It is no secret that the Biden administration is committed to weening the U.S. off fossil fuels. From pledges of transitioning the American economy to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 to large investments in green technologies like solar and wind, the Biden administration has gone to great lengths to reduce carbon emissions. However, in its zeal to achieve its climate goals, the administration has often shown open hostility to oil and natural gas development that jeopardizes American energy security. Recent actions in Alaska are a case in point.
In April, President Biden announced over half of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), equal to 13.3 million acres, would be off-limits to oil and gas leasing. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule, which was first published last September, is allegedly designed to “balance extractive activities on public lands” with the need to “conserve important fish and wildlife habitat” and, in Biden’s words, “meet the urgency of the climate crisis.” However, the new rule will only undermine the preserve’s purpose and America’s ability to meet its growing energy needs.
Former President Warren Harding established the NPR-A in 1923 as an emergency energy source for the U.S. Navy. While management of the reserve was later transferred to BLM in 1976, as part of the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act, the government’s primary role in overseeing the land is to unlock its rich energy potential. Tapping the reserves’ estimated 3.6 billion barrels of oil and 8.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas should be a no-brainer for the administration, especially since energy development and environmental conservation aren’t mutually exclusive.
By all accounts, America’s energy needs continue to grow as the population increases and new energy-intensive industries such as artificial intelligence, crypto mining, and data centers demand greater amounts of power. The Energy and Information Administration projects that U.S. energy consumption will increase over the next 30 years, with energy demands expected to “outpace energy efficiency gains.” Unfortunately, America’s electrical grid is not currently prepared to handle this level of growth.
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Nate Scherer is a policy analyst with the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization. For more information about the Institute, visit us at www.TheAmericanConsumer.Org or follow us on X @ConsumerPal. This piece is exclusive to Broadband Breakfast.