Posted on 11/21/2022 9:22:04 PM PST by SeekAndFind
We’ve been covering the Biden energy crisis here for some time now, highlighting the various challenges facing the country in terms of keeping the lights on, keeping people’s homes heated in the winter, and generally keeping civilization humming along as you have a right to expect in a supposedly first-world nation. But pointing out shortcomings isn’t enough. There need to be concrete solutions put on the table and a willingness among the voters to demand action from the government. This week, one of the more comprehensive and coherent action plans to accomplish these goals landed on our collective doorstep and it’s being proposed by Power the Future.
Power the Future is an American energy advocacy and research organization that promotes solutions to energy-related crises currently facing the United States. In a report simply titled Energy Policy Roadmap, the group sets forth ten basic steps that President Joe Biden and/or Congress could begin taking immediately before we run out of diesel, experience more rolling blackouts, and all the rest of the very real threats America is facing because of the current destructive energy policies that are now in place.
Since coming to office in 2021, the Biden administration has unleashed a war on American energy. They’ve blocked projects, slowed permits, and implemented punishing regulations. The results have been catastrophic for America’s families, workers, and economy. The next Congress has the opportunity to undo some of that damage.
In this new report, Power the Future compiled an “Energy Policy Roadmap for 2023,” a roadmap that includes a top ten list of policies that, if enacted, can help reverse the destruction caused by Biden’s anti-energy Green New Deal. The list covers the entire energy supply chain, from production (upstream) to pipelines (midstream) to refineries (downstream)—and is designed to create and protect jobs, lower energy prices for consumers, strengthen energy security, and return energy independence to the United States.
Here is the bullet list, and every item on here could be put into motion tomorrow if Joe Biden has the will to take action or if the new Congress is willing to stand up to him and put corrective measures in place.
If any of those specific policies and trends don’t seem self-explanatory, you can get the details and definitions in the full report, which you can download here.
Even if you think it sounds “too simple” to undo much of what has been done over the past two years, that’s not the case. Many of the items listed are only in place because Joe Biden put them in place via executive action. He could undo many of those things with the stroke of a pen and without needing the cooperation of Congress. Other items may require some congressional action, but our elected officials are only supposedly in office to solve problems, right? Well, when it comes to energy policy we have plenty of problems for them to address and the clock is ticking.
So how long would it take for the government to make this happen? We asked Power The Future Western States Director Larry Behrens to give us an estimate. He pointed out that destruction can always happen more rapidly than construction, sadly. Some of these goals will take some time to achieve, but the possibility for rapid progress is still in play. He said, “Sadly, energy infrastructure can be cut off very quickly (Keystone XL for example) but it takes time to build it back up. I would offer a rough estimate that it would take well over a year, maybe more. However, when American energy workers are allowed to do their jobs without needless interference, they’ve been known to get the job done very quickly. ”
We’ve been trying to warn people about the coming blackouts since the spring. We are on the verge of a diesel shortage that could cripple the country and even CNBC described it as “a perfect storm.” And we brought all of this on ourselves through flawed government policies. These are self-inflicted wounds and this should not be a partisan issue. It’s going to impact everyone regardless of party politics. The United States has gone from being completely energy independent to the mess we’re observing now in barely three years. The situation could still be salvaged, but it’s going to take work. And the people in Washington are the ones who will have to put that hard work in or face the wrath of their citizens when we can no longer supply even their most basic energy needs.
They’ve done a crappy job. US crude and natural gas production are both up significantly since he took office.
Tell that to Deep State.
Oil is fungable. Drilling for oil in ANWR lowers the price everywhere by inceassng supply of crude. Econ 101.
Forgot build and make operational more nuclear power plants — the “clean, renewable energy” leftists won’t accept.
RE: US crude and natural gas production are both up significantly since he took office.
If this is so, can you explain to us the sharp increase in the price of gas from $2.75 ( in my area ) on January 2021 to $3.80 today? And it can’t just be the war in Ukraine, it was significantly up before February 2022.
Almost he entire world came back online after the pandemic, greatly increasing demand in a time when a lot of production had gone offline. Greater demand, higher prices.
Our crude output today is about 1 million barrels/day from it's all time peak. Adding a million barrels to the global production numbers isn't going to appreciably affect the price for crude.
Oil prices have dropped substantially this year, not because production has increased but because demand, and more importantly projected future demand, have dropped. Economists are projecting a global economic slowdown so oil prices drop.
That's also why US production has been slow to bounce back. It takes a huge amount of capital to crank up production and the payback is over years. Investors got burned the last time and aren't in any hurry to put money into a market where projected prices are dropping.
Regardless, it's simply a fact that our production is up since January 2021.
RE: Almost he entire world came back online after the pandemic, greatly increasing demand in a time when a lot of production had gone offline. Greater demand, higher prices.
That was true Long before Biden became President. I was already traveling on October 2020 and Italy and France ( where I traveled to ) were not shut down and everything looked normal then.
Now, WHAT IF the Keystone Pipeline was not stopped, drilling in the ANWR was not banned, and permits for additional drilling were not made more stringent, would the price of crude not be EVEN CHEAPER than they are now, and more supply would be available ? Or are you saying that it does not matter if Biden’s policies are in place, it has absolutely no effect on the price of oil and gas?
RE: prices have dropped substantially this year, not because production has increased but because demand, and more importantly projected future demand, have dropped
1. I am not seeing prices drop substantially this year. In fact, in my tri-state area, I’m seeing PRICE INCREASES even as I write this.
2. You said demand has dropped. How can that be when winter is here? Shouldn’t we expect demand to INCREASE instead?
RE: it’s simply a fact that our production is up since January 2021.
Yes it is, but how many barrels compared to the months before the Pandemic? If prices are to drop to a relatively affordable level, production should at least be at the November 2019 level.
Biden started it as soon as he was in office. He could fix it but it takes longer to start it up than it did to cripple it.
RE: He could fix it but it takes longer to start it up than it did to cripple it.
Better to start as soon as possible than to wait until things deteriorate further.
No, any additional production will have an impact but as I said, we're within 1 million barrels/day of our all time peak before the pandemic and that's not enough to have a big impact on global crude prices.
Oil demand went up very substantially in 2021.
Daily demand for crude oil worldwide from 2006 to 2020, with a forecast until 2026*
WTI crude was over $120/bbl as recently as June. Today it's $81/bbl.
You said demand has dropped. How can that be when winter is here? Shouldn’t we expect demand to INCREASE instead?
It's a global market and North American heating oil consumption doesn't make much of a dent, especially compared to the demands of summer driving season.
The consumption of heating oil has been in decline for decades.
What's having a much bigger impact on prices now is the projected global economic slowdown, especially with China still fighting Covid with lockdowns.
The operative words in the title are “If He Wants To.” No, he does not want to. He wants to destroy the United States. This guy will rot in hell and those who are making his decisions for him will do the same.
RE: WTI crude was over $120/bbl as recently as June. Today it’s $81/bbl
Actually we should be looking at average price per barrel over several months. Not just for last month or today.
Pre pandemic, when there was no recession and the economies of the world were normal, WTI was averaging less than $60/bbl. This year it is averaging over 30% MORE.
My heating oil and gas prices aren’t going down. It used to be $2.60 before the pandemic when the economy was at close to full employment. It is now $3.75 average in my tri state area. Over 40% more than before. If supply were catching up with demand, and with demand slowing down, I shouldn’t be seeing what I’m seeing IN MY CITY.
RE: Oil Demand went up substantially in 2021
But Oil PRODUCTION is STILL down compared to what it was pre pandemic.
At this time 2 years ago, we were producing over a million more barrels than we are today.
And if as you say, demand is projected to go higher in the next few years, it is argument to encourage MORE Oil production than our previous peak, not less.
Are we encouraging and supporting such increased production? Or are we doing the opposite?
RE: The consumption of heating oil has been in decline for decades
Of course. Heating by oil has increasingly been replaced by natural gas.
Small comfort. It’s not as if natural gas prices have not been increasing.
In fact, it’s even worse than oil. Price per BTU have DOUBLED compared to pre pandemic. Are we encouraging more or less fracking compared to the previous administration?
Of course, and I never said otherwise.
We were at a record pace before the pandemic but production all over the world collapsed when it hit. Because demand collapsed.
US production hasn't gotten quite back to that level but it has increased substantially, which was my sole initial point.
There are complex reasons why, and the regulatory environment is one, but the reluctance of the producers - and more importantly their investors - to plough big capital into more production has been a bigger one.
Companies are looking to reward long-suffering shareholders by nursing profits off of higher crude prices rather than asking for more money to put into speculative drilling when the projected future price isn't so high.
And if as you say, demand is projected to go higher in the next few years, it is argument to encourage MORE Oil production than our previous peak, not less.
Well, I didn't actually say that. I said demand jumped up after the pandemic but current forecasts are for it to soften as the global economy slows.
But if the oil producers think demand is going up they'll invest the money to increase production. That's the element that's been missing in the US.
Whatever we're doing, it's working. US natural gas production is all the way back and now at all-time record levels.
I'm not defending Biden's energy policy. I'm saying these are global markets and the other forces at play have had a much bigger impact on prices than our government has.
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