November 3rd, 2023

• 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.
• Brace for the wind, EV bailouts.
• Detroit paying to end the UAW strike; carmakers will live with the costs.
• How the IRA is playing in 7 swing states.
• BP considers forming shale joint ventures around natural gas fields.
• Texas leads the nation in solar installed on its power grid.
• Ideology first, reality last: Biden’s off-shore energy leasing program.

The issue: The Republican Party appears united on energy issues, having finally elected a new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana). He represents an energy-rich state and carries the right principles regarding this issue into the leadership of the lower chamber.

Why it matters: Rep. Johnson has a strong pro domestic energy philosophy, supporting natural gas and oil produced in the U.S.

Regarding energy, his position is clear: “The U.S. has the capability to produce clean, affordable, American-made energy. Joe Biden’s refusal to do so speaks volumes.”

Johnson will provide a much-needed balance against the climate extremists on the Democrat side who are pushing their green-at-any-cost agenda. He got to work immediately as his first big bill cuts Biden’s climate change funding.

Consider:

• The measure would end consumer rebates for energy-efficient appliances. It also slashes funds for other programs to counter climate change.
• The bill, approved Thursday on a 210-199 vote, also slashes the Energy Department’s energy efficiency and renewable energy office funding by 42% below last year’s levels and revokes $15 billion in loan authority from the department’s loan guarantee program.
• Johnson last year criticized the Inflation Reduction Act’s spending on climate and clean energy measures as “green energy slush funds.”

We believe cutting climate spending would save American taxpayers a significant amount of money.

Being pragmatic, this bill isn’t expected to pass the Democratic Senate — or receive Biden’s signature — without changes. But it does represent a great starting point for Republicans.

Johnson has pledged the House will vote on the remaining spending bills in the coming weeks. It’s time to stop propping up wind and solar at the expense of more reliable and inexpensive sources like natural gas.

Bottom Line: A common sense approach to energy is exactly what’s needed in Washington, and we applaud Speaker Johnson for taking swift and firm action to mitigate these terrible policies.

The issue: By stark contrast, the Democrats appear unified only in promoting foreign energy, developing a particularly cozy relationship with China courtesy of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. He and President Biden hate domestic energy until they need it, but love working with untrustworthy dictatorships.

Why it matters: Newsom and President Biden have led the charge to destroy domestic natural gas and oil, while pushing for renewable energy and helping the Chinese Communist Party. And, at the same time, killing off any reliance on fossil fuels, which are the most reliable sources of energy.

Consider:

• California lawmakers came out swinging after Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom promoted a Chinese electric vehicle maker during his diplomatic visit to China.
• Prior to the trip, Newsom pledged to use it to further California-China cooperation on various climate issues including “cleaning the air, accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, protecting people from extreme weather and conserving lands and oceans.”
• Newsom stressed in his meetings that China and California needed to work together to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and address the climate crisis, according to a summary provided by his office.

California consumers should be outraged by the behavior of their governor, who seems intent on killing good paying energy jobs, much like Biden and his administration. The tone deafness is alarming.

This report on a Chinese green energy firm gaining a foothold on U.S. soil makes it even more troubling. China-based EV battery maker CATL is rapidly expanding in the U.S. and may have capabilities that threaten the national power grid, report states.

Guess which country President Biden’s pointless climate agenda is making us dependent on? You guessed it. China.

The largest component by weight in an EV battery is graphite. China produces 61% of global natural graphite and 98% of the final processed material, spherical graphite.

Bottom Line: At a time when America needs to be energy dominant, some Democratic leaders seem determined to strengthen a Communist regime that does not have our best interests in mind.

Gas prices continued their fall decline this week, with the national average for a gallon of unleaded dropping from $3.52 down to $3.44. As of today, drivers in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Georgia are paying (on average) less than $3/gallon! Global events could still throw a wrench in things, but you can expect gas prices to keep falling as we enter the colder half of the year.

Hearing On ESG Activism: On Tuesday, November 7, the House Ways and Means Committee will have a hearing about “Ensuring that Woke Doesn’t Leave Americans Broke: Protecting Seniors and Savers from ESG Activism.”

Hearing On DOE Regulations: On Wednesday, November 8, the House Small Business Committee will have a hearing about “Burdensome Regulations: Examining the Effects of Department of Energy Regulations on America’s Job Creators.”

FERC Reliability Technical Conference: On Thursday, November 9, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will convene its annual Reliability Technical Conference to discuss policy issues related to the reliability and security of the Bulk-Power System.

Hearing On Coal Mine Land Reclamation: On Thursday, November 9, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will have a hearing to examine the implementation of federal coal mine land reclamation and abandoned coal mine land economic revitalization programs.

“Newsom was a lot harder on that child than he was on the CCP.”

-WPA Intelligence on X​​​​​​​, in response to a viral video of Gavin Newsom playing basketball with school-age children in China.