President Joe Biden lacks energy—and no, this isn’t another blockbuster about his age.
The president has yet to come up with a clear, comprehensive vision or rational strategy for energy development, security, and grid reliability. Biden’s lack of leadership threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of American energy workers, the economic well-being of utility payers, the stability of our power grid, and our national security in an increasingly chaotic world. .
As evidenced by the president’s recent State of the Union address, Biden has struggled to provide substantive arguments on energy policy.
Admittedly, there have been some cobbled together platitudes about “clean energy.” Biden talked about creating tens of thousands of “clean energy jobs,” a drop in the bucket compared to the nation’s workforce dedicated to mining and development.
in In Pennsylvania alone, 93,000 Residents work directly in the oil and gas industry. If you count the indirect jobs supported by these industries, that number jumps to about 424,000.
At best, Mr. Biden’s energy strategy is an unfortunate sprinkling of subpar initiatives, overregulation, and virtue signaling. So far, his plans consist of developing a hydrogen hub. No clean energy, no jobs), Power plants across the country will be closedfinancing defective electric bus We are investing heavily in mass transit systems and in “.environmental justice” Programming — all while turning our backs on the windmills of climate change alarm.
While Biden wastefully claims credit for reducing emissions, he also ignores the biggest driver of carbon reduction in the atmosphere: natural gas.
Gas generation amount from 2001 to 2022”more than doubled” Meanwhile, emissions from the U.S. power grid fell by 38 percent, according to the International Energy Agency. carbon briefsA research website funded by the European Climate Foundation (not exactly in the pockets of “Big Oil”) claims that our country’s large-scale transition to natural gas will be the “biggest” carbon reduction. “propulsive force”.
Despite these successes, Biden has announced a ban on exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG); Keystone XL pipeline cancellation.
Even Biden’s allies have criticized the incumbent leader for his job-killing efforts. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, staunch Democrats from Pennsylvania, pushed back on the LNG ban.
“If this decision jeopardizes energy jobs in Pennsylvania, we will urge the Biden administration to reverse this decision,” they said. Said In a joint statement.
The Washington Post, in a tone similar to Fox News, described Biden’s recent energy efforts as a “victory.”Political symbolism, not climate”
Biden’s energy strategy, or lack thereof, has real-world implications.
First of all, his efforts undermine his own plans.about 64 percent Of the United States’ LNG exports, it went to the European Union and the United Kingdom. Removing U.S. exports from this market would hinder U.S. allies and place them in the hands of authoritarian states and geopolitical rivals like Russia, one of the U.S.’s biggest competitors for LNG exports. You will have to push it. Given Biden’s ambitions and investments in Ukraine, this counterintuitive move will only further empower and embolden Putin’s government.
Additionally, American LNG burns cleaner.A study reveals American LNG Production decreased by 56% It emits more than EU coal. Biden’s LNG ban is likely to increase emissions rather than reduce them. Meanwhile, American voters are feeling the economic pinch from Biden’s energy policies. The amount spent by consumers in 2022 is Electricity bill increased by 14% Compared to 2021, this is more than double the 6% price increase over the same period. According to a survey, 62 percent of American households It was reported that the electricity bill had increased compared to the previous year.
Ignoring how energy policy affects consumers could be a political liability for Biden.recently vote A survey conducted by the Commonwealth Foundation found that 81 percent of Pennsylvania voters cited energy affordability as their top concern, and 67 percent were reluctant to pay more to combat climate change. If Biden wants to win re-election, he cannot afford to lose key battleground states like Pennsylvania, where the energy extraction industry reigns supreme.
Voters have not responded well to the anti-inflation legislation that Biden frequently touts. The New York Times called the bill “Biden’s signature climate change law” According to a Washington Post poll, 71 percent of voters They said they knew “little” or “nothing” about the law.
If Biden wants to remain in the White House, he better find the energy – and fast.
Andre Belliveau is senior energy policy manager at the Commonwealth Foundation, a free market think tank in Pennsylvania. Follow him on Twitter @TheRealBeliveau.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.
