put forth by Biden, including his $2 trillion infrastructure plan.
Shutdown Of Michigan’s Line 5 Looms: Wednesday, May 12, is the deadline set by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for shutdown of Enbridge Line 5 in Northern Michigan. The two sides of the pipeline battle are currently in court-ordered mediation, but Enbridge has vowed to defy the shutdown order if it stands.
U.S. House Hearing on the CLEAN Future Act: On Thursday, May 13, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change will hold a hearing titled, “The CLEAN Future Act: Superfund Proposals to Advance Cleanups, Equity, and Climate Resilience.” The CLEAN Future Act calls for $565 billion in new spending and 100 percent “clean” electricity by 2035.
Chinese Firm Plans “We Don’t Use Forced Labor, We Swear” Tour: In an attempt to refute human rights abuse allegations, Daqo New Energy Corp., a Chinese solar company accused of using forced labor in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, will “invite as many as 50 analysts and investors to visit the plant in mid-May.”