April 5th, 2024

• 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.
• Editorial: America’s energy boom has helped with global security.
• Idaho county approves total ban on large wind, solar projects.
• Kennedy, Republican colleagues call out Democrats’ political meddling in oil and gas mergers.
• Jockeying for jobs is underway in Trump energy circles.
• The U.S. was the world’s top LNG exporter last year.
• Opinion: Biden’s war on energy is bad for America and her allies.

The issue: President Biden’s decision to cancel a buyback of 3 million barrels in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve refill is a terrible move.

Last year House Republicans passed a bill to stop this overreach. Of course it went nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) was among those lawmakers who supported the Strategic Production Response Act. Today, we are again at the mercy of Biden and the green-at-any-cost crowd determined to destroy America’s domestic natural gas and oil production.

Why it matters: 

• The White House argues that the releases from the SPR in the past year were necessary to offset the surge in pump prices sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• The stockpile, which held some 600 million barrels before the beginning of the invasion, remains just more than half full, containing about 363 million barrels as of April.
• When Biden took office in 2021, the SPR contained 638 million barrels.

Consider: “It’s pure insanity to watch the Biden administration cut American oil production and then claim they can’t refill our critical reserve because of the price,” said Daniel Turner, founder and executive director of watchdog group Power the Future.

No administration should have this unchecked power and be able to threaten the United States’ energy affordability and its national security. This latest SPR misstep by Biden makes it even more important for the Senate to pass this bill, despite partisan differences.

Bottom line: Biden’s irresponsible actions have included draining the SPR for political reasons, cutting our domestic production to promote his radical climate agenda and leaving our critical reserve extremely vulnerable.

The issue: The Biden administration on Friday finalized a rule that’s expected to push a greater share of new truck sales toward electric vehicles.

Why it matters: This represents yet another ridiculous example of pushing an extremist green agenda onto American consumers and business owners.

Evidence that Biden’s EV test is already failing miserably:

• The planned $7.5 billion investment in EV charging has only produced seven stations in two years.
• Ford Motor Company sold just 24,000 of its new electric ‘F-150 Lightning’ trucks in 2023, falling far behind the initial expectation of reaching 150,000 vehicle sales.

So with those epic failures, the White House doubles down further. Never mind that if truck makers are forced to switch to EVs, costs inevitably will go up and be passed on to the consumer.

Consider: 

This American Trucking Association video from last year points out the foolishness of battery-electric trucks. Andrew Boyle, first vice chairman of the American Trucking Associations, told Congress this conversion would be “a massive mistake.”

• He added that the trucking industry is committed to further reducing emissions, but that regulations must be technically achievable, national in scope and based on a realistic timeline.
• Boyle noted that the trucks would lack adequate range, with adequate charging infrastructure in place and utilities unable to deliver the power.
• Finally, conversion of our nation’s Class A fleet of trucks to battery electric “would require a $1 trillion investment, which ultimately would flow to consumers.”

At least one trade group has raised concerns about the availability of charging infrastructure and also questioned whether customers would buy enough electric trucks to keep manufacturers in compliance. This is another misguided regulation that’s being pushed upon American consumers and manufacturers in an attempt to retain favor with the climate extremists prior to the Nov. 5 general election.

Bottom Line: If truckers are forced to switch to EVs, costs inevitably will skyrocket and be passed onto the consumer. That’s how the free enterprise system works, which is something that Biden and his half-baked green crowd simply don’t understand. Or maybe worse, they just don’t care.

With international tensions and rising oil prices due to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, the national average for a gallon of gas increased by five cents to $3.58 in the past week. Increased gasoline demand and decreased domestic stocks contributed to this slight rise, with experts predicting further upward pressure on prices.

Ten states, including Indiana and Arizona, saw the largest increases in gas prices, while California remains the most expensive market with an average of $5.20 per gallon.

Hearing On Biden’s LNG Export Ban: On Monday, April 8, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate and Grid Security will have a hearing on “Biden’s LNG Export Ban: How Rush-to-Green Politics Hurts Local Communities and U.S. Energy Security.”

Hearing On SEC’s Climate Rule: On Wednesday, April 10, the House Financial Services Committee will have a hearing on “Beyond Scope: How the SEC’s Climate Rule Threatens American Markets.”

Hearing On Air Quality Monitoring: On Wednesday, April 10, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will have a hearing to examine the state of air quality monitoring technology.

Hearing On Critical Water Infrastructure: On Wednesday, April 10, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power will have a hearing to examine the federal and non-federal role of assessing cyber threats to and vulnerabilities of critical water infrastructure in our energy sector.

“On Friday, President Biden made it clear that he wants worsened traffic, higher inflation, and a strained electric grid. His unprecedented electric truck mandate will upend the supply chain while raising already high consumer costs.”

— Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH) on X

JOIN THE NATURAL GAS IS GREEN MOVEMENT

Calling all legislators! In case you missed it, Ohio and Tennessee recently became the first states in the nation to pass bills that recognize natural gas as a clean, “green” energy source, opening up investment in natural gas production and infrastructure. We encourage other states to follow suit. Learn more about the “Natural Gas is Green” legislation and the research supporting its benefits by visiting our new landing page, created for legislators from the local to federal level!