September 6th, 2024

• Stay up to date on all things energy by visiting the TEA Newsroom.
• America needs Affordable, Reliable, Clean energy security.
• What is fracking and why is it a big deal for Trump and Harris?
• Opinion: A ‘clean energy’ disaster looms off our coasts.
• Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown backed Biden’s climate agenda. Now he’s running away.
• Group sues Texas over law banning state business with firms “boycotting” fossil fuels.
• Opinion: Former coal mines are perfect spaces for wind, solar energy.
• Ratepayer advocates urge PJM to include power plants in capacity auctions.
• Biden admin approves natural gas exports after pause is halted.

The issue: Politicians, regardless of party affiliation, make promises during a campaign. Some are kept; others may be modified or ignored altogether once the candidate is in office.

Why it matters: With the Nov. 5 general election just eight weeks away, here are some of the results of President Biden’s and Vice President Kamala Harris’ energy policies:

• Gasoline prices have increased by 40%.
• Utility bills have risen by nearly 30%.
• Overall energy costs have gone up by $4,562 for average households.

The green-at-any-cost mandates and over regulation of the domestic energy industry have made life miserable for many. But the worst may be yet to come.

To compound matters, the impending electrical grid crisis is an economic train wreck heading toward American consumers. Government mandates and pledges from utilities to achieve “net zero” emissions by 2050 or sooner have led to the closure of traditional power plants fueled by coal, natural gas and nuclear energy.

In fact, the crisis may have already begun.

Because of the rush to replace traditional energy sources with unreliable renewable energy, one of the largest U.S. electrical grid operators recently raised prices by over 800%, a move that will inevitably lead to higher electric bills for consumers. As a result, working Americans in 13 states from Illinois to New Jersey will pay the price through even higher bills for less reliable electricity.

Consider: We fear an administration under Harris would be worse — possibly much worse — in this regard. She has opposed hydrocarbons at every opportunity.

While in the Senate, she sponsored the Green New Deal resolution and cast the tie breaking vote on the costly Inflation Reduction Act.
During her failed 2020 campaign, she enthusiastically supported a ban on fracking. Now, in a stark reversal, Harris claims that she supports the practice, saying: “We can grow … a thriving clean energy economy without banning fracking.’’

Remember, it was she and President Biden who killed the Keystone XL Pipeline on day one and proceeded to push for electric vehicles and wind and solar projects.

By contrast, we know where former president Donald Trump stands on energy. He has pledged to cancel the electric vehicle mandate, cut costly and burdensome regulations and again work to unleash domestic natural gas and oil production.

Bottom line: After 4 years of the green-at-any-cost agenda, voters just want relief. For the millions of Americans who prefer affordable, reliable energy over extreme green schemes, their choice is clear.

The issue: Kamala Harris’ home state of California is a prime example of what we don’t need for American energy policy.

Why it matters: If Harris intends to model her energy policies on California’s “net zero” crusade, then we should expect some of the same negative results. This would be disastrous for millions of American families and scores of small farmers and business owners who are struggling to survive.

Consider:

• Utility costs in California are already pushed up by its “renewable portfolio standard,” which requires that all utilities source at least 38.5 percent of their power from renewable sources.
• It is no accident that California’s power rates are the highest in the lower 48 states.
• The average California resident spends about $386 per month on electricity, which is 58% higher than the national average.

Not everyone is on board, however. Baldwin Park, Calif. is a city of 72,000 that smartly turned its back on green energy. In doing so, it separated itself from a growing national movement called “community-choice aggregation” (CCA).
By choosing CCA power, they are trying to goose demand for renewables — and join the charge against fossil-fuel-generated energy. With our nation’s grid facing a dire future due to data centers and Artificial Intelligence demands, states like California, New York and others are engaged in dangerous behavior.

This extremist energy path that Harris would have America take is the wrong one. In last week’s CNN interview she emphatically stated: “My values have not changed.”

So we’ll take that to mean she still supports a fracking ban, she still supports a multi-trillion dollar Green New Deal and she still supports an EV mandate.

Bottom line: Clean energy options are welcome to compete in a free market. But when policymakers push subsidies for costly, unreliable green energy, consumers ultimately pay the price.

Gas prices continue to decline, and that’s a good thing for everyone. The national average for a gallon of gasoline dropped another 6 cents over the past week and is now sitting at $3.29. That’s 51 cents less than it was a year ago! In addition, there are ten states where drivers are paying less than $3 on average.

Hearing On ESG: On Tuesday, September 10, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will have a hearing on “The Fall of ESG: Scrutinizing the Failed Use of Environmental, Social, & Governance Standards and the Influence of Proxy Advisors.”

Hearing On Biden-Harris Energy Agenda: On Wednesday, September 11, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate and Grid Security will have a hearing on “From Gas to Groceries: Americans Pay the Price of the Biden-Harris Energy Agenda.”

“There are so many other critical energy policies where the vice president’s perspective remains an open question … and that’s why we’re so eager to hear more detail and clarity around her overall vision for American energy.”

— Dustin Meyer, Head of policy at the American Petroleum Institute.