With the Senate confirmation of Jennifer Granholm as the new secretary of energy, President Biden’s top energy and environment advisers are now in place. Predictably, much attention is being paid to how his team will replace the previous administration’s energy independence and security agenda with a different model, one that appears to equate energy and infrastructure development solely with the negative effects of climate change and demands a transition to less reliable forms of energy production.
The lessons of the winter storm in Texas and the blackouts in California last summer will, I hope, serve as a cautionary tale as energy policies of the future are formed and implemented. Sadly, recent actions suggest lessons of the past will not have much influence within the Biden White House.
Less than 24 hours into his term, Biden halted construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which brings heavy crude oil into the United States from our great ally to the north, Canada. This singular decision eliminates thousands of jobs, jettisons a safe and environmentally friendly method of energy transportation, and reduces America’s energy security, as it will force many refineries in Texas and Louisiana to import more oil from the Middle East. In other words, Biden is pursuing the exact opposite of the strategy we used to avoid wars and bring energy independence.
Adopting this narrow and dangerous agenda ignores the myriad challenges our nation faces at the intersection of energy and national security. It also contradicts one of the founding mandates of the Department of Energy, which was to address insufficient U.S. energy supplies and the inherent national security challenges of relying on foreign sources of energy.
The Biden administration should build on the progress made under the Trump administration if it wants to ensure a safe and prosperous future for all Americans.
The top priority must be to continue producing U.S. energy. Over the past four years, the Department of Energy advanced a true all-of-the-above policy that leveraged all fuels and all technologies to enhance our energy and national security as well as hasten the transition to less carbon-intensive fuels by developing nations. Biden could show a pragmatic streak and adhere to that policy because of its domestic, economic, and foreign policy benefits.
America is now the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas. We are the second-largest producer of solar and wind energy. And in 2019, we produced the most energy from nuclear power in our nation’s history. Our world-leading production across all energy sources keeps costs down for families and businesses, creates jobs and supports communities, and provides the security of knowing the lights will come on when it gets dark.
Our incredible production, and the technology that facilitates it, allows us to export energy and expertise to countries around the world. That prevents the U.S. and our partners overseas from relying on precarious agreements with Russia or Middle Eastern nations while providing their citizens with precious energy reliability. And ultimately, our improved energy supply posture may reduce the need for current service members to be sent into harm’s way.
But these benefits can only be achieved when pursued together. Remove one, or several, of these sources from the foundation of our national energy strategy, and the house crumbles. Reduce fossil energy production and we send our country back to the 1970s: fuel shortages and sky-high prices. Fail to build infrastructure, and energy cannot be delivered to consumers. Move too quickly in the direction of 100% renewable energy and we risk transporting blackouts to every corner of the nation.
There is wide bipartisan agreement that a market-based transition toward cleaner, renewable forms of energy is good for our country and the environment. But we must also recognize that these energy technologies are still years, perhaps decades, away from providing energy at the scale necessary to provide constant, reliable power to communities. In the meantime, we must not turn our backs on the abundant supplies of natural resources that heat homes and power businesses from coast to coast.
With new presidential administrations come new policies. But what must always form the foundation of government action is the safety and security of the public, and energy policies are no different. The Department of Energy made significant progress in this area over the past four years and laid the groundwork for future success. I hope, for the good of the country, the Biden administration builds on that good work.
Dan Brouillette is the immediate former United States secretary of energy.
