Frank Lasee
Try to find out what year these news stories are from: “Reducing ammonia production in Antwerp and Ludwigshafen.” “Because natural gas prices are so high, UK fertilizer plants have to close.” “Diesel supply is short and prices are rising, so truck stops are being allocated.” You would be wrong if you said 2022. All of that dates from September 2021.
In fact, the energy crisis started at the end of last year, but has lasted for decades.
When you add in the excessive long-term investment in unreliable renewable energy sources, the closure of nuclear plants around the world following the Fukushima disaster, and the more than 50% decline in investment in oil and gas from 2014 to last year, from $700 billion to $300. billion, you have everything you need to start the global energy crisis.
Do not think that the United States is safe from the crisis. We have a lot of great resources at home, but we are moving towards Europe’s disastrous green policies. In the last few years, the United States has shut down nuclear and coal power plants too soon.
The fossil fuel industry doesn’t want to put money at risk by expanding as Democrats continue to threaten to destroy it. Since Truman, no president has leased less federal land for oil and gas. Worse still, most of the new electricity added to the grid comes from wind and solar, which are unreliable.
What does this mean? The energy and electricity industries in the United States are weak, fragile, and expensive. National Association of Energy Support Directors speak during the summer that one in six homes in the United States, or about 20 million, lags behind in their utility bills.
Since last year, electricity prices have increased by 233% in some parts of the country. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation has warned that power-off increasingly likely to occur in large parts of the country.
Don’t forget the northeast direction. Although the Marcellus Shale Formation is close to the mid-Atlantic states, the region has no natural gas pipeline from there because “green” policies have prevented them. Everyone in New Hampshire now pay twice as much electricity as they did before, and businesses have to pay three times as much. The rest of New England will soon follow.
But the United States is not necessarily the same as Europe. Instead of doubling down on the “energy transition,” the United States should stop being shocked by the harsh realities of the outside world and commit to energy realism. Our economy cannot continue to grow without energy.
What should we do?
First, more hydrocarbons are needed. Like it or not, fossil fuels provide 80% of our energy. We need to cut the red tape for permits so we can build more pipelines faster. We should also eliminate all taxes on carbon, which make our energy more expensive. And we need to give the fossil fuel industry more land for federal use. And get rid of the Renewable Fuel Standard, which is a waste of money.
Second, we have to release the atom. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has set extreme safety standards. The NRC approval process takes too long. It has to be changed so that it has less standards and clarity and a faster and less expensive approval process.
Third, we have to make our grid stronger. When built in bulk, wind and solar can run free on reliable power plants that can be called in at any time to keep the grid running. In addition, wind and solar often tend to stop producing electricity when it is needed most.
The Energy Information Administration said that as California was on the verge of a blackout, wind and solar power production had plummeted. After the sun goes down, natural gas steps in to save time during the day. It already provides more than half of the electricity needed. Oh, California imports 30% of their electricity.
With this plan, we must fight the green mob, who wrongly think that anything other than the wind and the sun is a threat to the existence of mankind. The choice must be clear: one path leads to freedom and abundance, while the other leads to tyranny, shortage and high prices.
We can live in a country where officials decide when we can use washers and dryers to save our underperforming infrastructure, or we can live in a country where that we are free to do what we want.
We’ve been down the first path for years, and the Inflation Reduction Act will make it worse: it makes us increasingly dependent on unreliable wind and solar power. sun, increased taxes on oil and gas, provided the EPA with virtually unlimited power to limit fossil fuel use, and completely omitted nuclear.
It’s not too late to go in a better direction.
Wind, solar, batteries, and now the “green” hydrogen route doesn’t make any sense because it’s extremely expensive, will make the grid even less reliable, and won’t change the weather. or climate, which is why these trillions of dollars are being wasted. And worst of all, it will limit our freedom to live the way we want.
It’s time for America’s pro-energy policies.
Frank Lasee is president of Truth about Energy and Climate. He is a former Wisconsin senator and a former member of Governor Scott Walker’s administration. The county he represents has two nuclear power plants, a biomass plant, and multiple wind towers. He has experience dealing with energy, environment and climate. See more from Frank at www.truthinenergyandclimate.com
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