Reliable energy is under attack

President
Joe Biden
has prioritized curbing the 
“existential”
 threat of climate change from day one. This pursuit of green energy, ranging from new fuel economy standards to stricter regulations on everyday household appliances, has created serious and immediate risks, such as tanking our economy and running out of electricity. 

 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Willie Phillips warned Congress earlier this year, “We face unprecedented challenges to the reliability of our nation’s electric system.” This warning comes on the heels of functioning power plants across the country retiring at record rates and faster than they can be replaced. To exacerbate the problem, the Environmental Protection Agency rolled out 
newly proposed
 regulations requiring nearly all coal and gas plants to cut or capture almost all carbon emissions by 2038 or face retirement. 

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These policies will only accelerate a dilemma that is growing more severe every day: reliable energy depletion. PJM, the largest regional transmission organization in the country in terms of consumers served, expects to lose 40 gigawatts of generation capacity by
 2030
 due to early retirements. For more context, one gigawatt is enough to power about 750,000 homes. This poses a grave challenge, as more than 
75%
 of America’s energy comes from oil, gas, and coal. 

While the administration has assured the public that the reliable energy we’re losing from gas and coal will be replaced with intermittent generation from wind and solar, how can we expect these renewable sources to serve as the bedrock of our energy grid? Remember, renewables only work when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing.

Of course, arguments for eliminating affordable and reliable energy sources that families all across the world rely on for renewables have long proven to be inadequate and are typically based in dramatic and factually devoid narratives about climate change.   

Almost every day, we see national politicians on environmental pedestals exaggerating heat index scores without acknowledging that the Earth is hardly melting into an inferno at the hands of the fossil fuel industry.

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But don’t expect the Biden administration to be candid about the
reality
that the planet-warming-related effects of fossil fuels save far more lives than they take. Despite the Left’s false claims and the media’s attempts to invalidate the facts, the No. 1 factor that saves lives from extreme heat, cold, and poverty is reliable and affordable sources of energy.

This does not mean we turn our backs on innovative and dynamic sources of energy or that we shouldn’t be good, reasonable stewards of the God-given gift given to us. But it does mean we need to ensure a stable energy grid and protect public health through a diverse energy portfolio that harnesses the power of coal, oil, gas, wind, and solar for the betterment of our country.

Todd Rokita is the attorney general of Indiana.