May 30, 2024 - During the month of March, 48.8 million adults (23.3% of country) were unable to pay their monthly utility bill in full.  Undoubtedly tens of millions more sacrificed other essential needs to cover their energy costs.  Electricity grid operators across the nation are sounding the alarm that electricity reliability is highly vulnerable exposing families and businesses to potential brownouts or worse.  Bottom line, the Biden Administration has launched a multi-wave assault on affordable, reliable energy as it attempts to advance a narrow-minded view of what constitutes clean energy.

One wave of their assault was passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) which included $369 billion “to modernize the American energy system” and which disproportionately subsidizes intermittent wind and solar power generation at the expense of America’s baseload power generation.  These incentives are doled out to wind and solar generation with no requirement to install electricity storage to sustain electricity reliability when the wind and sun do not show up for work.  This is contributing to accelerated baseload power generation retirements and unprecedented grid reliability challenges across our country.  On average, renewables provide less than nine hours of electricity each day and consumers cannot pick the nine hours they want their electricity.  That is left to the vagaries of the wind and sun and on cloudy, windless days renewables provide little or nothing.

In a second wave of their assault, President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency, in a single day, introduced four new regulations, which target affordable, reliable baseload coal-fired power plants and new natural gas plants.  These regulations were rushed out EPA’s door to marginalize Congress’ full opportunity to scrutinize them under the Congressional Review Act.  Further, EPA has promised that more regulations are forthcoming on existing natural gas plants.  

These regulations came under immediate fire from the Rural Electric Cooperatives, which consume coal to the benefit of 42 million rural women and men, farmers across our country and a host of small businesses.  Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association said it best, “The path outlined by the EPA is unlawful, unrealistic and unachievable.”  “It undermines electric reliability and poses grave consequences for an already stressed electric grid.”  “This barrage of new EPA rules ignores our nation’s ongoing electric reliability challenges and is the wrong approach at a critical time for our nation’s energy future.”

Twenty-five states and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association have filed suit against the EPA opposing these rules with the final decision likely to be made by the Supreme Court.  This litigation will take years, so power producers (both coal and natural gas) can either wait for the courts to resolve this affront to affordable, reliable electricity or, not wait, and simply shut the plants down.  In either event, consumers can be confident that their electricity will become more expensive and less reliable.

The next wave of the assault on affordable, reliable energy may be declaring a Climate Emergency Declaration, which Biden Administration insiders are discussing.  If such an action is taken, the target will certainly be fossil energy—not just for electricity but also for transportation.  This will only drive energy prices higher and further compromise reliability.

The more than 48.8 million adults who are struggling to pay their utility bills might have an opinion on the wisdom of the Biden Administration’s strategy.

Alternatively, all Americans can enjoy the benefits of affordable, reliable, cleaner energy if we right-size federal investments in advanced energy technology R&D and change our tax policies so they do not favor one energy type over another.  All energy types, even renewables, have environmental challenges that must be navigated and mitigated, but with advanced energy technology and innovation, we can solve those challenges.  When it comes to fossil energy, and in particular coal, technology has already reduced conventional emissions to low-levels and more can be accomplished including addressing climate change concerns.  More importantly, the technologies that convert coal and natural gas to electricity can provide baseload electricity for 40 - 50 years, unlike intermittent wind and solar that have a lifespan closer to 20 - 30 years, requiring blade or gearbox replacement not to mention, backup electricity generation and storage at-the-ready, when renewables don’t operate.  

Climate concerns are a global challenge, not country-specific challenge.  Around the world, developing and developed countries will continue to use fossil energy to advance their economies and improve their livelihoods.  If the United States wants to be a climate leader, then it is imperative that our nation develop and export these advanced energy technologies to those countries that have the right to, and will use, their domestic fossil fuel resources.  No amount of United States policy coercion will change their right, so better to provide them the advanced technologies that will allow them to affordably reduce their emissions.

There is no single, simple solution to an affordable, reliable, cleaner energy future but focusing America’s well-storied history of innovation and advancing technologies across all of America’s sources of energy—coal, oil, gas, nuclear, and renewables, is essential.  Pandering to voters focused on climate by going to war on America’s families and the fossil energy industry will not solve global climate concerns.  It will only serve to raise energy costs, reduce energy reliability and availability, and jeopardize our national security.

Net-Negative CO2 Baseload Power, Inc. advocates for investments in 21st Century coal technology and a level policy playing field, which incent U.S. energy technology development.

Steven Winberg

Ken Humphreys

Fred Palmer