President Trump came out swinging on his first day, wasting no time declaring a national energy emergency in efforts to unleash “the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth.” Trump is running toward fossil fuels rather than away from them. The U.S. may be at record production levels, but so much more is needed as we face daunting challenges and unprecedented demand. This declaration will help shore up much-needed supplies.
Stifling oil and natural gas production while heavily focusing on alternate sources has placed unnecessary burdens on American consumers and businesses. Energy is the lifeblood of the economy; supplying the right sources to fuel our growing needs is critical to stability, well-being, and prosperity.
More than 80 percent of our energy consumption comes from fossil fuels, which are used to manufacture and transport goods all over the country, as well as fill the gas tanks of ordinary citizens just trying to work and tend to their families. This figure has not changed in decades nor will it in the foreseeable future. Curbing their utilization has only inflamed the enormous inflation rates painfully felt by millions of households, and increasing production levels will help alleviate some of these financial strains.
Trump has promised to open up drilling and pipelines and remove red tape. An emergency declaration would enable him to “unlock a variety of different authorities” that would allow the U.S. to build up natural resources. This authority includes waiving various environmental rules that have only created roadblocks.
The U.S. possesses extensive amounts of energy, with proved oil and natural gas reserves increasing every year. But years of red tape, restrictions, and policy have prevented fully extracting it.
With so much “liquid gold” under our feet, the U.S. can continue to rely on these essential resources for decades to come. What it can’t rely on is intermittent and weather-dependent renewable energy sources like wind and solar, which have been pushed by both federal and state elected officials. Not only have huge buildouts of these systems raised electricity rates but they have caused serious shortages when Americans needed energy most.
A national energy emergency will shift priorities to focus on reliability and affordability, not political agendas. Energy systems ought to serve the public and be in consumers’ best interests.
The reversal in priorities will certainly help an electric grid that is at risk of failure.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) 2024 Long-Term Reliability Assessment released in December indicates multiple regions across the U.S. are “likely to experience a shortfall in electricity supplies” during extreme weather events or even just at the peak of summer or winter. Renewables are not capable of handling a significant portion of America’s electricity needs. We need to get back to supplying our grid with energy sources that work.
Our grids are continually adding stress due to the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), which requires an enormous amount of electricity. The U.S. currently leads the world in AI development by a wide margin. But if we are to maintain our competitive edge, we need vast amounts of dependable energy to support the power-hungry data centers which house AI and are being built at a rapid pace. More natural gas extraction, with the eventual addition of nuclear power sources, is the only way to meet these colossal demands.
The infrastructure to shore up and maximize our oil and natural gas supplies has been in place for decades. We just need to utilize it.
The restrictive policies and regulations of the last few years have tightened energy supplies and resulted in raised prices on countless goods and services. Creating proper policies that provide abundant, affordable, and reliable energy to consumers and businesses is critical to economic strength and vitality. It is essential we expand our energy production to ensure national security and a stronger economy.
Kristen Walker is a policy analyst for the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization. For more information about the Institute, visit www.theamericanconsumer.org or follow us on Twitter @ConsumerPal.