14 Apr 2022 Rush to Green Renewables Won’t Bring U.S. Energy Independence, by Derrick Hollie

After the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the United States valiantly rose as an unchallenged global superpower holding a dominant position in influence, military, economy, and resources.

Derrick Hollie

The U.S. is abundantly rich in natural resources including natural gas and petroleum.

America is more capable than ever of providing affordable energy to its citizens.

The current energy crisis has Americans shocked by prices at the pump.

With increased energy costs, consumers are now having to make the inconceivable choice whether to pay their electric bill or buy groceries. Inflation is at 8.5% which is the highest it’s in 40 years causing a major spike in the price of goods and services.

Americans’ confidence continues to decline, with 83% of voters saying they’re experiencing some hardship due to increased prices on everyday items.

The increase in common household items like laundry detergent, toilet paper, deodorant, trash bags, and diapers has caused families to have less disposable income, which directly and adversely  impacts their overall quality of life.

Soaring prices at the gas pump continue to have negative impact on drivers’ pockets.

According to AAA, the national average for gasoline is $4.15 per gallon, a 70% increase over this time last year.

The latest U.S. Census bureau data shows a quarter of Americans reduced or skipped basic expenses such as food or medicine to pay an energy bill in the past year, and 1 out of 6 U.S. adults have been unable to pay the full amount of an energy bill in the last 12 months according to an analysis published by Help Advisor.

Experts agree that America’s energy crisis is self-inflicted and could have been avoided if not for the aggressive green agenda, restricting the petroleum and natural gas industry from producing and supplying the country with the valuable energy resources it needs.

Meanwhile, the pressure of extreme environmentalists and activists has caused the U.S. and other countries to prematurely rush toward promises of “green” renewables as they succumbed.

This has led to countries and regions including the European Union, Germany, and Italy to turn to Russia again for petroleum and natural gas from their heavy reliance on wind, solar and hydro. Such reliance is proving to be an insufficient match to provide the energy density needed at scale.

The United States was energy independent in 2019 for the first time in decades, producing more energy domestically than what we consume.

This along with a booming shale industry helped America to overtake Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the top exporter of petroleum and natural gas globally.

Understanding what’s at risk, energy independence is simply not enough.

America should strive for energy security with a long-term strategy, inclusive of a robust system allowing us to create and distribute energy through vital systems like reducing dependency on imports and increasing the availability of natural resources for consumption here at home.

Without energy security, manufacturing and the cost of goods and services become more expensive. Energy security means having systems and infrastructure in place that will provide affordable and reliable energy even during a crisis or shock to global markets, with resiliency to replace natural resources as needed.

Energy security would also provide the United States with another system to neutralize geopolitical risks and the ability to provide energy resources abroad when necessary to our allies through advanced technology and diplomacy.

Instead of sitting back emboldening Russia to dictate how the world responds to its hold on energy resources, the United States should assert its super power status and get back to leading with energy and policy that will provide energy security to America and regain access to an affordable, reliable and sustainable energy mix including petroleum, natural gas, and alternative energy and low-carbon solutions that meet the demands of domestic and global markets.

As this writer has said previously, we don’t have to accept less. We’ve experienced economic freedom and a better quality of life because of our abundance of affordable, reliable energy resources.

Project 21 member Derrick Hollie is president of Reaching America, an organization that addresses complex social issues impacting African-American communities. This was originally published by Newsmax.

New Visions Commentaries reflect the views of their author, and not necessarily those of Project 21, other Project 21 members, or the National Center for Public Policy Research, its board or staff.