<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pakistan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pakistan</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000008738334/pakistan-power-outage-blackout.html?playlistId=video/world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">experienced</a> a largescale <a href="https://sg.news.yahoo.com/pakistan-power-grid-hit-nationwide-043945570.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">power</a> <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2023/01/23/Pakistan-power-outage/5561674479393/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outage</a> on <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/lights-out-in-pakistan-as-energy-saving-move-backfires/2023/01/23/0b76a044-9af6-11ed-93e0-38551e88239c_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monday</a> morning, bringing to light problems with the country&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">electrical</a> grid.
<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-23/pakistan-faces-major-nationwide-power-breakdown-ministry-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Millions</a> of <a href="https://time.com/6249261/pakistan-power-outage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">people</a> <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/pakistan-power-outage-today-blackout-latest-b2267156.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">across</a> the <a href="https://kelo.com/2023/01/23/factbox-why-were-millions-of-pakistanis-without-electricity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">country</a> were <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pakistan-power-outage-today-blackout-energy-crisis-economic-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">without</a> power when a major <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/22/asia/pakistan-power-outage-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blackout</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/23/world/asia/pakistan-power-outage-blackouts.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">started</a> at 7:34 in the morning local time. Authorities said that the power was back on in areas of Islamabad, as well as the nearby city of Rawalpindi, after eight hours had gone by, according to The New York Times. 
According to reporting from Pakistani <a href="https://dbpedia.org/page/Dawn_Media_Group" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outlet</a> <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1733207/hours-after-major-outage-hits-pakistan-govt-says-power-restoration-under-way">Dawn</a>, the majority of the 220 million people who live in the country were impacted.
The blackout started in Sindh Province because of a power rush in voltage, according to local authorities. The energy minister, Khurram Dastgir Khan, said at a press conference that the voltage issue prompted a domino effect of electricity plants not working around Pakistan. 
Dastgir had also reportedly <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64369144" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that the situation was “not a major crisis,” but lots of residences and businesses did not have power over 12 hours after the outage started. 
He told Geo TV that some of the power was shut off during the night because of the winter season, per the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64369144" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC</a>.
“In winter, the demand for electricity reduces nationwide, hence, as an economic measure, we temporarily close down our power generation systems at night,&#8221; he said. 
However, when the systems were turned on again, &#8220;frequency variation and voltage fluctuation&#8221; were seen in the <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/pakistan-s-national-grid-fails-for-the-second-time-in-three-months-123012301409_1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">southern</a> part of the country &#8220;somewhere between Dadu and Jamshoro&#8221; and then &#8220;power generating units shut down one by one,” he said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also <a href="https://arynews.tv/pm-shehbaz-sharif-takes-notice-of-countrywide-power-break-down/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">established</a> a high level group to look into the massive blackout.
Even though areas started to see electricity come back on, per Dastgir, experts have <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-suffers-major-power-outage-after-grid-failure-2023-01-23/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the electric issues come from the fact that the electric grid is older. The government, however, reportedly claims that it doesn’t have the money to improve it.
In 2020, Prime Minister Imran Khan <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-energy-climate-change-featur/pakistan-faces-an-unexpected-dilemma-too-much-electricity-idUSKBN2AO27C" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that 60% of the country&#8217;s electricity would be made from renewable energy by 2030.
The electrical grid in the country has been a source of problems over the past several years. According to a 2018 blog <a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/endpovertyinsouthasia/what-s-keeping-pakistan-dark" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> for the World Bank regarding the <a href="https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/30923/9781464811548.pdf?sequence=8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>, &#8220;In the Dark,&#8221; almost 50 million people in Pakistan weren’t able to utilize the electric grid. Pakistan also came in 115th place in a 2018 report on 137 economies’ power reliability. 
In 2021, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-energy-climate-change-featur/pakistan-faces-an-unexpected-dilemma-too-much-electricity-idUSKBN2AO27C" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on a new issue in the country, in that it could make much more electricity than it had been able to in the past, mainly due to an increase in coal plants that China has paid for. 
&#8220;We have been adding capacity, but we have been doing so without improving transmission infrastructure,&#8221; Fahad Rauf, leader of research at Karachi brokerage Ismail Iqbal Industries, said more recently, per <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-suffers-major-power-outage-after-grid-failure-2023-01-23/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>.

7803F027-9103-415D-979D-24C8C88493EA_1_201_a

Report: Tens Of Millions Experience Major Blackout In Pakistan

Energy

Pakistan

Power

World

Former Vice President <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/al-gore" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Al Gore</a> ranted about <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climate change</a> during the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/world-economic-forum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Economic Forum</a> in Davos, Switzerland, and condemned the purported detainment of activist <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/greta-thunberg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greta Thunberg</a>.
The former Democratic presidential candidate said in an impassioned <a href="https://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2023/sessions/leading-the-charge-through-earths-new-normal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jeremiad</a> at the conference that carbon emissions are raising the temperature of the troposphere, the part of the atmosphere that contains oxygen, to an unsustainable degree. He claimed that increased emissions are linked to extreme weather events and the apparent boiling of the oceans.
“We’re still putting 162 million tons into it every single day, and the accumulated amount is now trapping as much extra heat as would be released by 600,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs exploding every single day on the Earth,” he remarked. “That’s what’s boiling the oceans, creating these atmospheric rivers, and the rain bombs, and sucking the moisture out of the land, and creating the droughts, and melting the ice, and raising the sea level, and causing these waves of climate refugees predicted to reach one billion in this century.”
Gore also repeated his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-may-try-to-fire-world-bank-president-for-not-pushing-climate-policy-enough-possible-replacement-chimes-in-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assertion</a> that World Bank President David Malpass, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, is a “climate denier” who pursues environmental policies with insufficient zeal. The accusation last year followed speculation that President Joe Biden would select Gore to serve as the next leader of the international financial institution.
“We are not winning. The crisis is still getting worse faster than we are deploying these solutions, and we need to make changes quickly,” Gore continued. “Emissions are still going up. All these promises of the last few years to cut emissions, emissions are still going up. When are going to bring these emissions down?”
Gore, who served during the administration of former President Bill Clinton, also condemned the purported detainment of Greta Thunberg after she and other activists protested the expansion of a coal mine in Germany. The 20-year-old was initially <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-police-detain-greta-thunberg-at-anti-energy-protest-she-smiles-while-getting-hauled-away" target="_blank" rel="noopener">photographed</a> smiling as German police picked her up and carried her away; video later emerged showing the police effectively allowing the media to take pictures and film Thunberg before they removed her from the area, sparking <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-video-of-greta-thunbergs-detention-sparks-allegations-of-a-staged-incident" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accusations</a> that the detainment was a publicity stunt.
“We’ve heard about divides at this conference between the north and south, and the east and west. There’s another divide, increasingly, between those who are old enough to be in positions of power and the young people of this world. Greta Thunberg was just arrested in Germany. I agree with her efforts to stop that coal mine,” Gore continued. “Young people around the world are looking at what we’re doing.”
Climate policy has been a preeminent theme at this year’s World Economic Forum conference even as the Russian invasion of Ukraine bottlenecks worldwide energy supplies. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen <a href="https://www.weforum.org/press/2023/01/ec-president-von-der-leyen-outlines-vision-for-strong-united-europe-in-face-of-war-and-climate-perils" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affirmed</a> during her remarks that “Europe will always stand with the Ukrainian people” and commented that policymakers would still endeavor to “reach net zero” carbon emissions despite the energy shortfalls.
World Economic Forum Chair Klaus Schwab, who has led the controversial organization for decades, cited the worldwide “transition” toward renewable energy in his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/klaus-schwab-tells-world-economic-forum-that-global-challenges-are-catalysts-for-economic-transformation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opening address</a>. The German economist garnered notoriety for suggesting that the lockdown-induced recession was an opportunity for elites to craft a “Great Reset” of the world’s economic and social systems.

Former US Vice President Al Gore speaks

‘Boiling The Oceans’: Al Gore Goes On Unhinged Climate Rant, Condemns Detainment Of Greta Thunberg

Al Gore Goes On Unhinged Climate Rant, Condemns Detainment Of Greta Thunberg

Al Gore

Climate Change

Greta Thunberg

World Economic Forum

The Republican-led House passed on Thursday legislation banning the United States from selling and exporting crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/communist-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a>.
More than 100 Democrats joined their GOP counterparts, who raised concerns last year about the Biden administration selling <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/comer-mace-bidens-sale-of-u-s-oil-reserves-to-china-may-support-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nearly a million barrels</a> from the reserve to a Chinese state-controlled crude giant.
The final tally for the &#8220;Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act&#8221; was 331-97. Six members did not vote, <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202331" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the House clerk</a>. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), who introduced the bill, <a href="https://mcmorris.house.gov/posts/mcmorris-rodgers-leads-passage-of-h-r-22-to-prevent-the-sale-of-spr-oil-to-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called it</a> &#8220;one of the most bipartisan votes on an energy bill in many years and multiple congresses.&#8221;
Despite receiving support from both sides of the aisle, the bill is not expected to be taken up by the Senate under the leadership of the Democrats, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-votes-ban-sales-strategic-petroleum-reserve-china/story?id=96397178" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to ABC News</a>. Still, the vote Thursday was one of two bipartisan acts focused on Beijing during this fledgling session of Congress under the leadership of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), following a vote Tuesday in which <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202326" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nearly 150 Democrats joined Republicans</a> to establish the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.
<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/22/text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Under the legislation</a> passed Thursday, the energy secretary, &#8220;[n]otwithstanding any other provision of law,&#8221; is prohibited from drawing down or selling petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve &#8220;to any entity that is under the ownership, control, or influence of&#8221; China&#8217;s Communist Party &#8220;except on the condition that such petroleum products will not be exported to the People’s Republic of China.&#8221;
According to the <a href="https://www.energy.gov/ceser/strategic-petroleum-reserve" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Energy Department website</a>, the SPR is &#8220;the world&#8217;s largest supply of emergency crude oil … established primarily to reduce the impact of disruptions in supplies of petroleum products and to carry out obligations of the United States under the international energy program.&#8221;
As part of a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/10/18/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-announce-new-actions-to-strengthen-u-s-energy-security-encourage-production-and-bring-down-costs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">180-million-barrell drawdown</a> through which the government sought to stabilize global oil markets and <a href="https://rollcall.com/2022/10/19/biden-to-announce-more-oil-reserve-sales-to-reduce-gas-prices/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">combat rising gasoline prices</a>, the Biden administration announced in July 2022 a number of contracts for the purchase of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Among those contracts to 14 companies was one for about 950,000 barrels awarded to Unipec America, a subsidiary of Communist Party-owned Sinopec Corp.
<a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-contract-awards-additional-crude-oil-sales-strategic-petroleum-reserve" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Energy Department said</a> these sales were meant to &#8220;address the significant global supply disruption caused by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war on Ukraine, act as a bridge for domestic production to increase, and help stabilize volatile energy costs for American families.&#8221; But in a letter sent a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, House Republicans <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/comer-mace-bidens-sale-of-u-s-oil-reserves-to-china-may-support-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised concerns</a> about U.S. oil possibly being used by China to support Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine and warned of the potential for Hunter Biden, the president&#8217;s adult son, receiving money from the deal because of the <a href="https://freebeacon.com/national-security/how-chinese-companies-linked-to-hunter-biden-could-bail-out-putin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">financial links</a> between his private equity firm and the Chinese energy sector.
The Energy Department <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-repurchase-oil-strategic-petroleum-reserve" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced in December 2022</a> an effort to repurchase crude oil for the SPR, but Republicans remained distressed by Biden&#8217;s strategy.
“To cover up his failed policies driving our energy and inflation crisis, President Biden is draining our nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves at an alarming rate,&#8221; McMorris Rodgers said in her statement Thursday. &#8220;America’s SPR — once the world’s largest stockpile — have been depleted to the lowest levels since 1983. To date, President Biden has released more from the SPR than all U.S. presidents in history combined. Millions of barrels of that oil have gone to China, which now has the world’s largest government-controlled stockpile of oil. Draining our strategic reserves for political purposes and selling it to China is a significant threat to our national and energy security.&#8221;
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, voted against the bill. &#8220;If Republicans were serious about addressing the issue they would have brought forward a bill that banned all exports of oil — crude oil to China,&#8221; <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?525320-1/house-session" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pallone said on the House floor</a> Thursday. He added: &#8220;If we truly want to address China using American oil to build its reserves, let’s actually take a serious look at that, rather than skirt around the issue because Republicans are scared of Big Oil’s wrath.&#8221;

Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Republican-Led House Votes To Ban Oil Reserve Sales To China

Communist China

Congress

Strategic Petroleum Reserve

U.S.

U.S. House of Representatives

Legacy media wants you to believe that the Right is in hysterics over some rumor that the Biden administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-misguided-agenda-natural-gas-group-shreds-biden-administration-for-weighing-gas-stove-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wants to ban gas stoves</a>. In fact, some are even alleging that conservatives started another fight in the culture war needlessly.
Yet the idea that the federal government wants to ban gas stoves didn&#8217;t <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/out-of-left-field-uscs-school-of-social-work-bans-the-word-field-because-its-racist-apparently" target="_blank" rel="noopener">come out of left field</a>, and it didn&#8217;t start this week.
In December, Richard Trumka Jr., the Senate-confirmed commissioner of the United States Consumer Protection and Safety Commission (CPSC), expressed his desire to eliminate the products from the market while telling like-minded individuals that the federal government could regulate the products so quickly with &#8220;enough public pressure.&#8221;
During a webinar titled &#8220;Pollution-free cooking for the holidays,&#8221; Trumka told the non-profit consumer advocacy group U.S. Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG) how the Biden administration is tackling the supposed dangers of gas stoves indoors.
Trumka, speaking with a group he said he calls on &#8220;without fail&#8221; for guidance on certain topics, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kir_VBo6XEA&amp;embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.dailywire.com%2F&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&amp;feature=emb_title" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>, &#8220;I think we need to be talking about regulating gas stoves — whether that&#8217;s drastically improving emissions or banning gas stoves entirely.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Banning gas stoves didn’t come out of left field. 
Here’s CPSC commissioner Richard Trumka, Jr. in December:
“We ought to keep that possibility of a [gas stove] ban in mind, as you follow along, because it&#39;s a powerful tool in our toolbox and it&#39;s a real possibility here.” <a href="https://t.co/GSfjwLJPPG">pic.twitter.com/GSfjwLJPPG</a>
&mdash; Tim Meads (@TimMeadsUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimMeadsUSA/status/1613548054690291712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trumka encouraged all participants &#8220;to keep that possibility of a ban in mind&#8221; while adding that regulatory authority is &#8220;a powerful tool in our toolbox and it&#8217;s a real possibility.&#8221;
To make that dream become a reality, Trumka informed USPIRG that the CPSC would be opening a public commenting period in March. Regularly, when a federal agency is considering a new regulatory rule, they invite the public — whether it be consumers, advocacy groups, or somebody else — to submit feedback and ideas that may help guide the rule-making decision before beginning the rule-finalizing process.
&#8220;Now, this public request for information is the first step in what could be a long journey towards regulating gas stoves, but I&#8217;m here to tell you that with enough public pressure, it doesn&#8217;t have to be,&#8221; Trumka <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kir_VBo6XEA&amp;embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.dailywire.com%2F&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&amp;feature=emb_title" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proclaimed</a>. &#8220;We could get a regulation on the books before this time next year.&#8221;
The son of the deceased union boss Richard Trumka Sr. admitted that it was a daunting task, given the slowness of the federal government, but pledged to barrel over any speed bumps with the help of anti-gas stove Americans.
&#8220;It&#8217;s absolutely possible,&#8221; he said of imposing new regulations within 12 months. &#8220;Just because the federal government isn&#8217;t known for moving quickly — doesn&#8217;t mean that it can&#8217;t happen. And my number one goal as a commissioner is to push our agency farther and faster than it has ever moved.&#8221;
Trumka, Jr. isn&#8217;t treating this as a personal pet project either.
In December, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Congressman Donald Beyer (D-VA) sent a joint letter &#8220;calling on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to take swift action to protect Americans from gas stove pollution,&#8221; as summarized by USPIRG.
While the letter stopped short of suggesting the U.S. ban gas stoves, it did recommend at least considering heavy regulation of the products.
It should be noted that controversy gained steam this week when Trumka stated in a recent interview that &#8220;any option is on the table&#8221; regarding the indoor cooking appliance. But, as the video from late last year shows, that was not some off-the-cuff remark for Trumka. It is a serious potential policy &#8220;solution&#8221; for him.
So rather than looking at the fact that it was the Biden administration and elected Democrats who started this assault on gas stoves, media outlets are claiming that there is no reason for concern.
Leftists point to the fact CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric said, &#8220;I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so&#8221; as evidence that this couldn&#8217;t become a reality.
Yet just because Hoehn-Saric feels that way doesn&#8217;t mean that others with authority, such as Trumka, aren&#8217;t seriously considering it.
It seems the Biden administration can technically say there&#8217;s &#8220;no proceeding&#8221; to ban gas stoves because the public comment period hasn&#8217;t started yet.  Again, that period is set to start in March, and then the official rule-making process begins.
Regardless, outlets such as Axios are <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/12/gas-stoves-conservative-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writing</a>, &#8220;Despite official insistence that fears of a ban are unfounded, conservatives are suddenly championing gas stoves in a new culture war.&#8221;
Yet those fears aren&#8217;t unfounded, and it wasn&#8217;t conservatives who shot the opening salvo in this latest debate. It was folks like Trumka who voiced his desire to hear from advocates who want to ban gas stoves or heavily regulate otherwise so that the feds can get to it as quickly as possible.
PS: Isn&#8217;t it bad journalism for Axios to simply take &#8220;official insistence&#8221; at face value? That&#8217;s assuming they want to partake in journalism at all and not run cover for the Democrats.
The full video of Trumka&#8217;s December webinar remarks can be seen here:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Webinar: Pollution-free cooking for the holidays - with CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka, Jr." width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kir_VBo6XEA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Richard Trumka, Jr., Gas Stove, Joe Biden

Biden Admin In December: ‘Banning Gas Stoves Entirely … It’s A Real Possibility Here’

Biden Admin In December: 'Banning Gas Stoves Entirely ... It's A Real Possibility Here'

Biden Administration

Carbon Emissions

Executive

Gas stoves

Green New Deal

Politics

Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) proposed legislation on Wednesday barring the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal government</a> from banning stoves powered by <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/oil-and-gas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">natural gas</a>.
Consumer Product Safety Commission Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr remarked in a Monday <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-09/us-safety-agency-to-consider-ban-on-gas-stoves-amid-health-fears?leadSource=uverify%20wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Bloomberg that gas stoves present a “hidden hazard” and said “any option is on the table” for banning the appliances. Huizenga introduced the Stop Trying to Obsessively Vilify Energy Act, also known as the STOVE Act, in reaction to the comments.
“The last thing Americans need or want is another big government bureaucratic decision telling us which appliance we can have in our home,” Huizenga said in a <a href="https://huizenga.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=401521" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “The STOVE Act is a common-sense measure that will stop bureaucrats from banning gas stoves or ranges. Americans should have the ability to choose the most affordable and most available way to cook food in their own home. It is absolutely ridiculous how out of control and out of touch the nanny state in Washington has become.”
Some 38% of American households use gas stoves for cooking, with the figure approaching 70% for states such as California and New Jersey, according to <a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=53439" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Energy Information Administration.
The <a href="https://huizenga.house.gov/uploadedfiles/huizen_001_xml.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legislation</a> says no federal agency “may propose, implement, or finalize a rule or guidance that restricts or bans the use and purchase of gas-powered stoves, cooktops, ranges, or ovens” in the United States. Introduction of the bill follows a <a href="https://twitter.com/HoehnSaricCPSC/status/1613200634194415616" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from CPSC Chairman Alex Hoehn-Saric clarifying that neither he nor the agency is planning to ban gas stoves after the comments from Trumka, an appointee of President Joe Biden and the son of former AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, garnered nationwide controversy.
Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) also supported the STOVE Act, asserting that a potential ban on gas stoves is an “attempt to advance the Green New Deal” at the expense of rural communities who “rely heavily on gas powered stoves and heaters.”
The recent regulatory attention toward the appliances follows a <a href="https://www.booker.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/booker_beyer_lead_colleagues_in_urging_cpsc_to_address_dangerous_indoor_air_pollutions_emitted_by_gas_stoves.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> from Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and other lawmakers voicing concern over the “risks posed to consumers” by gas stoves and claiming that side effects could be heightened depending upon one’s racial identity. “Statistics show that Black, Latino, and low-income households are more likely to experience disproportionate air pollution,” the letter contended, “either from being more likely to be located near a waste incinerator or coal ash site, or living in smaller homes with poor ventilation, malfunctioning appliances, mold, dust mites, secondhand smoke, lead dust, pests, and other maintenance deficiencies.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1612973043583696897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1612973363059884032%7Ctwgr%5E75e5a81f31bd061f5ec925000ec219a320356f81%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Frecipe-for-disaster-joe-manchin-bucks-aoc-says-he-wont-give-up-his-gas-stove%3Futm_source%3Dpartnerutm_campaign%3Dconservnewsd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> more recently that “ongoing exposure” from the nitrogen oxide produced by gas stoves is “linked to reduced cognitive performance.” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), on the other hand, <a href="https://twitter.com/Sen_JoeManchin/status/1612903995605147649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1612903998301806611%7Ctwgr%5E75e5a81f31bd061f5ec925000ec219a320356f81%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Frecipe-for-disaster-joe-manchin-bucks-aoc-says-he-wont-give-up-his-gas-stove%3Futm_source%3Dpartnerutm_campaign%3Dconservnewsd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the government “has no business telling American families how to cook their dinner” and suggested that lawmakers should “reevaluate” the CPSC.
The American Gas Association claimed in a <a href="https://www.aga.org/news/news-releases/aga-statement-on-the-international-journal-of-environmental-research-and-public-health-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> that the CPSC did not consider scientific literature on the dangers of gas stoves when floating the ban. “Attempts to generate consumer fears with baseless allegations to justify the banning of natural gas is a misguided agenda that will not improve the environment or the health of consumers and would saddle vulnerable populations with significant costs,” the trade association said.

Nine Justice Presser

‘Out Of Touch’: Republican Introduces Bill To Prevent ‘Nanny State In Washington’ From Banning Gas Stoves

Republican Introduces Bill To Stop Government From Banning Gas Stoves

Oil and Gas

Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Alex Hoehn-Saric said on Wednesday that the regulatory agency has no plans to prohibit <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/oil-and-gas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">natural gas</a> stoves after one of his colleagues hinted that a ban could be possible.
CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said during an <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-09/us-safety-agency-to-consider-ban-on-gas-stoves-amid-health-fears?leadSource=uverify%20wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Bloomberg that gas stoves constitute a “hidden hazard” and said “any option is on the table” for banning the popular appliances. Hoehn-Saric posted a <a href="https://twitter.com/HoehnSaricCPSC/status/1613200634194415616" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> clarifying that neither he nor the agency is planning to prohibit gas stoves after the comments from Trumka, an appointee of President Joe Biden and the son of former AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, garnered nationwide controversy.
“Over the past several days, there has been a lot of attention paid to gas stove emissions,” Hoehn-Saric remarked. “Research indicates that emissions from gas stoves can be hazardous, and the CPSC is looking for ways to reduce related indoor air quality hazards. But to be clear, I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so.”
Hoehn-Saric is the principal executive officer of the CPSC, while Trumka is one of the three other commissioners that serve as leaders of the agency, which is charged with “reducing the unreasonable risk of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products.” Recent actions from the agency include the <a href="https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2023/Peloton-Agrees-to-Pay-19-Million-Civil-Penalty-for-Failure-to-Immediately-Report-Tread-Treadmill-Entrapment-Hazards-and-for-Distributing-Recalled-Treadmills" target="_blank" rel="noopener">imposition</a> of a $19 million civil penalty against Peloton for failing to report a defect in one of its treadmills, as well as the <a href="https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2023/CPSC-Urges-Consumers-to-Immediately-Stop-Using-and-Safely-Store-Butterfly-Express-Essential-Oils-Including-Wintergreen-Birch-and-Other-Blends-Due-to-Failure-to-Meet-Child-Resistant-Packaging-Requirements-Risk-of-Poisoning" target="_blank" rel="noopener">publication</a> of a warning against using certain essential oils from Butterfly Express.
Hoehn-Saric indicated that the CPSC will continue examining the safety of gas appliances. “CPSC is researching gas emissions in stoves and exploring new ways to address health risks,” he continued. “CPSC also is actively engaged in strengthening voluntary safety standards for gas stoves. And later this spring, we will be asking the public to provide us with information about gas stove emissions and potential solutions for reducing any associated risks.”
Some 38% of American households use gas stoves for cooking, with the figure approaching 70% for states such as California and New Jersey, according to <a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=53439" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Energy Information Administration. The recent regulatory attention toward the appliances follows a <a href="https://www.booker.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/booker_beyer_lead_colleagues_in_urging_cpsc_to_address_dangerous_indoor_air_pollutions_emitted_by_gas_stoves.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> from Democratic lawmakers expressing concern over their “risks posed to consumers.”
“Statistics show that Black, Latino, and low-income households are more likely to experience disproportionate air pollution,” the letter contended, “either from being more likely to be located near a waste incinerator or coal ash site, or living in smaller homes with poor ventilation, malfunctioning appliances, mold, dust mites, secondhand smoke, lead dust, pests, and other maintenance deficiencies.”
Critics of the possible regulatory action say the CPSC has not conducted a meaningful study of the appliances. “Attempts to generate consumer fears with baseless allegations to justify the banning of natural gas is a misguided agenda that will not improve the environment or the health of consumers and would saddle vulnerable populations with significant costs,” the American Gas Association said in a <a href="https://www.aga.org/news/news-releases/aga-statement-on-the-international-journal-of-environmental-research-and-public-health-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.
Democratic lawmakers have also invoked concerns over climate change when discussing phaseouts of gas stoves. Increased adoption of natural gas is nevertheless a significant driver of <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">lower</a> carbon emissions in the United States.

Stove Top

Regulatory Agency Backs Down, Says There Are No Plans To Ban Gas Stoves

No Plans To Ban Gas Stoves, Top Regulator Says

The American Gas Association criticized federal regulators for considering a ban on stoves powered by <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/oil-and-gas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">natural gas</a>.
Richard Trumka Jr., a commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and an appointee of President <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a>, remarked during a Monday <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-09/us-safety-agency-to-consider-ban-on-gas-stoves-amid-health-fears?leadSource=uverify%20wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Bloomberg that gas stoves present a “hidden hazard” and said “any option is on the table” with respect to banning the popular appliances. Trumka, the son of former AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, later <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/TrumkaCPSC/status/1612553459462721536" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clarified</a> that any ban would only apply to “new products” after criticism from lawmakers and commentators.
A <a href="https://www.aga.org/news/news-releases/aga-statement-on-the-international-journal-of-environmental-research-and-public-health-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from the American Gas Association contended that the Consumer Product Safety Commission relied upon a study in which the authors “conducted no measurements or tests based on real-life appliance usage” and ignored former literature.
“Regulators, like the Consumer Products Safety Commission, should rely on real data and science not unsubstantiated claims of advocates,” the trade association said. “Attempts to generate consumer fears with baseless allegations to justify the banning of natural gas is a misguided agenda that will not improve the environment or the health of consumers and would saddle vulnerable populations with significant costs.”
The organization cited another <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24429203/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> that examined the effects of gas stoves on more than 500,000 children and found “no evidence of an association between the use of gas as a cooking fuel and either asthma symptoms or asthma diagnosis.” Some 38% of American households use gas stoves for cooking, with the figure approaching 70% for states such as California and New Jersey, according to <a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=53439" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Energy Information Administration.
Increased adoption of natural gas is a significant driver of <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">decreasing</a> carbon emissions in the United States. The statement from the American Gas Association noted that the substance serves as an “essential back up fuel” and enables the “growth of renewables.”
Regulatory scrutiny of gas stoves follows a <a href="https://www.booker.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/booker_beyer_lead_colleagues_in_urging_cpsc_to_address_dangerous_indoor_air_pollutions_emitted_by_gas_stoves.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> from Democratic lawmakers to the Consumer Product Safety Commission expressing concern over “the risks posed to consumers” generated by the appliances. “These emissions can create a cumulative burden to households that are already more likely to face higher exposure to both indoor and outdoor air pollution,” the letter said. “Statistics show that Black, Latino, and low-income households are more likely to experience disproportionate air pollution, either from being more likely to be located near a waste incinerator or coal ash site, or living in smaller homes with poor ventilation, malfunctioning appliances, mold, dust mites, secondhand smoke, lead dust, pests, and other maintenance deficiencies.”
The Biden administration has also unveiled plans to electrify some federal buildings by leveraging renewable energy technologies, according to a <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-announces-steps-electrify-and-cut-emissions-federal-buildings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from the Department of Energy. A recent <a href="https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/doe-clean-energy-snopr.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the agency acknowledged that the cost of clean electricity is more than four times higher than the cost of natural gas.
The White House is pursuing a “whole-of-government approach to put climate change at the center of our domestic, national security, and foreign policy,” according to a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/01/27/remarks-by-president-biden-before-signing-executive-actions-on-tackling-climate-change-creating-jobs-and-restoring-scientific-integrity/#:~:text=It%27s%20a%20whole%2Dof%2Dgovernment,We%27re%20bold." target="_blank" rel="noopener">speech</a> delivered by Biden days after his inauguration. The commander-in-chief has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-administration-will-spend-nearly-10-billion-on-electric-vehicles-for-the-postal-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advanced</a> incentives for electric vehicles, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/keystone-pipeline-dead-killed-by-biden-thousands-of-jobs-lost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nixed</a> the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-administration-severely-cuts-back-on-oil-and-gas-leases" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leased</a> less federal land for oil drilling than his predecessors.

Gas Flame

‘A Misguided Agenda’: Natural Gas Group Shreds Biden Administration For Weighing Gas Stove Ban

American Gas Association Blasts Biden Over Possible Gas Stove Ban

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering banning Americans from having gas stoves.
Roughly 40% of American homes have gas stoves, which emit nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide as well as fine particulate matter at what are deemed unsafe levels by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and World Health Organization. A study released in January 2022 <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.1c04707">argued</a> that over 20 years, “annual methane emissions from all gas stoves in U.S. homes have a climate impact comparable to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of 500 000 cars.”
“This is a hidden hazard,” Richard Trumka Jr., a commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) who was nominated by President Biden, told <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-09/us-safety-agency-to-consider-ban-on-gas-stoves-amid-health-fears?srnd=green&amp;sref=Vi7wu7Hv" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg News</a>. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”
“There is about 50 years of health studies showing that gas stoves are bad for our health, and the strongest evidence is on children and children’s asthma,” Brady Seals, a manager in RMI’s Carbon-Free Buildings program echoed. “By having a gas connection, we are polluting the insides of our homes.”
In late December, a group of Democrats in the Senate and the House wrote an <a href="https://www.booker.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/booker_beyer_lead_colleagues_in_urging_cpsc_to_address_dangerous_indoor_air_pollutions_emitted_by_gas_stoves.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open letter</a> to Alexander Hoehn-Saric, chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, urging restrictions on gas stoves such as requiring them “to be sold with range hoods that meet mandatory performance standards,” and “where feasible, issue mandatory performance standards for gas stoves that address steady-state-off leakage, including requiring automatic shut-off valves.”
The Democrats also made claims that gas stoves disproportionately affected non-white and low-income communities, contending, “These emissions can create a cumulative burden to households that are already more likely to face higher exposure to both indoor and outdoor air pollution. Statistics show that Black, Latino, and low-income households are more likely to experience disproportionate air pollution, either from being more likely to be located near a waste incinerator or coal ash site, or living in smaller homes with poor ventilation, malfunctioning appliances, mold, dust mites, secondhand smoke, lead dust, pests, and other maintenance deficiencies.”
But Karen Harbert, president of the American Gas Association, has countered, “The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and EPA do not present gas ranges as a significant contributor to adverse air quality or health hazard in their technical or public information literature, guidance, or requirements. The most practical, realistic way to achieve a sustainable future where energy is clean, as well as safe, reliable and affordable, is to ensure it includes natural gas and the infrastructure that transports it.”
Mike McKenna, a GOP energy lobbyist, echoed, “If the CPSC really wanted to do something about public health, it would ban cigarettes, or automobiles, long before it moved on to address stoves. It’s transparently political.”
The Biden administration&#8217;s hostility to natural gas was manifested again when it announced last fall it wanted to <a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-admin-says-its-natural-gas-phaseout-will-save-taxpayers-millions-it-will-do-the-opposite/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eliminate natural gas</a> in federal buildings.

Flames on gas hob

‘Transparently Political’: Biden Administration Considering Ban On Gas Stoves

Biden Administration Considering Ban On Gas Stoves

Natural gas

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/gas-prices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gas prices</a> could near or surpass $4.00 per gallon as soon as next May, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/27/economy/gas-prices-inflation-2023-outlook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from GasBuddy shared with CNN.
The national average price for gasoline is currently $3.10 per gallon, according to <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from AAA. Prices <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gas-prices-hit-grim-national-average-of-5-per-gallon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surpassed</a> $5.00 per gallon in June; although costs are not projected to reach such levels, they could see a significant increase in the coming months.
“2023 is not going to be a cakewalk for motorists. It could be expensive,” GasBuddy Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick De Haan told CNN. “The national average could breach $4.00 a gallon as early as May, and that’s something that could last through much of the summer driving season.”
Gas prices, which had already risen precipitously since the beginning of 2021, saw another increase following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. White House officials have pinned the blame for high gas prices on Russian President Vladimir Putin and domestic fossil fuel producers. “It is also important that the oil and gas and refining industries in this country not use the challenge created by the war in Ukraine as a reason to make things worse for families with excessive profit taking or price hikes,” Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/president-biden-blames-vladimir-putin-for-record-high-inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> earlier this year.
The administration has also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-press-secretary-claims-americans-are-saving-on-gas-under-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> that recent declines in gas prices from record highs over the summer are attributable to policies advanced by the commander-in-chief. “Every month, the typical two-driver family saves about $120 at the pump compared to where we were in mid-June,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in October. “Every day, Americans save about $420 million at the pump compared to mid-June.”
As gas prices climbed toward the beginning of the year, consumers indicated they would alter their driving behavior in an attempt to save at the pump. As many as 66% of American drivers said in the spring that they would make “significant changes to their driving patterns” if the national average cost of gasoline lies between $4.12 per gallon and $4.35 per gallon, according to a <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gas-prices-66-americans-are-making-significant-habit-changes-says-survey-180821426.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a> from Yahoo.
The tumult in gas prices nevertheless failed to dissuade Americans from traveling at record levels during the Christmas season. Nearly 102 million Americans planned to drive to their holiday destinations, marking an increase of 2 million drivers since last year, according to <a href="https://newsroom.aaa.com/2022/12/nearly-113-million-people-will-travel-from-december-23-to-january-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from AAA.
“Basically, curveballs coming from every direction,” De Haan told CNN. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen such an amount of volatility as we saw this year.”
Fuel prices vary considerably across the country: residents of California are currently paying $4.37 per gallon, according to <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=CA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from AAA. Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) recently attempted to pass a “price gouging penalty” that would have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-moves-to-limit-oil-company-profits-in-energy-strapped-california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">compelled</a> oil companies to reduce their profits to avoid a civil penalty from the California Energy Commission. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) voiced <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pelosi-pushes-democratic-bill-that-would-give-biden-power-to-control-gas-prices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">support</a> earlier this year for legislation that would allow Biden to declare an “energy emergency,” granting him the ability to regulate prices by preventing fuel companies from selling their products at rates deemed to be “unconscionably excessive.”

Gas Prices Fall To 30% Below Record Highs

Here’s When Gas Prices Could Return To $4 Per Gallon, According To New Projection

Gas Prices Could Return To $4 Per Gallon In May, According To New Projection

Economy

Gas Prices

Inflation

Russia is preparing to make expensive repairs to a pair of natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea that many Western experts suspected Moscow had ordered sabotaged to begin with.
Moscow&#8217;s latest moves complicate already uncertain theories about who could be responsible for bombing the Nord Stream pipelines in September and why. Swedish investigators looking into the incident have concluded that a state actor is most likely responsible, though they cannot say for sure who, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/26/world/europe/nordstream-pipeline-explosion-russia.html">The New York Times</a>.
On September 26, three explosions sprung four leaks in Nord Stream 1 and 2. The bombings took place at two locations inside the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark in the Baltic Sea.
After the explosions, many Western leaders and experts blamed the leaks on Russian aggression. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63084613">said</a> on September 30 that Russia “seems” to be the culprit. Experts hypothesized that Moscow was sending a threatening message against the West’s underwater infrastructure, as well as cutting off a main artery for Europe’s access to Russian gas fields ahead of winter.
Russia has repeatedly denied the accusations. Investigators have failed to come up with evidence to support the charge against Russia. Some European officials have backed off earlier condemnations of Russia and expressed regret that so many fingers were pointed at Moscow before proper evidence was gathered to support the charge.
“The governments that waited to comment before drawing conclusions played this right,” one European official told <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/12/21/russia-nord-stream-explosions/">The Washington Post</a>.
The most likely suspect is either a state or state-backed terror group, according to the Post.
“We know that this amount of explosives has to be a state-level actor,” Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told the Post. “It’s not just a single fisherman who decides to put the bomb there. It’s very professional.”
The Nord Stream pipelines do not service Finland. Still, the event is a warning. “The lesson learned is that it shows how vulnerable our energy network, our undersea cables, internet … are for all kinds of terrorists,” Haavisto said.
Daniel Stenling, Sweden’s top counterintelligence official, declined to posit a culprit to the Times. He said that the attack was “very interesting” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“In the big context of the war in Ukraine that is ongoing, it’s very interesting and very serious,” he told the Times while emphasizing the growing threats from Russia on cybersecurity and espionage.

Nord Stream pipelines

Nord Stream Whodunit Gets Complicated As Russia Takes Steps To Repair Sabotaged Pipelines

Nord Stream Pipeline

Russia

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

More than one million homes and businesses have lost <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">power</a> as a severe winter <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/weather" target="_blank" rel="noopener">storm</a> sweeps the United States.
The nation is contending with an arctic front causing snowfall and frigid temperatures until Saturday, which marks <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/christmas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christmas</a> Eve, according to a <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSWPC/status/1605137973703573504" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forecast</a> from the National Weather Service (NWS). Beyond placing travel plans in jeopardy as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/massive-snowstorm-expected-to-impact-christmas-travel-nationwide-airlines-brace-for-cancellations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">airlines cancel flights</a> and poor conditions impact roads, residents of several states are currently without power, particularly along the East Coast, according to <a href="https://poweroutage.us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from PowerOutage.US.
North Carolina and Maine have the highest number of customers without power, with roughly 171,000 and 151,000 outages respectively. Tennessee and New York have 101,000 and 110,000 residents without power, while Connecticut has 69,000.
Governor Roy Cooper (D-NC) was one of multiple chief executives to declare a state of emergency earlier this week in anticipation of the cold weather. “We know that with the extremely low temperatures North Carolinians will need propane and other heating fuel to keep their families warm,” he said in a <a href="https://governor.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2022/12/20/governor-cooper-signs-state-emergency-activate-emergency-response-plan-increase-transportation-fuel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.
Other states west of the Mississippi River, such as Texas, Oregon, and Washington, have significant outages. The Lone Star State has 57,000 residents without power, while the two Pacific Northwest states have a combined 35,000. Arkansas and Louisiana have a combined 24,000 citizens without power.
In Buffalo, New York, wind gusts as high as 70 miles per hour are <a href="https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=BUF&amp;issuedby=BUF&amp;product=AFD&amp;format=CI&amp;version=20&amp;glossary=1&amp;highlight=off" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected</a> on Friday; the city could receive up to three feet of snow over the holiday weekend. In Cheyenne, Wyoming, residents <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSCheyenne/status/1605667970667069440" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saw</a> temperatures drop from 43 degrees to 3 degrees in half an hour. The arctic blast is also impacting temperatures in Dallas, Texas, which <a href="https://www.wfaa.com/article/weather/dfw-weather-cold-christmas-weekend/287-67ff83a9-b764-4039-ae16-5ec454e9e773" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saw</a> a low of 11 degrees on Friday morning, and Tampa, Florida, whose residents will wake up to near-freezing temperatures on Saturday morning.
Texas witnessed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nearly-half-of-texas-wind-turbines-frozen-in-winter-storm-limiting-states-power-output" target="_blank" rel="noopener">severe power outages</a> in February 2021 after nearly half of the state’s wind turbines and much of the state’s natural gas system were impacted by frigid temperatures. Electric power distribution company Entergy Texas announced in a statement that staffers are working to restore power, according to a <a href="https://www.fox26houston.com/news/houston-texas-power-outages-freeze-tracker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Fox 26 Houston. &#8220;The localized outages are related to windy conditions affecting main line and neighborhood circuits,” the company said. “Entergy Texas power generation resources continue to operate as expected, and crews are working around the clock to safely restore power as quickly as possible.”
The poor weather conditions are also impacting <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/amazon-fedex-post-office-warn-of-delivery-delays-as-winter-weather-persists" target="_blank" rel="noopener">major delivery services</a> as Americans order last-minute Christmas presents. FedEx and UPS issued statements warning of delays, while Amazon and the United States Postal Service shuttered multiple locations.
Nearly 102 million Americans planned to drive to their holiday destinations, marking an increase from last year despite recent increases in gas prices, according to <a href="https://newsroom.aaa.com/2022/12/nearly-113-million-people-will-travel-from-december-23-to-january-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from AAA. Meanwhile, roughly 54 million passengers will depart from airports between December 18 and January 3, constituting a 20% increase from last year, according to <a href="https://media.hopper.com/research/christmas-2022-holiday-outlook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from Hopper.
“Rapid and significant temperature decreases associated with this system raises the potential for the flash freezing of bridges and roadways,” the National Weather Service said in a Wednesday <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/stories/cold-for-holidays-blast-of-frigid-arctic-air-to-affect-most-of-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bulletin</a>. “The intensity of the cold would pose a significant danger to anyone who becomes stranded in blizzard conditions. A series of systems moving onshore in the Pacific Northwest will lead to several rounds of heavy precipitation this holiday weekend.”
Zach Jewell contributed to this report.

Storm Coverage of Milwaukee on Friday

Over One Million Homes And Businesses Without Power As Winter Storm Sweeps Country

Power Outages Hit Nationwide As Arctic Blast Advances

Christmas

National Weather Service

Severe Weather

The United States <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/united-states-postal-service-usps" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Postal Service</a> announced a plan to spend $9.6 billion over the next five years to transition toward more <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/electric-vehicles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">electric</a> delivery vehicles.
Funding for the initiative will come from regular Postal Service budgets and $3 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act, a piece of legislation <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-signs-740-billion-inflation-reduction-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> by President Joe Biden to allocate more than $430 billion toward renewable energy programs.
“A key focus of our modernization effort is to reduce inefficient transportation and improve distribution operations, resulting in far less air cargo and far fewer truck trips,” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in a <a href="https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2022/1220-usps-intends-to-deploy-over-66000-electric-vehicles-by-2028.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “When combined with our substantial commitment to the electrification of our delivery vehicles, the Postal Service will be at the forefront of our nation’s green initiatives.”
A <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/12/20/biden-%e2%81%a0harris-administration-announces-historic-investment-to-electrify-u-s-postal-service-fleet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from the White House added that the funding will provide for the electrification of 66,000 delivery vehicles and the installation of charging stations at Postal Service facilities. Roughly three-quarters of the agency’s Next Generation Delivery Vehicles will therefore run on batteries instead of internal combustion engines.
Lawmakers recently passed a reform bill that will exempt the agency from pre-funding retiree health benefits while requiring future Postal Service retirees to enroll in Medicare, producing $50 billion in savings, according to a <a href="https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/in-the-news/senate-passes-postal-reform-bill-sending-it-to-bidens-desk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI).
Among other measures, the Inflation Reduction Act greenlit electric vehicle tax credits of $7,500 for new cars and $4,000 for used cars, as well as 30% tax credits for home solar energy systems, according to a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/16/fact-sheet-how-the-inflation-reduction-act-builds-a-better-future-for-young-americans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fact sheet</a>. The White House has established the goal of procuring only 100% zero-emission light-duty vehicles by 2027 and will extend the same standard to all vehicles in the federal fleet by 2035, according to another <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/06/09/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-proposes-new-standards-for-national-electric-vehicle-charging-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">document</a> from the White House.
“The $3 billion provided by Congress has significantly reduced the risk associated with accelerating the implementation of a nationwide infrastructure necessary to electrify our delivery fleet,” DeJoy added. “While most of the electric vehicle funding will continue to come from Postal Service revenues, we are grateful for the confidence that Congress and the administration have placed in us to build and acquire what has the potential to become the largest electric vehicle fleet in the nation.”
The announcement from the Postal Service follows a similar <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-harris-unveils-5-billion-for-electric-school-buses-as-nation-sees-largest-learning-decline-in-decades" target="_blank" rel="noopener">initiative</a> spearheaded by Vice President Kamala Harris to electrify the nation’s school buses. The project will use nearly $1 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for rebates awarded to school districts that purchase electric school buses; the White House plans to spend $5 billion on the program.
The $913 million provided by the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/awarded-clean-school-bus-program-rebates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first funding round</a> was used for 2,463 electric buses, implying an average cost of more than $370,000 per vehicle, which is <a href="https://www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio/news/local/philadelphia-district-electric-school-buses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">twice as expensive</a> as the typical diesel school bus, according to the Philadelphia School District, which added five new electric buses to its fleet earlier this year. Officials in the city expect annual fuel savings of $5,000.
Biden administration officials have also encouraged electric vehicle adoption in the private sector. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during a <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/22/pete-buttigieg-texas-tribune-festival/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keynote address</a> at the Texas Tribune Festival earlier this year that residents of the Lone Star State could save on fuel by purchasing the new technology.
“Some of the best use cases for electric vehicles are in places like Texas,” Buttigieg said, “places where people spend more time in their vehicles, where you drive longer distances than in a dense coastal city and therefore spend more money on gas and therefore would save more money, provided you can afford an electric vehicle, which is why we’re fighting to make electric vehicles cheaper.”

USPS

Biden Administration Will Spend Nearly $10 Billion On Electric Vehicles For The Postal Service

Postal Service Spending Nearly $10 Billion To Electrify Delivery Fleet

electric vehicles

U.S. Postal Service

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