We’ve talked a lot here about the terrible energy policy decisions we’ve seen from President Biden’s administration—blocking the Keystone XL pipeline, draining the strategic petroleum reserve, empowering China with his green-at-any-cost energy agenda. The list goes on.

So, in the spirit of Presidents Day, we at the Empowerment Alliance decided to look at some examples of good energy policy decisions from our Presidents—because there is a better way:

• The strategic petroleum reserve was established primarily under President Ford, following the 1973-74 OPEC oil embargo when it became apparent that America needed to rely on itself for energy and not untrustworthy foreign governments. The reserve was progressively filled during the administrations of President Carter and President Reagan.
• In his 2012 State of the Union address, President Obama called for an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that embraced the surge in natural gas production from shale. This support of increased use of natural gas drove over a decade of affordable energy for American families and businesses. And, in 2015, Obama signed off on ending 40 years of limits on U.S. crude oil exports, which helped reduce OPEC’s power and balance the U.S. trade deficit.
• Under President Trump, the U.S. surpassed Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the number one producer of oil in the world and maintained its status as the number one producer of natural gas. In 2019, for the first time in nearly 70 years, the U.S. became a net energy exporter.

We’ve said it before and this list of accomplishments leads us to say it again—energy is not a partisan issue. It’s an American issue.

Clean, affordable and reliable American energy makes American families stronger. It makes American businesses more productive. And, it keeps our country and our allies safe. Past presidents regardless of political affiliation have understood that. We need a return to leaders that make energy decisions that are best for Americans—and not just for their desperate political aspirations.

For more information about energy policy that shows true leadership, check out TEA’s Common Sense Energy Agenda.