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OPED: We Cannot Relaunch The War On American Energy

March 8, 2021
Editorial

All Americans deserve the peace of mind of having a safe, reliable energy supply, especially during the cold winter months. However, the arctic blast that swept across the Midwest and Great Plains left thousands of families facing disruptions in their power and utilities. This has raised an important debate on the future on American energy.

The energy policies proposed by the most liberal members of the Democratic Party demand a one-sided renewable approach, which will devastate millions of American workers. We are already seeing the initial consequences with the canceling of the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. President Biden’s executive order canceling the permit led to the immediate layoff of 1,000 workers and freezing of plans to hire an additional 10,000. These were good-paying union jobs that President Biden vowed to protect throughout his presidential campaign. This short-sighted decision is not only destroying thousands of jobs but will also hike energy costs and undermine American national security interests.

We cannot allow the relaunching of the war on America’s energy sector. The Trump Administration’s policies helped launch an energy revitalization. The United States became a net energy exporter for the first time since 1953 and was finally energy independent. Domestic energy prices were low and improving the quality of life for all Americans.

If President Biden and Congressional Democrats have their way, oil, gas, nuclear, and coal would be eliminated from the United States power grid by 2035. This ignores the pivotal role these energy sources play in baseload power. This move also would kill more than 10 million good-paying jobs supported by the energy industry, and middle-class families will face higher gasoline and energy prices while America is once again dependent on foreign countries for energy.

We need commonsense energy policies that acknowledge that baseload power matters and traditional energy sources are still essential. Any policy that ignores these realities will be prioritizing politics over the public good.

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Read the full op-ed published in The Wichita Eagle here

Issues:Agriculture