May 12th, 2023

• American natural gas is the world’s cleanest, most affordable, and most reliable energy. America’s energy independence and national security depends on it.
• Group seeks to suspend natural gas operations.
• New York heats up nation-wide debate over gas stove bans.
• EPA power plant rules are coming. Are utilities ready?
• West Texas ranchers sue ERCOT over a wind installation.
• Lack of pipeline capacity limiting natural gas production in Pennsylvania
• Senator Joe Manchin to block Biden EPA nominees in response to power plant regulations.

It appears that backlash is building against the $3 trillion green energy plan for wind and solar.

The Inflation Reduction Act demands a leap of faith from communities around the country that are committing significant local resources in hopes of attracting new industry.

These are local fights. County-by-county battles are raging as wind and solar projects balloon in size, edge closer to cities and encounter mounting pushback in communities from Niagara Falls to the Great Plains and beyond.

Thankfully, projects have slowed. Even in states with a long history of building renewables, developers are uncertain if they can get local permits or how long it might take.

And the government’s (wasteful) spending is astronomical, all in the name of protecting the planet.

• Potential private investment over the next decade spurred by federal tax incentives and loans could include $900 billion in renewable-energy projects and $100 billion in battery storage, according to Goldman Sachs.
• Adding investments in such areas as carbon capture and electric vehicles, total spending could reach $3 trillion, the firm estimates.
• Tax dollars and money that could be better spent on education, transportation or defense, not wind and solar installations.

Bear in mind that in 2021, wind energy accounted for just 4% of the total U.S. primary energy consumption, which includes electricity, heavy industry and transportation. Traditional fuels, including natural gas, provided nearly 82%.

The ballooning size of the projects and the trillions in spending are ignored by the mainstream media and so-called climate activists. But the backlash among the general population is building and should not be ignored. Rural communities across the nation are saying no to President Biden’s agenda as green fantasies meet reality.

Bottom Line: Americans do not want their hometowns to be taken over by massive solar and wind installations. Period. Taxpayers funds are wasted in subsidizing these expensive, inefficient, environmentally destructive and unreliable technologies. Americans get the raw end of the deal, both upfront and down the road.

President Biden’s Secretary of Energy wants to use all electric vehicles in the military fleet.

This torrid love affair with EVs has gotten ridiculous, with Jennifer Granholm and the president both wanting to push this idea at every turn.

The opinion piece says what logic dictates: “You don’t fight a war this way.”

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) slammed the Biden administration on Sunday over its implausible push to electrify the U.S. military fleet.

Granholm voiced support for the goal, noting that it would reduce “our reliance on the volatility of globally traded fossil fuels.” She specifically pointed to the impacts of the war in Ukraine on gas prices.

Ernst and others quickly — and rightfully — criticized the idea, calling it “ludicrous.”

Can you imagine charging stations in the middle of the desert or in mountainous terrain where US troops often are stationed? We can’t either.

A few points to consider:

• EVs are inefficient, pricey and impractical even on America’s streets, let alone the jungle or desert.
• Let’s start with the purchase price. EVs are simply more expensive than gasoline vehicles — the average price tag is $64,338, according to Kelley Blue Book. And that’s for a car. Imagine the cost of an EV-powered tank or other armed military vehicle.
• A fleet of electric vehicles for the military — which Ernst referred to as an “expensive, unreliable product” — will reportedly cost billions of dollars.

Electric vehicle technology is still hugely inconvenient, unreliable, and costly for most Americans. Hours and hours of charging time is not something everyone can bend their lives around, least of all our men and women serving in the US Armed Forces. A running list of the everyday choices the Biden administration is trying to dictate: Home heating, vehicles, major appliances, lawn mowers and protein sources. Now, our military fleet.

Bottom Line: Of all the delusional ideas to come from the Biden administration, an all-electric military may take the cake for the most detached from reality. Russia and China are cheering the idea on – that much is certain.

The national average for a gallon of gasoline didn’t move much over the past week, down 2 cents to $3.54 per gallon. This lack of movement can be attributed to greater demand for gas, but lower oil prices. As we move into the summer months, expect demand to continue to increase, and prices along with it.

Hearing On Energy Tax Incentives: On Wednesday, May 17, the Senate Finance Committee will have a hearing to examine tax incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, focusing on jobs and investment in energy communities.

Hearing On Tailpipe Emissions Rules: On Wednesday, May 17, the House Oversight and Accountability will have a hearing called “Driving Bad Policy: Examining EPA’s Tailpipe Emissions Rules and the Realities of a Rapid Electric Vehicle Transition.”

FERC Open Meeting: On Thursday, May 18, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold an Open Meeting of the Commission.

“I fear that this Administration’s commitment to their extreme ideology overshadows their responsibility to ensure long-lasting energy and economic security and I will oppose all EPA nominees until they halt their government overreach.”

-Senator Joe Manchin on Biden policy allowing EPA to regulate power plant emissions.