Court Ruling Just Blowin’ In The Wind
December 12, 2025
Need to know
- Check out TEA’s website for the latest in energy news and opinion.
- TEA Takes: Energy security law insulates local officials from political pressure.
- Conservatives sound alarm about Westerman’s NEPA bill.
- Florida congressional Republicans oppose drilling off the coast.
- Trump’s energy power play imperils Russia-Turkey ties.
- Venezuela calls on OPEC to counter the US ‘threats.’
- Opinion: If Sherrill wants to make NJ affordable, roll back Net-Zero policies.
- NextEra teams with Google, Exxon in a massive AI build-out.
- US solar installations soar as developers rush to secure tax credits.
- Exxon forecasts higher earnings growth through 2030.
- EU to slash red tape for grid upgrades.
- Energy Department to finance 10 nuclear reactors.
- To create an abundant America, Congress should pass the SPEED Act.
- Poll shows Americans want affordable energy, not Green New Deal.
Common sense
IT’S THE WEATHER, STUPID: Natural gas is not the reason why electricity prices are going up, despite a concerted national media narrative.
Why it matters: Stories like this one paint a false and misleading scenario: Record US LNG exports are colliding with a cold snap as rising energy costs create political problems for President Trump.
Here’s the truth: It’s winter, and that means that natural gas is in demand as millions of Americans heat their homes and businesses.
This part remains valid, however. Trump has prioritized boosting LNG exports overseas and domestic gas production to fuel the AI boom, as part of a strategy to achieve “US energy dominance.”
Consider:
- When Old Man Winter arrives and parts of the nation are extremely cold, natural gas keeps Americans warm and safe.
- This is the coldest start to the winter heating season in four years.
- An estimated 11,000 deaths are prevented annually by using affordable and clean natural gas for home heating.
Energy expert Richard Meyer said: “As long as we have sufficient pipeline and storage infrastructure, higher (or lower) prices are an efficient signal to storage operators, importers, and producers to move more (or less) flowing gas supplies to meet demand.”
We agree. Keep in mind annual savings, as a typical new single-family home using natural gas is estimated to cost $1,132 less per year in energy costs than an equivalent all-electric household.
Meyer reminds us not to take for granted how remarkably the North American natural gas market works to meet consumer needs.
Economics teaches that you meet growing demand with increased supply. Natural gas continues to be America’s strategic advantage for affordable, reliable energy this winter heating season, the American Gas Association states.
While politicians and pundits focus on “prices” as a measure of “affordability,” the long list of regulatory rollbacks from the Trump administration will be the true catalyst for a more affordable life in the U.S.
Regarding the rise in natural gas prices caused by weather, note that analysts predict residential natural gas rates will decrease in 2026.
Bottom line: Our (not-so) hot take? Natural gas will remain America’s most affordable and reliable energy source — in any weather — for decades to come.
Nonsense
ENERGY DOMINANCE POLICY: Wind and solar were given an unfair market advantage under President Biden to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies.
Now that President Trump has erased those subsidies and reset the national energy strategy to focus on reliability, federal courts are stepping in to stop it.
That is simply preposterous.
Why it matters: Activist judges like this one impede ARC Energy Security’s passage, which will unleash American energy and provide security for the future.
They call Trump’s actions “hostile.”
TEA believes they were prudent and necessary — and that a strong course correction was required.
The White House said that offshore wind projects were given unfair, preferential treatment during the Biden administration, while burdensome regulations hindered the rest of the energy industry.
That assessment is spot on, and Trump sought to change that. To be clear, the President oversees the agencies (like Interior) that manage federal lands and waters — setting policy priorities, issuing executive orders, and directing how existing laws are carried out.
Consider:
- Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts vacated Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order blocking wind energy projects and declared it unlawful.
- Saris ruled in favor of a coalition of state attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, that challenged Trump’s Day One order that paused leasing and permitting for wind energy projects.
- James said she was grateful the court stepped in “to block the administration’s reckless and unlawful crusade against clean energy.”
Please enlighten America, Ms. James.
What exactly is “reckless” about promoting affordable energy? And what is “unlawful” about stopping the blatant misuse of billions of taxpayer dollars?
As a policymaker, President Trump is lawfully allowed to reset the course, with reliability as the focal point. They didn’t like it.
Bottom line: This is another judicial roadblock to thwart efforts to lower energy costs and increase domestic production. It should be challenged in the U.S. Court of Appeals, and the decision overturned.
A look ahead
Hearing On Geothermal Energy: On Tuesday, December 16, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will have a hearing on several bills related to geothermal energy.
FERC Open Meeting: On Thursday, December 18, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold an Open Meeting of the Commission.
Quote of the week
“The world is focused on making sure the energy systems we’re building are affordable, reliable and clean. The solutions that we’re providing need to balance those three factors.”