ENERGY

Shontel Brown and other progressives are waging an irrational war against fossil fuel. This war has destroyed energy independence. It has caused inflation. It has put national interests at risk. Instead of America selling energy to its international friends, it is buying energy from its international enemies.  Our country needs an “all of the above” approach to energy.  It should develop technologies for solar and wind sources.  It should encourage the improvement of battery technology.  It should pursue technologies for the use of hydrogen and nuclear sources of power.  But in the short run, it absolutely must cease demonizing fossil fuel.

I favor a free market approach that will unleash private companies from over regulation. That would lower the price of every product that uses oil. Here is a partial list of those products:

Solvents	Diesel fuel	Motor Oil	Bearing Grease
Ink	Floor Wax	Ballpoint Pens	Football Cleats
Upholstery	Sweaters	Boats	Insecticides
Bicycle Tires	Sports Car Bodies	Nail Polish	Fishing lures
Dresses	Tires	Golf Bags	Perfumes
Cassettes	Dishwasher parts	Toolboxes	Shoe Polish
Motorcycle Helmet	Caulking	Petroleum Jelly	Transparent Tape
CD Player	Faucet Washers	Antiseptics	Clothesline
Curtains	Food Preservatives	Basketballs	Soap
Vitamin Capsules	Antihistamines	Purses	Shoes
Dashboards	Cortisone	Deodorant	Footballs
Putty	Dyes	Panty Hose	Refrigerant
Percolators	Life Jackets	Rubbing Alcohol	Linings
Skis	TV Cabinets	Shag Rugs	Electrician’s Tape
Tool Racks	Car Battery Cases	Epoxy	Paint
Mops	Slacks	Insect Repellent	Oil Filters
Umbrellas	Yarn	Fertilizers	Hair Coloring
Roofing	Toilet Seats	Fishing Rods	Lipstick
Denture Adhesive	Linoleum	Ice Cube Trays	Synthetic Rubber
Speakers	Plastic Wood	Electric Blankets	Glycerin
Tennis Rackets	Rubber Cement	Fishing Boots	Dice
Nylon Rope	Candles	Trash Bags	House Paint
Water Pipes	Hand Lotion	Roller Skates	Surf Boards
Shampoo	Wheels	Paint Rollers	Shower Curtains
Guitar Strings	Luggage	Aspirin	Safety Glasses
Antifreeze	Football Helmets	Awnings	Eyeglasses
Clothes	Toothbrushes	Ice Chests	Footballs
Combs	CD’s & DVD’s	Paint Brushes	Detergents
Vaporizers	Balloons	Sunglasses	Tents
Heart Valves	Crayons	Parachutes	Telephones
Enamel	Pillows	Dishes	Cameras
Anesthetics	Artificial Turf	Artificial limbs	Bandages
Dentures	Model Cars	Folding Doors	Hair Curlers
Cold cream	Movie film	Soft Contact lenses	Drinking Cups
Fan Belts	Car Enamel	Shaving Cream	Ammonia
Refrigerators	Golf Balls	Toothpaste	Gasoline

Oil is used in even more products. It is used for construction materials. It is in kitchen items such as non-stick pans. Oil is in asphalt for our roads and plastics containers. This is why a war against oil makes no sense.

The progressive war against fossil fuels is a war against the American way of life. Increasing supply and reducing the cost of oil would lower the cost of so many products and services that inflation will decline. It will remove our national dependence on energy purchases from other countries. It will help foreign countries in Europe and elsewhere that need American support. It will penalize hostile oil producing countries such as Russia and Venezuela. And it will generate revenues to reduce the national debt. It would make the American economy boom once again. And it will make our lives much more pleasant.

American ingenuity has made our energy the cleanest in the world. It is much cleaner than coal and oil used in China and India. The way to address climate change concerns is to let the free market do what it does best – create and innovate. When that free market is ready, a transition away from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources certainly will happen. For instance, there already are major advances made in using plentiful hydrogen as a fuel of the future. If our country manages energy use in the short term, the future is bright.

Oil supplies are not what they could be. The Biden Administration has misled the public about why that is so. It claims plenty of drilling leases were issued. But it uses regulations to deny permits for actual drilling. It gives with one hand and takes away with the other. Oil companies understandably are reluctant to make major investments for exploration. They fear market insecurity because of these government actions. Congress needs members who will pressure not only for leasing, but also for exploration, permitting, and production. Shontel Brown would not be such a member. I would be.

Moreover, the Biden Administration actually has been abusing its legal authority, with no objection from Shontel Brown.  It has abused its authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act to wall off nearly 1.5 million acres of land from fossil-fuel development.  It has misused the Clean Air Act to shut down coal and gas power plants and ban gasoline-powered cars. It has ignored specific congressional commands to lease federal land for oil and gas drilling.  And it has delayed holding auctions for leases even after being ordered by a federal court to do so.  Not only are such actions detrimental to national security.  They are lawless.

Proposed H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act would have increased production and reformed permitting. Shontel Brown and other progressives voted against it. I would have supported it. This law would not have prevented transitions over time to wind, solar or nuclear power. It only would have recognized that in the short term, our country and our foreign allies urgently need more American fossil fuels. This law would have started a restoration of economic sanity.

The alternative that progressives like Shontel Brown advocate is more state control. She has announced that she wants to achieve “environmental justice.” Brown offers no definition how “justice” would be determined, or which unelected bureaucrats will determine it. There may be electric cars but few charging stations. There may be windmills that kill birds and do not operate when wind does not blow. There may be solar panels inactive on cloudy days. There may be no new nuclear plants to provide clean energy. And there definitely would be gasoline shortages. State control will cause major economic problems for most Americans.

And state control with Brown’s frankly socialist approach will cause other problems. Think Solyndra. That was the solar cell company which the Obama Administration heavily subsidized with a $535 million loan guarantee. It went broke and filed for bankruptcy. As this example shows, government does a bad job of picking winners. Private enterprise and the free market do a much better job of making economic success possible.

H.R. 21, the Strategic Production Response Act at least would have assured that the national Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) of oil would be available during any emergency. Use of the SPR by either political party for non-emergency or political purposes would be prohibited. In particular, H.R. 21 would have prevented the cynical sale of emergency supplies to lower gasoline prices in time for elections. The Biden Administration made just such sales in 2022. Shontel Brown voted against H.R. 21. I would have voted in favor of it. Hers was not a responsible position for a public official to take. It was a vote to put our country at risk in the event of a true emergency.

To complicate matters further, the Biden Administration announced plans to pause approvals for the export of liquid natural gas.  It effectively froze the approval process for new plants.  In doing so, it bowed to the demands of progressives like Shontel Brown.  This freeze will prevent other countries from transitioning away from their use of coal.  So, ironically, this freeze will be less environmentally friendly and not more.  It also will prevent better competition against countries like Russia and Iran.

Shontel Brown may be too young to remember the energy crisis of the 1980s, but I am not.  I recall a time when dependence on foreign sources put our country at serious risk.  Our country needs to use common sense today.  It must not repeat the errors of the past.  It must move away the craziness of the progressive energy war. There are problems but there also are solutions.  A transition to cleaner forms of energy is desired by everyone.  It just must be more gradual and better managed.