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Opinion

Biden’s limits on fossil fuels will weaken US economy

Matthew Continetti Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
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The American public is split over President Joe Biden’s climate change initiatives. According to Pew Research, 49% say his policies are taking the country in the right direction, while 47% say otherwise. With Biden expected to spend over half a trillion dollars on climate technology and green energy over the next 10 years, the stakes are high. Straight Arrow News contributor Matt Continetti argues such expenditures will only end up harming the country.

President Biden’s biggest folly may turn out to be his green thumb. The progressive quest to eliminate fossil fuels and preside over a green energy transition will make America dependent, unstable, poorer, needier and weaker. Indeed, it already is doing so. Biden reentered the Paris Climate Agreement, he cancelled the Keystone pipeline. He stopped energy leasing on federal property. He suspended leases to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He spent hundreds of billions on green energy projects and last year’s bipartisan infrastructure deal and this year’s Inflation Reduction Act.

He wants to achieve a net zero economy by 2050. But there is a problem. You can’t achieve these goals without massively raising energy prices for everyday consumers. Sure enough, as gas prices went up over the course of his term, Biden attacked the oil giants, pleaded with OPEC to pump more oil, tried to make nice with autocracies of Venezuela and Iran, and brought the strategic petroleum reserves down to its lowest level since 1985.

If Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom have their way, in the coming decades, there won’t be any cars with combustion engines to fuel nuisance California offers a glimpse of the future. Not long after Golden State regulators announced a plan to forbid the sale of new gasoline powered cars by 2035, officials declared a state of emergency and warned of rolling blackouts.

As solar and wind energy displaces oil, gas and nuclear on the electric grid, consumers must reduce usage and prepare for the worst. To take pressure off the grid. Commuters won’t be able to charge their soon-to-be government mandated electric vehicles during peak hours. Stuck at home thanks to the clean energy economy. While you can always hitch a ride on a black market gas guzzler.

The goals, plans, and mandates of green energy zealots may seem abstract — their timetables may extend long into the future. But as the saying goes, the future is now.

President Biden’s biggest folly may turn out to be his green thumb. The progressive quest to eliminate fossil fuels and preside over a green energy transition will make America dependent, unstable, poor, needier and weaker. Indeed, it already is doing so. Biden reentered the Paris Climate Agreement, he cancelled the Keystone pipeline. He stopped energy leasing on federal property, he suspended leases to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He spent hundreds of billions on green energy projects and last year’s bipartisan infrastructure deal and this year’s inflation Reduction Act. He wants to achieve a net zero economy by 2050. But there is a problem. You can’t achieve these goals without massively raising energy prices for everyday consumers. Sure enough, as gas prices went up over the course of his term, Biden attack, the oil giants pleaded with OPEC to pump more oil tried to make nice with autocracies of Venezuela and Iran, and brought the strategic petroleum reserves down to its lowest level since 1985. If Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom have their way, in the coming decades, there won’t be any cars with combustion engines to fuel nuisance California offers a glimpse of the future. Not long after Golden State regulators announced a plan to forbid the sale of new gasoline powered cars by 2035. officials declared a state of emergency and warned of rolling blackouts. As solar and wind energy displaces oil, gas and nuclear on the electric grid. Consumers must reduce usage and prepare for the worst. To take pressure off the grid. Commuters won’t be able to charge their soon to be government mandated electric vehicles during peak hours, stuck at home thanks to the clean energy economy. While you can always hitch a ride on a black market gas guzzler. The goals plans and mandates of green energy zealots may seem abstract. Their timetables may extend long into the future. But as the saying goes, the future is now it cannot be a coincidence that California’s population declines as environmental and zoning regulations increased the price of energy and the cost of living. The top destination for Californians is Texas. While the Longhorn state has electric grid problems of its own, its authorities believe in cheap energy from every possible source. The Texas economy is growing along with its population. The same can’t be said of Europe. The continents climate solipsism is more acute than California’s is dilemma is therefore more serious. The push for green energy in the United Kingdom and in Europe, along with decades of anti nuclear paranoia in Germany has left millions dependent on natural gas supplied by Russia. In the 1970s, Arab and Iranian governments wielded the oil weapon to wreak havoc around the globe. In the 2020s. Russia uses the gas weapon to extort its neighbors find its war machine and threaten NATO with cut offs, price hikes, shortages, inflation, political instability, and deaths from bitter cold. The situation was not inevitable, but it was predictable. Europe’s vulnerability is a consequence of swearing off oil and gas and nuclear energy in the quixotic pursuit of environmental purity. The best thing President Biden could do for the American economy, the American worker and the world would be to drop his antipathy to carbon fuels, resume leasing on public lands and waters, approved pipelines. deregulate biofuels mandates to increase refinery capacity, make good on the promise of permitting reforms. Above all, finance the construction of as many nuclear plants as possible. Why cede energy dominance to hostile nations. It’s not the time to impose limits. It’s time to power up

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