For the first time in 70 years, through the fracking boom in recent years, the U.S. attained energy independence status meaning we were no longer held hostage to unstable Petro-powers and the vagaries of foreign energy supplies. Under President Trump, America had a very aggressive pro-domestic energy policy, that allowed America to become not only energy independent, which politicians have talked about for decades, but energy dominant. For the first time since Harry Truman was president, we had more energy exports than imports.
In addition, fracking enabled the U.S. to boost its output of natural gas, with many major utilities now using the cheap, clean source of energy instead of coal and other major sources of carbon dioxide emissions. The result: the U.S. is one of the only major countries whose CO2 emissions are plunging, with output now at the lowest levels since 1985.
Under the Biden climate plan, America will be discouraging U.S. energy independence, starting with suspending Federal Oil and Gas Permits, encouraging the shuttering, and halting of further fracking efforts in America, and the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline. As a result, China just received an unwarranted gift of industrial and military advantage. America’s most serious competitor can now look forward to Canada’s oil flowing across the Pacific on tankers, rather than south to the U.S.A. via the safer, cleaner, and more efficient pipeline.
Biden knows that oil and gas are not just an American industry with its 135 refineries in the U.S but an international industry with more than 700 refineries worldwide that service the demands of the 8 billion living on earth.
The unintended consequences of Biden’s goal of getting rid of fossil fuels in America by 2050 is that it would result in importing the fuels and products from foreign locations that have significantly less stringent environmental controls. That plan will work, but with higher costs to the American consumer, and may put America at a national security risk with increased dependance on foreign countries for the products and fuels to support America’s economy.
With the Biden climate plan, America is about to regress from that energy independent status as we are about to join California and its dependency on foreign countries for its energy needs. Is Biden really excited about California being the only state in contiguous America that imports most of its crude oil energy demands from foreign country suppliers to meet the energy demands of the state. The Democratic platform loves California and wants to clone its policies and regulations for the other 49 states. Biden should open his eyes to what is going on in California, before cloning it for the other 49 states.
Read the rest of this piece at CFACT.org.
Ron Stein is an engineer who, drawing upon 25 years of project management and business development experience, launched PTS Advance in 1995. He is an author, engineer, and energy expert who writes frequently on issues of energy and economics.
Image credit: CEC energy.ca.gov.
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