The Undisputed Champion in America’s Energy Stack

• Check out TEA’s new website for the latest energy news and opinion, sorting Common Sense from the Nonsense.
• How a trade war could move American EVs out of reach.
• Opinion: No Trump is needed — the wind just blew it.
• Chevron begins oil and gas production off the Louisiana coast.
• Opinion: End the ‘Green New Scam’ loan machine.
• GOP support of carbon capture fractures in Louisiana, nationally.
• The US sets high tariffs on Southeast Asia’s solar panels.
• Zeldin says deregulatory actions won’t harm people or the environment.
• Colorado developers blame energy regulations for the decline in commercial projects.
• Interior plan slashes environmental review time to 1 month.
• New Yorkers would pay 2.5x market rate for Empire Wind One energy.

The issue: This opinion piece, authored by Heartland Institute President James Taylor, reinforces much of what The Empowerment Alliance has said for nearly six years. Two new analyses evaluated all competing electrical power sources and produced an affordable, reliable, clean scorecard.

Why it matters: One was published by Northwood University and the Mackinac Center, and the other by the public policy organization The Heartland Institute, which independently reached near-identical findings.

They conclude that natural gas is the most affordable, reliable, and clean electrical power source. Behind natural gas are nuclear, hydro, and coal. Lagging at the bottom of the affordability scorecard are wind and solar power.

Consider: Taylor clearly outlines the three principles’ importance, detailed in the studies:

First, affordability is necessary to ensure consumers can afford daily electricity. Second, reliability is required to guarantee that electricity is available whenever needed. Third, the environmental impact is crucial because we all want to be good stewards of our planet.

A few other points from the research are worth noting:

• Taxpayer subsidies hide a higher overall price for that wind power than quoted to the utility.
• Power sources that are available on demand (natural gas and coal) are far more valuable than power sources that are intermittent and unpredictable.
• Wind and solar are more problematic from a reliability perspective.
• Finally, clean air, water, open spaces, and species protection are essential for power generation and consumption.

Due to technological advances, coal and biomass produce significant emissions, though substantially less than in decades past. Natural gas produces some emissions, but is relatively clean-burning, and much closer to zero than they are to those of coal and biomass.

Bottom line: American Natural gas is THE gold standard for affordable, reliable, and clean electricity generation.

The issue: A Biden-era green energy project halted by President Trump relied on rushed, lousy science, one study found.

Why it matters: It took years for oil and gas permits to be approved, but renewables got fast-tracked in virtually no time. That’s what happens when extreme partisanship guides our energy policy.

Consider:

• Energy company Equinor was developing the Empire Wind Project, which was slated to see the construction of 147 offshore wind turbines off the New York and New Jersey coasts, but was halted by the Department of the Interior.
• It carried a hefty price tag: $5 billion of taxpayers’ money. Plus a new report from the NY Post claims Equinor was awarded a contract to charge ratepayers 2.5x the market rate for electricity generated by the wind farm.
• Thankfully, the Trump administration pumped the brakes. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said the project would remain stopped pending “further review of information that suggests the Biden administration rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis.”

Imagine that. Another in the endless list of green-at-any-cost projects that Biden and his team favored over more traditional — and sensible — sources of energy like natural gas.

And here’s the kicker: A review by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) appears to back up the Trump administration’s concerns.

The agency found that the Empire Wind approval process relied on rushed, outdated, and incomplete scientific and environmental analysis, leading to project leaders making decisions that were not based on the best available information.

But that hasn’t stopped New York Gov. Kathy Hochul from fighting Trump and the federal agency’s decision to protect nearly 1,700 acres of seabed from destruction. It seems like something an environmentally friendly state would support, right?

Remember, Biden tried this in Nantucket, Massachusetts. He failed there also, despite his claims on Earth Day 2022 that windmills are “pretty.”

Bottom line: Americans want affordable, reliable, clean energy. The Empire One wind project would’ve provided none of the above – the Trump admin was right to stop it.

Hearing On Deep-Sea Mining: On Tuesday, April 29, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will have a hearing on “Exploring the Potential of Deep-Sea Mining to Expand American Mineral Production.”

FERC Issues Collaborative Meeting: On Wednesday, April 30, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold the second public meeting of the Federal and State Current Issues Collaborative to explore issues relevant to FERC and state utility commissions.

Hearing On Pending Energy Nominations: On Wednesday, April 30, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will have a hearing on pending Department of Energy and Interior nominations.

Hearing On DOE Loan Program: On Wednesday, April 30, the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Energy will have a hearing on “Risky Business Part 2: The DOE Loan Guarantee Program.”

Hearing On Hydropower Development: On Wednesday, April 30, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will have a hearing on “Advancing Federal Water and Hydropower Development: A Stakeholder Perspective.”

“These variable, weather-dependent energy sources are heavily subsidized, which means there’s jobs to build those things in certain communities and politicians think that feels good. But at the end of the day, the result of them has been more expensive electricity, less reliable grid, and the continual outsourcing of energy intensive jobs out of our country. This is absolutely the wrong direction and President Trump got elected to stop that nonsense, bring back common sense.”

— Secretary of Energy Chris Wright on Fox Business.