Affordable Energy for our families

More Affordable Heating And Energy Costs Can Dramatically Affect American Families Trying To Stretch Their Budgets

A 2019 report from the Council of Economic Advisers found that price decreases that resulted from the American shale revolution have saved an average family of four $2,500 a year—that’s a $203 billion annual savings for U.S. consumers. (“The Value of U.S. Energy Innovation and Policies Supporting the Shale Revolution,” The Council of Economic Advisers, 10/19)

(“The Value of U.S. Energy Innovation and Policies Supporting the Shale Revolution,” The Council of Economic Advisers, 10/19)

A Census survey found that close to half of all households in the United States experienced at least some loss of employment income since March 2020, when the economic effects of the pandemic first became apparent. (“COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Household Employment and Income,” Congressional Research Service, Updated 11/9/20)

Even before Covid-19, 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and nearly 51 million American households don’t earn enough to afford a basic monthly budget. (Press Release, “Living Paycheck To Paycheck Is A Way Of Life For Majority Of U.S. Workers, According To New Careerbuilder Survey,” CareerBuilder, 8/24/17; Tami Luhby, “CNNMoney: Almost half of US families can’t afford basics like rent and food,” CNN Business, 5/18/18; “Alice: The Consequences Of Insufficient Household Income,” United Way Alice Project, 12/19/17)

In 2019, Nearly 48 million American households had an income of $4,275 or less a month. (“Household Income in 2019,” 2020 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Current Population Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, Accessed 11/20/20)

Natural Gas Helps American Save Money And Ensure Their Health And Welfare

According to Ron Williamson is the president of the Great Plains Public Policy Institute, “A staggering share of the U.S. population lives on the edge. Forty million Americans are unsure whether they’ll have enough money to buy food. As many as 40 percent of older adults sometimes fail to adhere to their prescription regimens due to cost concerns.” (Ron Williamson, Op-Ed, “Fracking Saves Low-Income Americans’ Lives,” The Orange County Register, 5/28/19)

• Williamson: “Even relatively minor changes in heating costs can dramatically affect these Americans’ health. A $20 per month fluctuation in utility bills could determine whether seniors can afford to refill a prescription or stock their pantries.” (Ron Williamson, Op-Ed, “Fracking Saves Low-Income Americans’ Lives,” The Orange County Register, 5/28/19)

A March 2019 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research concluded that “the drop in natural gas prices in the late 2000s, induced largely by the boom in shale gas production, averted 11,000 winter deaths per year” in the United States. (Janjala Chirakijja, Seema Jayachandran and Pinchuan Ong, “Inexpensive Heating Reduces Winter Mortality,” National Bureau Of Economic Research, 3/19)

A 2018 survey of low-income households revealed some of the impacts that high energy costs have on these household’s health and welfare:

• 41 percent went without medical or dental care.
• 36 percent went without food for at least one day.
• 31 percent did not fill a prescription or took less than the full dose of a prescribed medication in the past five years.
• 25 percent kept their home at a temperature that was unsafe or unhealthy.
• 17 percent moved in with friends or family.
• 6 percent moved into a shelter or were homeless. (2018 National Energy Assistance Survey Executive Summary, National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, 12/18)

Abundant Energy for Our Future

Natural Gas Powers America’s Energy Needs And Will Continue To For At Least The Next Century

Natural gas now powers over 30 percent of America’s total energy needs. (“U.S. energy facts explained,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, Updated 5/7/20)

Comparatively, renewable energy sources like wind and solar only power 11 percent America’s total energy needs. (“U.S. energy facts explained,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, Updated 5/7/20)

(“U.S. energy facts explained,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, Updated 5/7/20)

The U.S. has enough natural gas to power the nation for nearly a century—and the potential for even more. (“How Much Natural Gas Does The United States Have, And How Long Will It Last?,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, Updated 2/4/20)

Natural Gas Fuels Job Creation And A More Prosperous American Economy

The natural gas industry supports 4.1 million U.S. jobs. (“Natural Gas Act Offers Clear Pathway to American Energy Abundance,” American Gas Association, 2/5/20)

The natural gas industry has resulted in $121 billion in savings for U.S. businesses since 2009, allowing them to create even more jobs. (“Natural Gas Act Offers Clear Pathway to American Energy Abundance,” American Gas Association, 2/5/20)

Increases in U.S. oil and gas production help to fuel growth in U.S. manufacturing jobs. Over the last decade, the surge in production from the shale revolution has helped create 1.4 million new manufacturing jobs for Americans. (U.S. Energy Information Administration, Accessed 8/31/20; Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Accessed 8/31/20)

From 2013 to 2018, natural gas development generated $101 billion in real gross domestic product (GDP) growth each year, resulting in approximately 730,000 more jobs that contributed $87 billion more in annual disposable income. “Abundant natural gas has benefitted the nation’s economy. According to the National Association of Manufacturers, between 2013-2018, natural gas development generated $101 billion in real gross domestic product (GDP) growth each year, resulting in approximately 730,000 more American jobs that contributed $87 billion more in annual disposable income.” (American Gas Association, et al, Letter to Members of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, 2/3/20)

American Gas Association in a letter to congressional members: “Energy is the capacity to do work … Newfound energy abundance in the United States has driven sustained economic growth over the last decade.” “As organizations representing the natural gas value chain, we are writing to express our support for sound federal policy that facilitates the continued development of natural gas infrastructure. Energy is the capacity to do work. Without it, everything stops. When it is expensive, families spend and travel less. When it is unreliable, households, communities, and businesses cannot effectively plan. Newfound energy abundance in the United States has driven sustained economic growth over the last decade.” (American Gas Association, et al, Letter to Members of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, 2/3/20)

Domestic Energy for Our Security

Natural Gas Is Fueling America’s Energy Independence  

America has surpassed Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the world’s top producer of natural gas and oil largely because of the U.S. shale revolution. (“The U.S. Leads Global Petroleum And Natural Gas Production With Record Growth In 2018,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, 8/20/19; “What countries are the top producers and consumers of oil?,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, 12/1/20)

(“The U.S. Leads Global Petroleum And Natural Gas Production With Record Growth In 2018,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, 8/20/19)

From 2008 to 2018, the U.S. energy trade deficit was reduced by 87%, or $363 billion. (Nikos Tsafos, “Can Energy Close America’s Trade Deficit?,” Center For Strategic & International Studies, 7/10/18)

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz: “Energy security is national security. This has become abundantly clear during this pandemic, as we’ve watched our adversaries, and even our allies, work overtime to bankrupt America’s small independent energy companies.” (Sen. Ted Cruz, Op-Ed “Biden’s plan would undermine US energy independence,” Washington Examiner, 7/15/20)

Renewable Energy Relies On Rare Earth Metals That Set Back Our Energy Independence And Make Us Reliant On Untrustworthy Foreign Governments Like China

Rare earth metals are necessary to build batteries and other technologies for electric vehicles and renewable energy sources like, wind and solar power. (James MacDonald, “The Downside To Renewable Energy, JSTOR Daily, 5/6/19; “U.S. Dependence On China’s Rare Earth: Trade War Vulnerability,” Reuters, 6/27/19)

China has at least 85% of the world’s capacity to process rare earth ores into material manufacturers can use. “China is home to at least 85% of the world’s capacity to process rare earth ores into material manufacturers can use, according to research firm Adamas Intelligence.” (“U.S. Dependence On China’s Rare Earth: Trade War Vulnerability,” Reuters, 6/27/19)

Clean Energy for Our Environment

Natural Gas Is Helping The U.S. Preserve & Protect The Environment

The U.S. is enjoying its best air quality in the last half century or longer, thanks in part to increased use of natural gas. (“Our Nation’s Air,” Environmental Protection Agency, 2019)

The U.S. is leads the world in lowering carbon emissions, largely because of increased use of natural gas for electric generation. (Matti Rautkivi And Michael Levitin, “How The U.S. Became The Top Climate Leader — Despite Trump’s Denialism,” Time, 12/6/18; “BP Statistical Review of World Energy,” BP, 6/18)

(Mark Perry, “Chart Of The Day: In 2017, US Had Largest Decline In CO2 Emissions In The World For 9th Time This Century,” American Enterprise Institute, 7/12/18)

In 2017, the surge of natural gas for power generation helped the sector reach a 30-year low for carbon dioxide emissions. (Seth Whitehead, “Report: Power Sector Co2 Emissions At Lowest Levels Since 1988 — Thanks Largely To Natural Gas,” Energy In Depth, 4/4/18)

From 2005 to 2016, six major “criteria” pollutants declined significantly at the same time natural gas use has increased 25%. (“Our Nation’s Air: Air Quality Improves As America Grows, Status And Trends Through 2018,” Environmental Protection Agency, 6/19; “Natural Gas Consumption by Sector,” U. S. Energy Information Administration, 12/19; Seth Whitehead, “As Earth Day Nears, Latest Data Show U.S. Air Quality Continues To Improve, Thanks To Shale Gas, Energy In Depth, 4/19/18)

(Seth Whitehead, “As Earth Day Nears, Latest Data Show U.S. Air Quality Continues To Improve, Thanks To Shale Gas, Energy In Depth, 4/19/18)

While The U.S. Leads On Emission Reduction, Our Economy Grows

The U.S. has led the world on emission reductions at the same time as our economy has grown. (“Our Nation’s Air: Air Quality Improves As America Grows, Status And Trends Through 2018,” Environmental Protection Agency, 6/19)

(“Our Nation’s Air: Air Quality Improves As America Grows, Status And Trends Through 2018,” Environmental Protection Agency, 6/19)

Pollution From Other Nations Like China Set Back Our Environmental Accomplishments

Even though the U.S. is producing less air pollution, smog levels are still rising in the western U.S. because of pollutants released in Asian countries that then drift over the Pacific Ocean. (Bill Chappell, “Smog In Western U.S. Starts Out As Pollution In Asia, Researchers Say,” NPR, 3/3/17; Meiyun Lin et al, “US Surface Ozone Trends And Extremes From 1980 To 2014: Quantifying The Roles Of Rising Asian Emissions, Domestic Controls, Wildfires, And Climate,” Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 3/1/17)

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo—a major source of the rare earth mineral, cobalt—mines have been found to be unsafe and employ child labor. And, in China, mines have poisoned water and soil and caused “cancer villages” in impoverished areas. (Annie Kelly, “Apple and Google named in US lawsuit over Congolese child cobalt mining deaths,” The Guardian, 12/16/19; Alice Su, “The hidden costs of China’s rare-earth trade,” Los Angeles Times, 7/29/19)

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