Energy Policy Archives

Biden’s crazy rush to green energy will push us to endless blackouts

December 27, 2023 Mariel Alumit

The “rush-to-green” policies of the Biden administration and congressional Democrats are based on a false premise that intermittent power generation can meet energy demand in the United States. This belief, and its forced reliance on China […]

Biden’s energy plan means lights out for Africa

December 26, 2023 Stu Turley

Biden administration officials, including Vice President Kamala Harris, attended COP28 in the United Arab Emirates, where they pledged billions in taxpayer money to the Green Climate Fund. The Biden administration’s decision to impose oppressive, burdensome […]

Free Markets Can Drive Prosperity Up, Emissions Down

December 24, 2023 Stu Turley

International climate talks at COP28 can feel a little like Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity. Countries come to the table each year with similar requests and demands. Pledges are made to cut emissions, transition away […]

Daily Energy Standup Episode #276 – Weekly Recap: Market Shifts, Legal Showdowns, and Global Tensions

December 23, 2023 Andy Del Prado

Daily Standup Weekly Top Stories A Shale Oil CEO’s Second Act: Going Green December 17, 2023 Stu Turley For almost a decade, Tony Sanchez III was the epitome of a shale-boom CEO—furiously drilling oil wells, piling on debt […]

I’m not going to mince words here. By destroying America’s energy independence, the Biden Administration is directly making Black Americans more poor and less independent than ever. Since Biden's first day in office with the shutdown of the Keystone pipeline project and his ongoing war on a key pillar of our economy, we’ve all experienced skyrocketing energy costs that punish the very people he claims to care so much about. Just recently, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative hearing on H.R. 5482 the Energy Poverty Prevention and Accountability Act of 2023. Introduced by Rep. Harriett Hageman R-WY, the bill seeks to prevent energy poverty in America by increasing government transparency, identifying rules and regulations that prohibit equal access to affordable and reliable energy to at risk communities including low income, minority, rural, senior citizens, and Native Americans. Energy poverty occurs when individuals and families are unable to afford basic heating, electricity, and gas needs. High energy costs and the lack of energy services negatively impact a household’s well-being and limit opportunity. At risk communities are most often disproportionately affected by energy poverty. These inflationary pressures and the terrible consequences aren’t the result of a free market at work, but overzealous policy pushed by paternalistic lawmakers who think they know what’s best for everyone with a “one size fits all approach.” I have been working to expand awareness of energy poverty in America and was invited by the subcommittee to provide witness testimony in support of bill H.R. 5482. My passion for American energy is deeply rooted in my own story, stemming from my grandfather, who was a black coal miner in Southwest Virginia, and my time serving as a brakeman for Norfolk Southern Railways, where we transported coal and other natural resources here and abroad. Since 2019, I have had the opportunity to appear before Congress six times to give testimony on energy poverty and other related issues impacting communities struggling with rising energy costs. Energy is a fixed cost for small families and large enterprises alike, and we know when the price of energy increases, so does everything else. It costs more to drive, it impacts the cost of groceries, and most critically, come winter, it costs more to heat your home. Rising energy costs are making it harder or next to impossible for Black families to make ends meet. Tragically, the pause on new oil and gas leases on Federal land, and overregulation accompanied with an aggressive green agenda by the Biden Administration has many Americans experiencing energy poverty for the first time. There is no reason anyone in our country should be without affordable energy. The U.S. is abundantly rich in natural resources, including natural gas, petroleum, and coal. America is more capable than ever of providing affordable energy to its citizens. The U.S. was energy independent in 2019 for the first time in decades, producing more energy domestically than what we consumed. This, along with a booming shale industry, helped America overtake Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the top exporter of petroleum and natural gas globally. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), fossil fuels accounted for 81% of energy production in 2022. Renewables reached their highest production in 2022 and only accounted for 13% of all energy production. More figures from EIA show that renewables received $15.6 billion of subsidies in fiscal year 2022, compared to $3.6 billion for fossil fuels. Per the EIA report, renewable energy industries received nearly five times as much in federal subsidies than fossil fuels despite having minimal impact. Renewable projects are also very costly. New York state law now calls for 70% of electricity come from renewables by 2030. The Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACENY) told regulators in June, due to cost, “canceled or delayed projects would drastically derail the schedule for renewable development” and cause the state to miss its mandates under the law. Eliminating energy poverty should be a goal we all are interested in achieving. In working towards that goal, we need to be mindful of how environmental policies will impact the vulnerable communities that need our support. Radical environmentalists and the Biden Administration like to frame this as a fight against big energy, but all they are really doing is pushing Black Americans and other at-risk communities further into poverty. When the government creates policy, its priority should be the welfare of the people, especially those impacted the hardest. We need a market-oriented energy policy that will allow America to safely keep exploring and developing our own natural resources for a more secure and prosperous future for all Americans.

Republicans Hold Hearing ‘to Prevent Energy Poverty’ in America

December 22, 2023 Stu Turley

I’m not going to mince words here. By destroying America’s energy independence, the Biden Administration is directly making Black Americans more poor and less independent than ever. Since Biden’s first day in office with the […]

Biden Finally Picks A Side In The Big Clean Energy Fight Dividing Democrats

December 22, 2023 Stu Turley

The Biden administration sided with Senate climate hawks in one of the highest-stakes debates over the future of U.S. efforts to cut planet-heating emissions, announcing its long-awaited proposal on Friday for strict rules on production of […]

Decision looms on Duke Energy’s bid to use green tariffs to help comply with N.C. carbon law

December 22, 2023 Stu Turley

From corporate giants like Google to individual families, plenty of Duke Energy customers in North Carolina want to do their part in the transition to clean energy. But if the Charlotte-based utility’s proposed green […]

Biden’s 5-Year Offshore Oil and Gas Lease Plan Has the Fewest Sales Auctions Ever

December 21, 2023 Stu Turley

Key Takeaways 1. President Joe Biden has decided to have the fewest offshore oil and gas leases in history as he will only hold 3 over 5 years—far fewer than the 47 sales proposed by […]

Daily Energy Standup Episode #274 – Navigating Challenges and Strategies in Global Energy Dynamics

December 20, 2023 Andy Del Prado

Daily Standup Top Stories Energy Workforce: Biden’s Gulf of Mexico leasing auction “detrimental” to U.S. energy supply December 19, 2023 Mariel Alumit (WO) – Energy Workforce & Technology Council released the following statement rebuffing the newly […]

Energy Workforce: Biden’s Gulf of Mexico leasing auction “detrimental” to U.S. energy supply

December 19, 2023 Mariel Alumit

(WO) – Energy Workforce & Technology Council released the following statement rebuffing the newly finalized Department of Interior 2024–2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The program holds the fewest oil and gas […]