Recent media coverage of rising gas prices reflects something more consequential than concern for energy affordability. It reveals a pattern of selective outrage and one meant to condition the American public to view any temporary cost associated with national security as politically unacceptable — especially under a Republican administration. This dynamic carries strategic consequences. It erodes trust, weakens institutional resilience, and reduces our country’s capacity to absorb short-term strain in pursuit of long-term stability.
During the Biden administration, gasoline prices <a href="https://www.wbur.org/npr/1084893419/gas-prices-surge-to-above-4-a-gallon-oil-russia-ukraine-antony-blinken">reached</a> historic and unsustainable levels, surpassing $5.00 per gallon in many parts of the country as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted global energy markets. The media’s coverage at the time was extensive, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/09/us/politics/fact-check-republicans-biden-gas.html">but they refused to blame then-President Biden</a> for foolishly tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in November 2021 ahead of the war. The dominant narrative emphasized structural forces, including global commodity markets, supply chain disruptions, and post-pandemic demand recovery outpacing supply. It was the former president’s climate policies, however, that inevitably invited energy insecurity.
Those explanations reflected the realities of energy economics. Energy markets respond to geopolitical shocks, and price volatility often follows disruptions to supply and transportation infrastructure. Public messaging from legacy media during that period <a href="https://time.com/6188569/gas-prices-oil/">emphasized patience while markets stabilized</a>.
Current coverage reflects a very different emphasis: It’s panicked, grim, and chaotic. The narrative is intended to guilt developed nations into <a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-wars-renewable-energy-asia-4b5fe0693ce5816472c905db85f7da6e">abandoning</a> “warmongering” oil and gas for “<a href="https://time.com/7358460/renewable-energy-peace-democracy-venezuela/">peaceful</a>” renewable energy to fight a so-called climate crisis, despite much of the world now <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/magazine/climate-politics-us-world-paris-agreement.html">prioritizing</a> energy security. The United Nations claims wind and solar energy, unlike oil and gas, will withstand closures in the Strait of Hormuz. Much to the UN’s chagrin, energy-importing nations that have adopted 100% renewable energy targets are planning to purchase <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-19/after-qatar-lng-plant-outage-more-buyers-turn-to-us-suppliers">American liquefied natural gas (LNG)</a> or <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/business/iran-war-lng-asia-japan.html">pivot back to coal</a> after Qatar’s LNG terminal closed down.
Price volatility is frequently presented as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/21/us/politics/gas-prices-republicans-affordability.html">evidence of policy failure</a> rather than as a predictable consequence of geopolitical risk. Rather than putting the temporary economic pressure as something that deserves perspective and patience, it is portrayed as a political liability that must be eliminated immediately. This framing amplifies anxiety while obscuring the strategic rationale behind national security decisions and the long-term expectation that energy prices will soon come back down. This isn’t 2022, with an administration that deliberately suppressed domestic energy production. The landscape is vastly different, and arguably more secure, with American energy dominance keeping prices relatively low here at home and coming to the rescue abroad.
That shift in emphasis by the media shapes public perception over time.
Research on public opinion during military operations <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2508.2007.00602.x">demonstrates</a> public support for national security decisions tracks the signals sent by major institutions.
Coverage that focuses primarily on risk, cost, and disruption encourages the public to conclude that action lacks justification. A sustained emphasis on negative consequences and downplaying the purpose and potential upsides contributes to declining confidence in leadership and reduced tolerance for continued engagement.
Over the long term, the media framing weakens our country and the public. A society that interprets every economic disruption as a disaster and evidence of fundamental failure becomes less willing to endure temporary hardship even when the alternative carries greater long-term risk and expense.
Trust declines gradually through accumulated inconsistency.
This erosion of trust carries implications beyond the current moment. A public conditioned to associate short-term economic disruption with failure will resist future decisions that require temporary sacrifice, regardless of the strategic stakes involved.
Public uncertainty about the necessity of current operations reflects an imbalance in how the rationale has been reinforced in public discourse. Policymakers have articulated the objective of degrading the capabilities of a regime that was developing advanced ballistic missile capabilities <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/iran-fires-missiles-remote-uk-us-base-claiming-long-range-capabilities-rcna264547">able to reach long distances</a>, unfettered <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/05/21/9-myths-about-irans-uranium-enrichment-program/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=23305160353&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADHXS9VYjLIExrfvz9Me63UlMpO7a&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwyYPOBhBxEiwAgpT8P611Ekse1TESk6d_oEGyl9DdHc8HDPOTawrLNLyStN8M33Drkse33BoCfyAQAvD_BwE">nuclear ambitions</a>, arms proxy forces <a href="https://www.cfr.org/articles/irans-regional-armed-network">across multiple theaters</a>, and uses <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-chokes-strait-hormuz-reported-2m-tanker-toll-regime-threatens-global-oil-supply">instability</a> to influence global energy markets.
The strategic logic rests on deterrence. Restoring deterrence imposes short-term costs but reduces the likelihood of sustained instability and higher long-term economic disruption – specifically global energy prices.
Coverage that concentrates on immediate economic consequences without sustained attention to strategic necessity leaves the public with incomplete information. That informational gap encourages apprehension and weakens support for popular actions that serve long-term security interests.
The United States has historically maintained security and prosperity by accepting temporary hardship when the stakes were explained clearly and consistently. Wartime rationing, economic sanctions, and military mobilization all required short-term sacrifice in service of larger objectives.
Public resilience depends on coherent communication from institutions and a shared understanding of the relationship between cost and purpose. That resilience weakens when the information environment frames disruption as avoidable and treats temporary hardship as evidence of failure.
Leadership requires the willingness to act despite short-term discomfort and to explain the reasons for that action clearly. Public resilience requires the willingness to endure temporary strain when the strategic rationale is understood.
Americans facing higher gas prices deserve transparency for what they are being asked to pay and the strategic purpose behind this ask from the media without bias. Clear explanation strengthens trust, supports resilience, and preserves the capacity to act decisively when national security requires it.
* * *
Meaghan Mobbs is director of Independent Women’s Center for American Safety and Security.
Gabriella Hoffman is director of Independent Women’s Center for Energy and Conservation.

California Gas Prices

Two Hits At The Pump — And What The Media Wants You To Forget

Affordable

Climate Change

Coal

Energy

Joe Biden

Oil and Gas

Opinion

Solar Power

President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed the Department of War to purchase electricity generated from coal plants, saying the move was necessary for national security and “American energy dominance.” 
“We&#8217;re going to be buying a lot of coal through the military now, and it&#8217;s going to be less expensive and actually much more effective than what we have been using for many, many years,” Trump said at a White House event Wednesday afternoon. &#8220;And again, with the environmental progress that&#8217;s been made on coal, it&#8217;s going to be just as clean.&#8221; 
Trump made the remarks before signing an executive order titled &#8220;Strengthening United States National Defense with America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Power Generation Fleet.” 
“The United States must ensure that our electric grid — upon which military installations, operations, and defense-industrial production depend — remains resilient and reliable, and not reliant on intermittent energy sources,” the executive order <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/02/strengthening-united-states-national-defense-with-americas-beautiful-clean-coal-power-generation-fleet/">said</a>. “Given our Nation’s vast coal resources and the proven reliability of our coal-fired generation fleet in providing continuous, on-demand baseload power, it is imperative that the Department of War (DOW) prioritize the preservation and strategic utilization of coal-based energy assets.”
The order directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Energy Secretary Chris Wright to approve power purchase agreements with coal-fired energy production facilities for War Department installations or other federal facilities. It states that priority should be given to projects that strengthen grid reliability, prevent blackouts, and enhance on-site fuel security.
According to the Energy Information Administration’s <a href="https://www.eia.gov/coal/annual/">2024 coal report</a>, coal production in the United States fell 11.3% from 2023 to 2024, while the number of operating coal mines declined from 560 to 524. Over the same period, American coal consumption dropped 3.5%. 
Since returning to office, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/end-the-government-bias-against-coal-trump-signs-order-to-bolster-floundering-american-industry">has taken</a> several steps to boost domestic coal production and use. He has signed executive orders designating coal as a critical mineral, expanding mining on federal lands, and repealing Biden administration regulations on coal-fired power plants. 
At the White House executive order signing on Wednesday, Trump was presented with the &#8220;Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal” award by Peabody Energy executive Jim Grech.

Trump Orders Pentagon To Buy Coal Power In Boost To Industry

Why Trump’s Energy Power Play Could Boost America’s National Security Edge

Trump Directs Military To Buy Coal To Bolster National Security And 'American Energy Dominance'

Department of Energy

Department of War

Donald Trump

Executive

Executive Orders

National Security

Politics

President Donald Trump took action on Tuesday to slash regulations and expedite leases for American coal mining, lending a hand to an industry that has been rocked by the push for so-called clean energy.
Appearing at the White House in front of a group of American coal miners, Trump signed the Defense Production Act, vowing to &#8220;end the government bias against coal&#8221; and &#8220;turbo charge coal mining in America.&#8221; Trump&#8217;s order comes as he seeks to boost American energy production and use tariffs as leverage to bring manufacturing and jobs to the United States.
&#8220;We&#8217;re slashing unnecessary regulations that targeted the beautiful clean coal,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;We will rapidly expedite leases for coal mining in federal lands &#8230; and we&#8217;ll streamline permitting. We will end the government bias against coal, and we&#8217;re going to unlock the sweeping authorities of the Defense Production Act.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We&#39;re slashing unnecessary regulations that targeted the beautiful clean coal. We will rapidly expedite leases for coal mining in federal lands&#8230; We&#39;ll streamline permitting, we will end the government bias against coal, and we&#39;re going to unlock the sweeping… <a href="https://t.co/aQHiBZDYVX">pic.twitter.com/aQHiBZDYVX</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1909702969387610154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump blasted leftist environmental policies accepted by the Biden administration that &#8220;killed jobs&#8221; and sent prices &#8220;soaring.&#8221; Last year, former President Joe Biden ended new leases for coal mining companies, arguing that coal leasing has major effects on human health and the climate, NPR <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/05/16/1251856806/biden-ending-new-leases-in-americas-top-coal-region" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;The Biden energy policy was to put America last &#8230; not a good policy. Under my administration, we&#8217;re putting America first,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;On my first day in office, I terminated the Green New Scam, I declared the National Energy Emergency and withdrew from the unfair, one-sided, and extremely costly to the United States only Paris Climate Accord.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: The Biden energy policy was to put America last&#8230; Under my administration, we&#39;re putting America FIRST. On my first day in office, I terminated the Green New Scam, I declared the National Energy Emergency and withdrew from the unfair, one-sided Paris Climate Accord. <a href="https://t.co/CLSz9aChU8">pic.twitter.com/CLSz9aChU8</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1909702546920554930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump&#8217;s move was praised by the National Mining Association, which called it &#8220;a stark shift from the prior administration’s punitive regulatory agenda, hostile energy policies and unlawful land grabs.”
The Trump administration has already been setting the stage for a renewed coal mining push as the Environmental Protection Agency began removing emissions and pollution restrictions on coal plant last month. The Trump administration also approved an expansion of a coal mine in Montana, and the Bureau of Land Management is looking into an emergency lease for coal mining in North Dakota, The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/04/08/coal-executive-orders-trump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
A core principle of Trump&#8217;s second-term agenda is expanding American energy production, a vision he regularly discussed on the campaign trail.
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to put the miners back to work,&#8221; Trump added on Tuesday. &#8220;I&#8217;ve said I was going to do this, and I&#8217;ve said it loud and clear, and it&#8217;s time to do it.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Today, we&#39;re taking historic action to help American workers, miners, families and consumers. We&#39;re ending Joe Biden&#39;s war on beautiful, clean coal once and for all&#8230; we&#39;re going to put the miners back to work.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/XSpoHkT11X">pic.twitter.com/XSpoHkT11X</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1909698786009432158?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
According to the Energy Information Administration, U.S. coal output dropped 32% between 2017 and 2024, and only around 175 coal plants still generate a significant amount of electricity in the United States. Wyoming is by far the <a href="https://profession.americangeosciences.org/society/intersections/faq/which-states-are-largest-producers-and-consumers-coal/#:~:text=Coal%20in%20the%20U.S.%20is,(Alaska%2C%20Arizona%2C%20Colorado%2C" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leading</a> producer of coal in the United States, followed by West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Kentucky. The coal industry has also suffered as America has moved to more natural gas production.

‘End The Government Bias Against Coal’: Trump Signs Order To Bolster Floundering American Industry

Trump Administration

In the debate over energy policy, the term &#8220;all of the above&#8221; has been heralded as a balanced, pragmatic strategy. But in reality, this approach is little more than a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) framework for energy — one that prioritizes political considerations over performance and efficiency. Just as DEI hiring initiatives emphasize inclusivity over merit-based selection, the &#8220;all of the above&#8221; energy policy forces taxpayers and ratepayers to subsidize inefficient energy sources under the guise of fairness and diversity in energy production.
This misguided philosophy has led to the proliferation of heavily subsidized and unreliable power generation, such as wind and solar, which fail to deliver power when it is needed most. These sources are not chosen based on their ability to provide cheap, reliable energy but rather on their alignment with politically driven mandates and green ideology. Despite the rhetoric of energy independence, the reality is that the expansion of these energy sources has increased our dependence on China for critical materials while simultaneously driving up electricity prices for American consumers. Ironically, while the U.S. is shackling its energy sector with expensive and inefficient mandates, China continues to dominate global energy markets by producing affordable power — largely fueled by coal.
The issue is not just limited to electricity generation. Biofuels, another beneficiary of the &#8220;all of the above&#8221; approach, serve as a prime example of government inefficiency. These fuels make gasoline and diesel more expensive, harm engine performance, and require massive amounts of water to produce. Rather than being an environmentally friendly alternative, biofuels epitomize waste — consuming resources and taxpayer dollars for minimal benefit.
Proponents of tax credits and subsidies argue that they create &#8220;good-paying jobs,&#8221; but this justification rings hollow. The same could be said of nearly any government-funded initiative, including federal bureaucracies that are now being exposed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for being inefficient and wasteful. Of course, by this logic, one could also argue that funding for male circumcision programs in Mozambique created &#8220;good-paying jobs&#8221; as well — just not ones that benefit the American workforce. President Trump highlighted this as an example of what he considers &#8220;appalling waste&#8221; in government spending, and yet the same defenders of bloated federal budgets will insist that all taxpayer-funded jobs are inherently valuable. Just because an industry is artificially propped up by government incentives does not mean it is economically viable. True job creation comes from industries that thrive on their own merits — not those that rely on perpetual government handouts.
A recent letter from members of Congress underscores this flawed thinking. It claims that tax credits are essential for energy affordability and national security, yet it ignores the fact that these subsidies distort markets and drive up costs. The argument that these tax incentives were promised for a ten-year period, and therefore should remain untouched, is nothing more than an attempt to lock in bad policy. If a program is wasteful and inefficient, it should be ended — regardless of previous commitments to corporate beneficiaries. The idea that repealing subsidies would cause an energy crisis is a scare tactic used to protect special interests rather than consumers.
True energy dominance does not come from a politically constructed mix of energy sources dictated by government planners. It comes from an energy sector that is free to compete based on cost, efficiency, and reliability. The &#8220;all of the above&#8221; approach is not a strategy — it is a crutch for failing energy policies that depend on taxpayer support to survive. If we are serious about unleashing American energy, we must reject this DEI-style approach and allow the best energy sources to rise based on merit — not mandates.
* * *
The Honorable Jason Isaac is the Founder and CEO of the American Energy Institute, a trade organization that unapologetically champions free markets and American energy. Previously, he served four terms in the Texas House of Representatives.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Wire.
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Why ‘All Of The Above’ Energy Policies Fail

Why 'All Of The Above' Energy Policies Fail

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Electricity

Eleven Republican attorneys general sued <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/blackrock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BlackRock</a> on Wednesday, alleging it had engaged in a conspiracy with other massive asset managers to constrict the market for coal.
Led by Texas, the attorneys general filed a <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/States%20v%20BlackRock%20Complaint%20Filed.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suit</a> on Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas alleging that BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street have worked together to push climate policies in order to artificially restrict the supply of coal. The states say that the financial giants, which <a href="https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2024-11-27/blackrock-state-street-vanguard-sued-by-republican-states-over-climate-accords" target="_blank" rel="noopener">control</a> around $26 trillion, have violated federal and state antitrust laws.
“Texas will not tolerate the illegal weaponization of the financial industry in service of a destructive, politicized ‘environmental’ agenda. BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street formed a cartel to rig the coal market, artificially reduce the energy supply, and raise prices,” <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-blackrock-state-street-and-vanguard-illegally-conspiring-manipulate">said</a> Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “Their conspiracy has harmed American energy production and hurt consumers. This is a stunning violation of State and federal law.”
The suit was joined by Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Wyoming. They argue that the asset managers have weaponized their holdings in coal companies to restrict the industry and raise prices.
“Defendants have leveraged their holdings and voting of shares to facilitate an output reduction scheme, which has artificially constrained the supply of coal, significantly diminished competition in the markets for coal, increased energy prices for American consumers, and produced cartel-level profits for Defendants,” the suit says.
“Competitive markets — not the dictates of far-flung asset managers — should determine the price Americans pay for electricity,” the Republican AGs added, saying that the companies pursued environmental, social, and governance policies that harmed investors&#8217; bottom line.
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Both State Street and BlackRock responded to the lawsuit by saying it was without merit.
&#8220;State Street acts in the long-term financial interests of investors with a focus on enhancing shareholder value. As long-term capital providers, we have a mutual interest in the long-term success of our portfolio companies. T​his lawsuit is baseless and look forward to presenting the facts through the legal process,&#8221; State Street said.
“BlackRock&#8217;s holdings in energy companies are regularly reviewed by federal and state regulators. We make these investments on behalf of our clients, and our focus is on delivering them financial returns,” the company told The Daily Wire.
“The suggestion that BlackRock has invested money in companies with the goal of harming those companies is baseless and defies common sense. This lawsuit undermines Texas&#8217; pro-business reputation and discourages investments in the companies consumers rely on,” it added.
BlackRock has long faced criticism from conservatives who have argued that it prioritizes leftist activism over customer benefit. The asset manager has been involved in climate-focused groups like the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, and Ceres.

Climate activists protest against fossil fuel use in New York

Republican AGs Sue BlackRock, Say It Has Conspired Against Coal Production

BlackRock

Ken Paxton

Social Issues

Texas

U.S.

Vanguard

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) on Monday will participate in a campaign event alongside the radical environmentalist group pushing to close the state&#8217;s largest coal plant.
The Sierra Club, a radical environmental group that pushes for the closure of &#8220;all U.S. coal plants,&#8221; will join Brown at a virtual phone bank sponsored by the Ohio Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign. Earlier this month the group, along with the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, sent a <a href="https://pestakeholder.org/news/pesp-sends-letters-to-blackstone-ecp-urging-gavin-plant-retirement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to Blackstone, the owner of the Gavin coal plant in southeast Ohio, demanding the coal plant be shut down.
&#8220;You cannot undo the damage from pollutants emitted during Blackstone’s nearly eight years of ownership of Gavin. But you have the opportunity to announce a retirement date of no later than 2028, which could lend Blackstone some credibility in its pledges of emissions reductions and an energy transition and avoid the perception that Blackstone is incapable of shepherding assets through an energy transition and is simply interested in passing the buck,&#8221; the letter read.
The Sierra Club&#8217;s &#8220;Beyond Coal Campaign&#8221; is seeking to replace &#8220;coal and gas with clean energy&#8221; by &#8220;retiring coal plants, preventing new fossil fuel plants from being built, and working to stop the expansion of fracked gas.&#8221;
Brown&#8217;s partnership with the Sierra Club could cause him problems as he navigates a close race against Republican Bernie Moreno in a state that has long relied on coal for energy and jobs. Brown has attempted to position himself as a moderate on energy, vowing that he &#8220;will not turn my back on Ohio’s rural electric co-ops, Ohio energy workers, and Ohio families whose energy bills are already too high.&#8221;
The Sierra Club officially <a href="https://www.sierraclubindependentaction.org/endorsements#OH" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> Brown, and <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/sierra-club/summary?id=D000000259" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gave</a> over $2,000 to his campaign this cycle.
Brown&#8217;s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The Sierra Club refers to the Gavin coal plant, which is the largest coal plant in Ohio, as &#8220;America&#8217;s deadliest coal plant.&#8221; Earlier this week, the group also launched an ad campaign calling on Blackstone to close the plant. The Gavin plant employs around 300 people, and energy experts <a href="https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/regulation/bidens-epa-likes-to-deny-permits/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warn</a> that closing coal plants, such as the one in Cheshire, Ohio, would &#8220;negatively impact the stability of the electric grid and power markets.&#8221;
Southeast Ohio has long relied on coal for energy and jobs, and Brown has uniquely positioned himself as a Democrat who opposes some of the Biden-Harris administration&#8217;s clean energy mandates for power plants. As the Environmental Protection Agency was seeking to implement new power plant emission rules earlier this year, Brown <a href="https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/sherrod-brown-will-vote-to-overturn-epa-power-plant-rule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the &#8220;unachievable rule &#8230; could undermine grid reliability, cause job losses for energy workers, and raise energy costs for Ohioans.&#8221; Brown has also vowed that he &#8220;will not turn my back on Ohio’s rural electric co-ops, Ohio energy workers, and Ohio families whose energy bills are already too high.&#8221;
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Energy has become a top issue of the 2024 presidential campaign, as former President Donald Trump is promising to ramp up U.S. drilling and fracking, adding that he wants to reduce Americans&#8217; energy costs by 50% in his first year back in office. The former president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-addressing-economic-woes-begins-with-one-issue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during a town hall event in Michigan earlier this month that reducing the cost of groceries begins with addressing high energy costs.
&#8220;We have to start always with energy,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;I don’t want to be boring about it, but there’s no bigger subject that covers everything. If you make donuts, if you make cars, whatever you make, energy is a big deal.&#8221;

Sherrod Brown

Ohio Dem Senator To Hold Event With Group Pushing To Close State’s Largest Coal Plant

Ohio Dem Senator To Hold Virtual Event With Group Pushing To Close State's Largest Coal Plant

2024 Election

Environmentalists

Ohio

U.S. Senate

Policymakers in the United States are focused on a <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">renewable energy</a> transition despite the geopolitical and economic risks that emerge from a lack of reliable and cheap <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">power</a> sources.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the supply chain bottlenecks that characterize the global economy following worldwide lockdown mandates have contributed to a rapid increase in worldwide energy prices. China has therefore <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-is-full-steam-ahead-with-new-coal-plants-as-the-west-goes-green" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> coal-fired power plant construction initiatives at six times the rate of every other nation combined, while Europe has reluctantly restarted operations at mothballed coal-fired plants amid the loss of fuel imports from Russia.
Members of the Biden administration, on the other hand, have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/energy-secretary-lays-out-the-only-way-to-avoid-high-gas-prices-and-its-not-producing-more-oil" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contended</a> that rising energy costs and supply shocks show that officials should accelerate a transition toward renewable sources. “The real truth is that as long as our nation remains overly reliant on oil and fossil fuels, we will feel these price shocks again,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said last year.
The phenomena have revealed a number of flaws with energy policy in Western nations, particularly the U.S., according to West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore.
“I think energy independence is of paramount concern. I&#8217;m sure the Europeans right now wish that they had that with their dependence on the Russians,” Moore told The Daily Wire. “In a country like Germany, now you&#8217;ve seen their utility rates go through the roof. They&#8217;ve put themselves in that position. We don&#8217;t want to be in that position.”
China has meanwhile surpassed both the European Union and the U.S. in terms of carbon emissions, according to <a href="https://www.c2es.org/content/international-emissions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the International Energy Agency. The largest share of new carbon emissions <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/worldwide-carbon-emissions-reached-highest-level-in-history-even-as-western-countries-spent-billions-on-green-policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arose</a> last year from the remainder of Asia, more than doubling the rise in emissions from the U.S. and canceling out emissions reductions in Europe.
Moore observed that aggressive renewable energy policies enacted in recent years by American lawmakers, including the $369 billion in climate funds approved by the Inflation Reduction Act last year, are incapable of neutralizing the higher emissions from the developing world. “Two-thirds of all the carbon emissions in the world are in Asia,” Moore said. “We are a raindrop in an ocean as it relates to this, so we&#8217;re chasing policy that is only at the end of the day hurting the average American citizen.”
Businesses in the U.S. have nevertheless struggled to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/blackrock-executive-grilled-by-texas-lawmakers-over-esg-and-climate-agendas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">access</a> capital for new projects related to fossil fuels, especially as investment banks and asset management companies adhere to the tenets of the environmental, social, and corporate governance movement, also known as ESG. Several financial institutions have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vanguard-drops-out-of-climate-initiative-as-reaction-against-woke-investing-continues" target="_blank" rel="noopener">committed</a> to initiatives under which executives vow to move portfolio companies toward eliminating net carbon emissions.
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Moore noted that West Virginia is at a mere 30% capacity with respect to natural gas production because there is insufficient pipeline infrastructure to export the material to global markets, even though the fuel burns cleaner than other fossil fuels. “We have an ocean of natural gas in West Virginia,” Moore said. “Everybody who loves Ukraine and wants to help and support the Europeans who were previously relying on Russian gas, we cannot export enough gas over to them because we cannot get the gas to ports.”
Beyond asserting that nations such as China are better equipped to mobilize their militaries and increase weapons manufacturing in the event of a global conflict due to their willingness to use fossil fuels, Moore noted that American energy policy has long overlooked the considerable “human flourishing” enabled by inexpensive and reliable power.
“Consistent and cheap energy is something that you obviously need. As it relates to energy in this country, we&#8217;re disarming ourselves unilaterally,” he commented. “All of this is just self-inflicted wounds that we have done to ourselves and tied our hands in our ability to be a net exporter and to support our allies. We are diminishing our own economic power and influence.”

Smoking Chimneys

‘Self-Inflicted Wounds’: The Dismal State Of American Energy Policy

The Dismal State Of American Energy Policy

Biden Administration

European Union

World

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a> approved the equivalent of two new large <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/coal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coal</a> plants each week last year even as the United States and other Western nations prioritized <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">renewable</a> energy.
As worldwide energy costs increase amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine and persistent supply chain bottlenecks, Chinese authorities approved 106 gigawatts of new coal power projects in 2022, more than quadrupling the 23 gigawatts approved in 2021, according to an <a href="https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/china-permits-two-new-coal-power-plants-per-week-in-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
“Coal power plant permitting, construction starts and new project announcements accelerated dramatically in China in 2022, with new permits reaching the highest level since 2015,” the clean energy organization said. “The coal power capacity starting construction in China was six times as large as that in all of the rest of the world combined.”
Developers in the United States have meanwhile transitioned away from coal: nearly one-quarter of the nation’s 201 gigawatts of coal power capacity is slated to be retired by 2029, according to <a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=54559#:~:text=As%20of%20September%202022%2C%20developers,fired%20capacity%20in%20the%20future." target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Energy Information Administration. Companies have not reported any future plans to construct new coal facilities as of September 2022.
The decline in coal power comes amid the increased prevalence of natural gas and incentives from the Biden administration to prioritize growth in the renewable energy sector. Some $369 billion in climate initiatives and subsidies were approved in the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-inflation-bill-raised-taxes-on-businesses-here-are-the-industries-that-will-suffer-the-most" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> into law last year to combat “the existential crisis of climate change.”
Other Western countries have likewise emphasized a transition toward renewable energy, a policy priority which has been tested by soaring power costs. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/european-union-intends-to-flatten-the-curve-for-electricity-use" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a> that low hydropower generation, which occurred as a result of low river capacity, is partially responsible for the heightened cost pressures across the continent, although she said the “effects of climate change” were to blame for the low water levels.
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Germany reverted last year to importing and burning coal as natural gas prices increased more than <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/back-to-the-dark-ages-tucker-carlson-details-europes-self-induced-energy-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tenfold</a> compared to normal levels, which followed Russia decreasing natural gas exports to the European Union. Other countries such as France and Spain have asked or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/french-president-calls-for-10-cut-in-energy-use-will-ration-power-as-a-last-resort" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mandated</a> residents to reduce energy consumption; the United Kingdom greenlit expensive <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/boris-johnson-out-as-british-prime-minister-successor-vows-to-solve-energy-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stimulus</a> measures to assist citizens with soaring electricity bills.
China was nevertheless responsible for 26.1% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions as of 2018, according to <a href="https://www.c2es.org/content/international-emissions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the International Energy Agency, surpassing the 13.4% of worldwide emissions produced by the United States and the 7.6% of worldwide emissions produced by members of the European Union. Skeptics of governments which encourage the renewable energy transition have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wall-street-journal-blasts-joe-biden-john-kerry-for-pushing-self-destructive-green-energy-policies-while-china-burns-more-coal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">observed</a> that higher emissions from China, as well as India and developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, are outpacing emissions declines in the West.
“Hundreds of brand-new coal power plants will make meeting China’s climate commitments more complicated and costly. The politically influential owners of the plants have an interest in protecting their assets and avoiding a rapid build-out of clean energy and a phase-out of coal,” the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air acknowledged. “The continued addition of new coal power capacity implies insufficient emphasis on overcoming the power system and power market constraints that perpetuate dependence on coal.”

China Orders Top Energy Firms to Secure Supplies at All Costs

China Is Full Steam Ahead With New Coal Plants As The West Goes Green

China Is Full Steam Ahead With New Coal Plants

A Kentucky coal miner featured in a viral Gameday video reflected on the role of fatherhood as he shared details about his family&#8217;s VIP treatment.
Michael McGuire, his wife and son were all invited for a VIP treatment at Rupp Arena after University of Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari spotted McGuire covered head to toe in coal sitting in the stands next to his son. The father had taken his kid to the annual Blue and White scrimmage in Pikeville a few weeks ago after getting off work.
At the time, Calipari noted that the image made him think of his own family roots and made a public VIP offer as he asked for help to find the man, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/basketball-coach-sees-familiar-site-of-coal-miner-and-son-in-stands-makes-public-vip-offer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported. Last week, the coach came through for the family.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Michael McGuire and his family getting the VIP treatment tonight at Rupp Arena. McGuire is the coal miner who Coach Calipari spotted in the crowd at the Blue and White scrimmage in Pikeville a few weeks ago. <a href="https://twitter.com/WHAS11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WHAS11</a> <a href="https://t.co/Xst1UiK4OU">pic.twitter.com/Xst1UiK4OU</a>
&mdash; Travis Breese (@tbreeseontv) <a href="https://twitter.com/tbreeseontv/status/1591240910376878080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
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After the game, a reporter asked McGuire about being a &#8220;super dad&#8221; following the viral image and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOJwDaiPXLc&amp;t=271s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coal miner said</a> it was about being there for your kid.
&#8220;Just doing what I always do,&#8221; McGuire responded. &#8220;Pretty much part of it. I&#8217;ve shown up at countless Pee Wee baseball games like that.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
My family’s American dream started in a Clarksburg, WV coal mine, so this picture hits home.
From what I’ve been told, after his shift, he raced to be with his son &amp; watch our team. Don’t know who this is, but I have tickets for him &amp; his family at Rupp to be treated as VIPs!! <a href="https://t.co/a5BJXUnK2v">pic.twitter.com/a5BJXUnK2v</a>
&mdash; John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachCalArk/status/1584557978631294978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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McGuire&#8217;s wife, Mollie, <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/viral-coal-miner-dad-vip-basketball-experience-fatherhoodc">called</a> the whole experience so touching after witnessing everyone&#8217;s kindness.
&#8220;That&#8217;s when it&#8217;s like, you know, we&#8217;re just a small Eastern Kentucky family,&#8221; Mollie shared. &#8220;Just to see how it&#8217;s touched everyone has been very touching for us and for Michael to see what it means just because he&#8217;s a good dad. And we reassure him that he&#8217;s appreciated all the time, but just all the kindness of everyone else has been very touching for us.&#8221;
In October, the Wildcats head coach of men&#8217;s basketball took to Twitter to share a photo of the young boy and a man covered in coal, which he said struck a chord with him harkening back to his family roots.
&#8220;My family&#8217;s American dream started in a Clarksburg, WV coal mine, so this picture hits home,&#8221; Calipari tweeted to his 1.5 million followers. From what I&#8217;ve been told, after his shift, he raced to be with his son &amp; watch our team. Don&#8217;t know who this is, but I have tickets for him &amp; his family at Rupp to be treated as VIPs!!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I’ve thought a lot today about my grandfather, who worked underground in the mine. I’ve also had the privilege to go underground with miners in KY and a comment stuck out to me: “We go down together and we come up together.” 
They work for each other. The ultimate teammates!!
&mdash; John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachCalArk/status/1584606931225759745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I&#8217;ve thought a lot today about my grandfather, who worked underground in the mine,&#8221; Calipari added in a follow-up tweet. &#8220;I&#8217;ve also had the privilege to go underground with miners in KY and a comment stuck out to me: &#8216;We go down together and we come up together.'&#8221;
&#8220;They work for each other,&#8221; he added. &#8220;The ultimate teammates!!&#8221;

Michael McGuire Kentucky Basketball-2

Coal Miner Featured In Viral Gameday Video Reflects On Fatherhood, VIP Treatment

College basketball

Fathers

General

Kentucky

Sports

University of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kentucky" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kentucky</a> Head Coach John Calipari spotted a familiar sight at a recent game when he saw a coal miner and his son in the stands and made a public VIP offer to them.
The Wildcats head coach of men&#8217;s basketball took to <a href="https://twitter.com/UKCoachCalipari/status/1584557978631294978?s=20&amp;t=-6LR7RgDtu3wUnZ26p91cA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> to share a photo of the young boy and a man covered in coal, which he said struck a chord with him harkening back to his family roots.
&#8220;My family&#8217;s American dream started in a Clarksburg, WV coal mine, so this picture hits home,&#8221; Calipari tweeted to his 1.5 million followers Monday.
&#8220;From what I&#8217;ve been told, after his shift, he raced to be with his son &amp; watch our team,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Don&#8217;t know who this is, but I have tickets for him &amp; his family at Rupp to be treated as VIPs!!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
My family’s American dream started in a Clarksburg, WV coal mine, so this picture hits home.
From what I’ve been told, after his shift, he raced to be with his son &amp; watch our team. Don’t know who this is, but I have tickets for him &amp; his family at Rupp to be treated as VIPs!! <a href="https://t.co/a5BJXUnK2v">pic.twitter.com/a5BJXUnK2v</a>
&mdash; John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachCalArk/status/1584557978631294978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Kentucky coach <a href="https://twitter.com/UKCoachCalipari/status/1584598084532961280?s=20&amp;t=-6LR7RgDtu3wUnZ26p91cA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">later shared</a> that the family has been located as he thanked everyone for their &#8220;incredible response to this. No one rallies like the #BBN!&#8221;
&#8220;We are looking forward to hosting [mcguire_mollie9], her husband Michael and their family at a game soon!!&#8221; the coach tweeted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Thank you everyone for your incredible response to this. No one rallies like the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BBN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BBN</a>!
We are looking forward to hosting <a href="https://twitter.com/mcguire_mollie9?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mcguire_mollie9</a>, her husband Michael and their family at a game soon!! <a href="https://t.co/2OpC5tkjag">https://t.co/2OpC5tkjag</a>
&mdash; John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachCalArk/status/1584598084532961280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I&#8217;ve thought a lot today about my grandfather, who worked underground in the mine,&#8221; Calipari added in a follow-up tweet. &#8220;I&#8217;ve also had the privilege to go underground with miners in KY and a comment stuck out to me: &#8216;We go down together and we come up together.’”
&#8220;They work for each other,&#8221; he added. &#8220;The ultimate teammates!!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I’ve thought a lot today about my grandfather, who worked underground in the mine. I’ve also had the privilege to go underground with miners in KY and a comment stuck out to me: “We go down together and we come up together.” 
They work for each other. The ultimate teammates!!
&mdash; John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachCalArk/status/1584606931225759745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It is unclear exactly which game the photo came from, but it seems safe to assume it&#8217;s from the Blue-White Game on Saturday, October 22, at the Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville, Kentucky. It was an intrasquad game where the White eked out a win against the Blue 70-67.
The proceeds from the game went toward fundraising efforts for Eastern Kentucky flood relief, as noted by <a href="https://www.kentucky.com/sports/college/kentucky-sports/uk-basketball-men/article266746831.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KentuckySports.com</a>.
In an earlier <a href="https://twitter.com/UKCoachCalipari/status/1584178327643832320?s=20&amp;t=-6LR7RgDtu3wUnZ26p91cA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a>, the coach made it clear he loves his job and is grateful for the fans who helped raise money for flood relief.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Work up very grateful this morning.
Grateful for this team.
Grateful for everyone I got to meet at the park yesterday who haven’t lost their spark or hope.
Grateful to the city of Pikeville.
Grateful to our fans who raised $160k for flood relief.
Grateful to be YOUR coach!! <a href="https://t.co/ryE4688AUZ">pic.twitter.com/ryE4688AUZ</a>
&mdash; John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachCalArk/status/1584178327643832320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Work up very grateful this morning,&#8221; Calipari tweeted. &#8220;Grateful for this team. Grateful for everyone I got to meet at the park yesterday who haven&#8217;t lost their spark or hope.&#8221;
&#8220;Grateful to the city of Pikeville,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Grateful to our fans who raised $160k for flood relief. Grateful to be YOUR coach!!&#8221;

John Calipari-2

Basketball Coach Sees Familiar Sight Of Coal Miner And Son In Stands, Makes Public VIP Offer

Basketball

The last <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/coal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coal</a> power plant in <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/hawaii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hawaii</a> ceased operations this week, meaning that the Aloha State is the first in the nation to execute a ban on the fossil fuel.
AES Corporation’s coal plant on the island of Oahu, which supplied one-fifth of residents’ electricity, closed on Thursday after 30 years of operation. Hawaii was also the first state to pass a requirement for a complete shift to <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">renewable energy</a> before 2045.
“It really is about reducing greenhouse gases,” Governor David Ige (D-HI) said in an <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-hawaii-david-ige-climate-and-environment-4bd398c024f1e5db2faad2dfb6510de0">interview</a> with the Associated Press. “And this coal facility is one of the largest emitters. Taking it offline means that we’ll stop the 1.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases that were emitted annually.”
The Hawaiian legislature passed a <a href="https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2020/bills/SB2629_HD1_.htm">law</a> two years ago banning the use of coal by 2023 in the interest of promoting “a swift transition to a clean energy economy.” At $0.276 per kilowatt-hour, Hawaii currently has the nation’s most expensive electricity, according to <a href="https://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/">data</a> from the Energy Information Administration.
State Senate Minority Leader Kurt Fevella (R) noted to the Associated Press that Hawaiian families are already “doing what is necessary” to cope with high prices. Yet AES Clean Energy President Leonardo Moreno told the outlet that “renewables are getting cheaper by the day.” He said he envisions “a future where energy is very, very cheap, abundant, and renewable.”
However, energy costs across the United States have increased precipitously over the past two years. The average price of electricity surged from $0.143 per kilowatt-hour in July 2021 to $0.160 per kilowatt-hour in July 2022, according to <a href="https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/data/averageenergyprices_selectedareas_table.htm">data</a> from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Several states have meanwhile overhauled their energy infrastructures to promote renewable power. The California Air Resources Board <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-expected-to-ban-sale-of-new-gas-cars">issued rules</a> last week requiring 35% of new vehicles to produce zero emissions by 2026 — a standard that will rise to a 68% benchmark by 2030 and a 100% level by 2035. The legislatures of Massachusetts, Washington, and Virginia have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/two-more-states-follow-californias-ban-on-new-gas-cars">passed</a> laws enforcing the standards approved by the agency.
Charging an electric vehicle requires twice as much annual energy usage as powering a refrigerator, according to <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/fact-994-september-11-2017-electric-vehicle-charging-consumes-less-energy">data</a> from the Department of Energy. Indeed, power authorities in California <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-extends-warning-for-residents-to-avoid-charging-electric-vehicles-as-available-power-supplies-tighten">issued and extended</a> an alert requesting that residents “avoid” charging electric vehicles as “available power supplies” tighten during a heat wave.
The White House has also encouraged <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/energy-secretary-lays-out-the-only-way-to-avoid-high-gas-prices-and-its-not-producing-more-oil">higher reliance</a> upon renewable sources as energy costs increase. The national average price of gasoline was $2.38 per gallon when President Joe Biden assumed office, according to <a href="https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&amp;s=EMM_EPMR_PTE_NUS_DPG&amp;f=W">data</a> from the Energy Information Administration, and increased to $3.53 per gallon by the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Prices surpassed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gas-prices">$5.00 per gallon</a> in early June before subsiding to $3.83 per gallon as of Thursday, according to <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">AAA</a>.
California is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-plan-to-shut-down-last-nuclear-plant-would-carry-severe-consequences-democrat-senator-warns">slated to close</a> the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, which is responsible for 8% of overall energy production and 17% of carbon-free energy in the Golden State. However, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-plan-to-shut-down-last-nuclear-plant-would-carry-severe-consequences-democrat-senator-warns">warned lawmakers</a> that the electric grid is not capable of handling the loss of the state’s last nuclear facility.
“California has some of the most ambitious clean energy mandates in the world,” Feinstein wrote in a letter to Democrat State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Democrat State Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins. “However, despite massive investments and commitment, development of non-emitting renewable energy resources like wind, solar, and geothermal are not projected to be installed in time to meet California’s energy demand without power from Diablo Canyon.”

Coal yard

State Becomes First To Shut Down All Its Coal Power Plants

Hawaii Closes Down Its Last Coal Power Plant

Hawaii

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese</a> energy authorities are burning more <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/coal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coal</a> as severe droughts affect the nation’s ability to generate <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">power</a> through hydroelectric dams.
The Yangtze River, which runs through much of the country and enters the East China Sea near Shanghai, has <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/23/economy/china-coal-reliance-heat-wave-intl-hnk/index.html">dried up</a> in parts amid the worst drought in six decades and has caused supply chain disruptions.
As hydroelectricity production fell 50% in the province of Sichuan, which provides 21% of China’s hydropower, Sichuan Coal Industry Group more than <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/23/economy/china-coal-reliance-heat-wave-intl-hnk/index.html">doubled</a> its coal production to nearly 15,000 metric tons per day, according to government-run news outlet <a href="https://sichuan.scol.com.cn/ggxw/202208/58592612.html">Sichuan Daily</a>.
Meanwhile, China has directed factories in Sichuan — a critical manufacturing region in which many Tesla suppliers operate — to <a href="https://fortune.com/2022/08/22/sichuan-china-heat-wave-tesla-supply-chain-disruption/">operate without power</a> until August 25. The American automaker is still recovering from a two-month lockdown in Shanghai that ground activity in the city of 26 million to a halt earlier this year.
Indeed, global supply chains are still grappling with the effects of lockdowns in Asian manufacturing economies that began in the spring of 2020. Low availability of consumer and industrial goods, including <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-signs-52-billion-semiconductor-bill-in-latest-push-to-fight-inflation">semiconductors</a> and computer chips, have since contributed to worldwide <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-claims-inflation-is-worse-everywhere-but-here-thats-not-even-close-to-true">inflationary pressures</a>.
Hydropower provided 18% of electricity resources in China in 2018, according to data from <a href="https://chineseclimatepolicy.energypolicy.columbia.edu/en/hydropower#:~:text=In%202018%2C%20hydropower%20accounted%20for,installed%20capacity%20of%2022.5%20GW.">Columbia University</a>. The Yangtze River is home to the Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric power facility in the world, while the Chinese government’s most recent Five-Year Plans have prioritized the development of more hydroelectricity resources.
The Chinese energy crisis occurs as the nation’s economy grapples with a collapse in the real estate market. Developers are <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chinese-real-estate-collapse-throws-economy-into-crisis">defaulting on obligations</a> as Chinese homebuyers, who often pay mortgages before builders finish their homes, are forced to take losses. Over half of household wealth in China is reportedly attributable to real estate.
In June, the <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/china/publication/china-economic-update-june-2022#:~:text=China%27s%20economy%20is%20projected%20to,the%20December%20China%20Economic%20Update.">World Bank</a> predicted that the Chinese economy will grow 4.3% in 2022 — a 0.8% downward revision from December estimates. “In the short term, China faces the dual challenge of balancing COVID-19 mitigation with supporting economic growth,” the international financial organization explained. “The government has stepped up macroeconomic policy easing with large public spending, tax rebates, policy rate cuts, and a more dovish stance on the property sector.”
Other developed economies are facing crises such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and resultant disruptions in energy supplies. Germany is experiencing elevated natural gas costs and recently unveiled a winter surcharge of 2.4 euro cents per kilowatt hour, according to state-funded news outlet <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/germany-sets-winter-gas-levy-amid-warnings-of-its-impact/a-62806667">Deutsche Welle</a>, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowing that the nation’s government is “working on a further relief package” and “will leave nobody alone with these increased costs.”
Germany, however, is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/germany-poised-to-shut-down-last-nuclear-plants-despite-gas-shortage-ahead-of-winter-months">poised to shutter</a> its three remaining nuclear power plants at the end of the year, as economy minister Robert Habeck said that reversing the planned shutdown would constitute the “wrong decision” given “how little we would save,” as the facilities would only account for 2% of gas use. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel greenlit the gradual closure of the nation’s nuclear plants following the 2011 nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Japan.
The average price of gasoline in the United States was $2.38 per gallon when President Joe Biden assumed office, according to the <a href="https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&amp;s=EMM_EPMR_PTE_NUS_DPG&amp;f=W">Energy Information Administration</a>, and increased to $3.53 per gallon by the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Prices surpassed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gas-prices">$5.00 per gallon</a> in early June before subsiding to $3.89 per gallon as of Tuesday, according to <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">AAA</a>.

Air Pollution from Chinese factory chimney

China Burns More Coal As Drought Cripples Hydropower System

China Burns More Coal As Drought Slows Hydropower Production, Closes Factories

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