June 30th, 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.
• Sweden abandons 100% renewable energy goal.
• Germany invites solar manufacturers to get subsidies; the wind sector next in line
• Fossil fuel generation is retiring faster than renewables are added.
• ‘Cheaper natural gas prices in store this summer.
• Clean energy’s latest problem: creaky turbines.
• Mountain Valley Pipeline receives final permit approval.

This week common sense overcame nonsense in regards to Natural Gas CARES (clean, affordable, reliable, energy source) as major fossil fuel players are boldly asserting that natural gas will play a pivotal role in the transition to a greener future, Bloomberg reported.

This backs up what TEA has been saying for the past several years — there is still a place for natural gas and oil in the global energy mix. In fact, it remains a prominent place for natural gas.

We are delighted that energy leaders like Shell and Chevron recognize and publicly acknowledge that fact.

But we don’t view it as just a bridge to the future. Natural gas is the future. 

Some data points:

• The natural gas share of global electricity generation remained steady in 2022, coming in at the same 23% it had achieved in 2021.
• Not surprisingly, the report finds that natural gas pipeline trade dropped by 15% during the year, with net imports to Europe plummeting by a whopping 35%. Virtually all of that downward movement derives from the cutoff exports from Russia into Europe.
• Carbon emissions from natural gas flaring dropped by 3.8%.

Natural gas and coal have provided reliable power for more than a century. Blackout risks have become more prevalent as power outages have increased 64% from the early 2000s.

So what changed?

Well, one reason is the climate cult that convinced policymakers to replace reliable fossil fuels with unreliable renewables wind and solar. They share blame when your lights go out.

Let’s remember that natural gas and petroleum are also critical for use in fertilizers and 6,000 everyday modern-life products. Humanity’s best chance at a greener future is using natural gas as a bridge fuel, so in the next 100 years we can arrive at real solutions rather than the wasteful and environmentally destructive theatrics seen today.

That is exactly why electing our next president is critical to our energy future. It’s paramount that we get it right and elect someone who can undo the damage done by the Biden administration’s relentless attacks on domestic energy and his failed green agenda.

Bottom Line: It’s good to see major producers affirming what we know to be true: natural gas will play a critical role in meeting increasing energy demand and providing base load power as we transition towards renewables. There is no clean energy future without gas.

First it was an attempt to ban gas stoves. Before that the bullseye was targeted at Americans’ clothes washers and refrigerators.

Now it’s wood-fired pizzerias coming under attack. Want a slice of New York style pie? Better hurry before the Big Apple has fewer choices for customers.

• Roughly 100 pizza parlors are facing an “unfunded mandate,” as one restaurant owner called it.
• The rule could require pizzerias with such ovens installed prior to May 2016 to buy pricey emission-control devices.
• The owner of one Brooklyn eatery said he’s already spent $20,000 on an air filter system in anticipation of the new mandate.

Every week it seems the green-at-any-cost crowd wants to stick its nose into our private business, be it a family’s stove of choice to cook dinner on or a pizza parlor’s oven.

From federal to state to municipal government, no one is immune. Low- and middle-income Americans and many small businesses are the frontline victims of these climate change policies.

Restaurants are a perfect snapshot of suffering under these draconian laws. There are more than 7 million small businesses that employ nearly 70 million Americans, according to the US Census Bureau.

Many are family-owned bakeries, pizza shops and diners trying to make a living against this backdrop of over regulation combined with inflationary prices.

This latest example shows more intrusion into our personal day-to-day living by the government and its green-backed agenda. From Berkeley to the Bronx and throughout middle America, we must fight back against these blatant overreaches that are creeping into our lives, making it more difficult and expensive to operate households and businesses.

Rather than incentivize these small business owners, the government regulates them out of existence. This is the antithesis of The American Dream. Pizza making is the latest target, but unfortunately it won’t be the last.

Bottom Line: The government’s encroachment upon our right to decide how we cook our meals or what pizza oven a restaurant can use is not only a threat to our quality of life, but also an affront to the core principles that lie at the heart of American individualism and liberty.

As Americans gear up to take their July 4th trips, most drivers saw a decline in gas prices over the past week. The current national average for a gallon of gasoline sits at $3.54, down 4 cents from this time last week. This slight dip in prices may not last long, as AAA predicts that a record 43.2 million Americans will hit the road this holiday weekend.

Nothing on the calendar for next week, have a great fourth of July!

Programming note: we will not be sending Common Sense Energy next week due to the holiday. CSE will resume its normal schedule on Friday, July 14th.

“Natural gas used for electric generation has more than doubled since 2005 and continues to meet ever-increasing peak energy needs — a testament to natural gas’s increasing importance as a baseload fuel to replace coal and a flexible generation resource to integrate renewables.”

—  Richard Meyer, VP of the American Gas Association, on Twitter.