Articles

This article was originally published in the Washington Examiner.

By Representative Troy Balderson and Tim Tarpley

The COVID-19 pandemic showed us too much of the global supply chain runs through Communist China. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine showed us too many of our European allies rely on Russian energy. Time after time, global crises serve as stark reminders that relying on hostile actors for critical resources is a recipe for disaster.

For example, countries such as Germany have allowed their energy security to slip away and are now paying the price, powerless to decide their own future. 

Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Germany and much of the rest of Europe have become dependent on the United States' growing natural gas industry. Nations whose energy mix relied on Russian exports raced to divest from the Putin war machine, and President Joe Biden vowed to make sure we could provide them with what they needed.

This makes the Biden administration’s most recent decision to halt new liquefied natural gas exports even more perplexing and dangerous.

It is critical for the administration to change course, drop the hostile rhetoric toward domestic energy production, and embrace American energy dominance. The U.S. is blessed with abundant, reliable energy sources — enough to fuel domestic demand while also providing nations across the globe with clean, reliable energy. 

Domestically produced natural gas has become a cornerstone of America’s energy mix, creating thousands of high-paying jobs and helping curtail greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, according to the Energy Information Administration, the U.S. reduced emissions by more than 20% from 2005 to 2020, more than nearly any other nation in the world, while almost doubling our natural gas production. 

The impact in Ohio alone is remarkable. Natural gas has helped reduce carbon emissions from power generation by an astounding 38%, and a recent study found that the oil and gas industry contributed more than $55 billion to the Ohio economy in 2021.  

Pursuing an “all of the above approach” to energy consumption and using all available energy sources just makes sense. We must take every opportunity to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources and reduce our vulnerability to global supply chain disruptions. It’s not enough for us simply to meet energy demands. We need to be capable of providing energy that is both reliable and affordable. 

According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s most recent long-term reliability outlook, power demand in North America is growing at the fastest rate in 30 years. Over the next decade, peak summer demand will rise by over 79 gigawatts, while peak winter demand will increase by nearly 91 gigawatts. At the same time, an estimated 83 gigawatts of fossil fuels and nuclear power plants are expected to retire. To keep the lights on and avoid severe power disruptions in the future, we cannot allow policies that will force existing reliable generation into early retirement. 

Unfortunately, the Biden administration is actively working to add barriers to natural gas production and exportation. 

So, what must be done? First, as mentioned above, the Biden administration needs to reverse its dangerous decision to halt future LNG export projects. Second, the administration must withdraw its new methane regulations targeting American energy production and small natural gas producers. Third, Congress needs to act quickly on permitting reform, allowing for the construction of new energy infrastructure and reliable transportation of natural gas and other energy to all corners of our country from the basins where it is produced. And fourth, we need to make the necessary regulatory and policy changes to allow for a reliable electric grid to flourish, and the government should encourage natural gas-fired power generation to be a large part of this new reliable grid. 

Investing in American natural gas is essential for achieving energy security and severing dependence on hostile nations, and it is key for promoting economic growth and job creation. The future of American energy is right below our feet, and it’s time for our energy policy to reflect that fact.   

Rep. Troy Balderson has served Ohio’s 12th Congressional District since 2018. Tim Tarpley is president of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council, the national trade association for the global energy technology and services sector, representing more than 665,000 U.S. jobs in the technology-driven energy value chain. 

Click here to read the original article published by the Washington Examiner.