14 Jun 2022 Biden Policies Promoting Energy Poverty

With no end in sight for rising consumer prices, the issue of energy poverty is a growing concern for Americans – and for billions of people across the globe.

Yet the green lobby and its allies in the government are enacting policies that are likely only to make suffering worse.

In a commentary published by RealClearEnergy, Project 21 member Derrick Hollie and Vijay Jayaraj of the CO2 Committee point out the folly of abandoning the “all of the above” approach to energy that characterized the Trump administration:

It makes no sense for governments to switch to intermittent renewables like wind and solar in the name of climate change, abandoning mainstay sources of petroleum and natural gas we still need. There is no backup solution other than fossil fuels and hydrocarbons to handle demand in real-time during peak hours.

Citing government data, Derrick notes that “about one in five households reported reducing or forgoing basic needs like food and medicine to pay an energy bill, and nearly one-third of U.S. households – 31% – reported facing a challenge in paying energy bills or sustaining adequate heating and cooling in their home.”

Yet “energy poverty is not formally recognized as a government concern,” Derrick points out. “This limits an effective response from local and federal authorities.”

And the risky gamble of alternative energy over traditional, reliable fossil fuels is even more perilous when it comes to developing countries:

It is important to address the need for more oil and gas, and not less. Any attempt to complicate global oil and gas needs ensures more widespread sickness and even death among the world’s least privileged.

Continued development of hydrocarbons are requisites for the sustenance of the poor. Without them, there is no cooking fuel for billions of people. Even a slight interruption of energy results in blackouts for more than a billion people every day.

“Even advanced economies like the United Kingdom and Germany are unable to cope with the power demand when renewables fail,” Derrick writes. “Why would developing countries fare any better?

And the blame for this can be squarely laid at the feet of liberals like Joe Biden:

Considering the current crisis, solutions to combat energy poverty should be at the forefront of every conversation and news report. Yet it is ignored.

To read all of the commentary by Derrick Hollie and Vijay Jayaraj – “’All of the Above’ Energy Policy Would Help Reduce Energy Poverty Here and Abroad” – click here.