American energy brings peace and prosperity
By Daniel Turner
Real Clear Wire
When Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Alaska for Vladamir Putin’s meeting with President Donald Trump wearing a Soviet Union sweatshirt, he likely presumed the proactive image was a less-than-subtle proclamation of Mother Russia’s strength. It was not. The Soviet Union is long dead. America toppled the USSR, without firing a shot. America, and more specifically, President Ronald Reagan, defeated the evil empire by bankrupting it.
Rather than send a message about the past, Lavrov’s sweatshirt served as a reminder of the future playbook: bankrupt Russia, and President Trump using his “American Energy Dominance” agenda can do that.
In 2022, western nations united in a Russian boycott after their invasion of Ukraine, but the gesture never harmed Russia. Their economy enjoyed two years of solid growth. Their oil production is steady, albeit down slightly in line with planned OPEC production cuts. Oil revenue may have dipped, a reflection of the roughly 20% worldwide drop in oil prices. Russian gas production is steady. Even metal and mineral production is steady.
Despite the sanctions, Russia has continued to sell its energy with countries like China, India, and Turkey acting as middlemen, selling the commodities back to the desperate EU nations.
This Jekyll and Hyde diplomacy is pure insanity and rightfully infuriates Trump. At his first joint session of Congress, the President reiterated his frustration that the EU had spent more buying Russia energy than they had given to Ukraine for their defense against Russia. Even Newsweek’s “fact checker” rated Trump’s statement as “true.”
Misguided energy policy filled Russian treasuries and financed their military. Exacerbating matters was former President Biden’s asinine ban of LNG exports, a move so ill-advised that it leaves one to wonder whose side champions of this policy were really on. “We Stand with Ukraine” signs and Ukraine Flag emojis on social media handles may win nods of approval in liberal enclaves of America, but they do not win wars overseas.
If bad energy policy financed Russia’s military, sound energy policy can bankrupt it. Here are three things the Trump Administration and its agenda of energy dominance can hasten to hasten the end of the war:
One: Speed. The faster we get American energy online, the faster we can flood the world market and take away Russia’s exports. We cannot ask the EU to stop buying Russian oil and gas unless we produce more to sell them instead, and the biggest lag for the industry remains government. Trump’s declaration of an “Energy Emergency” on Inauguration Day eschews any bureaucratic red tape and ENGO threat of litigation. The emergency demands speed, and when necessary, the firing of individuals who deliberately delay or sabotage this effort.
Two: Reform. The Trump Administration has been remarkable de-weaponizing the agencies which team Biden turned into green monsters. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Zeldin at the EPA has been relentless rolling back overreach. Missing from the national spotlight is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), an agency which team Biden aggressively politicized into a policy making deliberative body. It got so bad that former Democrat Senator Joe Manchin withheld the FERC Chairman’s renomination, stopping his lifelong friend Joe Biden’s climate change within the organization.
FERC commissioners need to dot i’s and cross t’s, protect the nation by assuring proper industry preparedness with appropriate oversight, and nothing more. It does not assess climate risk, measure ESG scores, weigh carbon offsets, benchmark emissions against globalist agendas, and the faster President Trump can force FERC to return to its core mission, the faster industry can get online.
Three: Dominate. We need to expand oil refining capability to increase output and lower prices. We need to re-open coal and natural gas plants shuttered by Team Biden to generate more electricity and lower prices. We need to build pipelines like Colonial from the Gulf Coast to the northeast and Millenium through New York State, the Alaska Natural Gas pipeline, and pipelines from the Permian and the Marcellus nationwide to provide reliable, affordable, energy. We need to dominate the energy space because no serious American will complain when utilities and consumer goods are inexpensive again.
When America produces more energy, we can sell more energy and supply our allies and the world with American energy. When we produce more energy, we produce more goods for less and supply our allies and the world. It is not only good for our economy but good for the peace. A strong America is good for the world. Reagan knew this, and Trump does too. This is the direction he has taken the nation and the world from the Alaska summit. It is now time that everyone: the EU, our government agencies, and even Democrats get on board. If not, they should stop with the pro-Ukraine rhetoric and the Ukraine flag pins. We know where they really stand.
Daniel Turner is the founder and executive director of Power The Future, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for American energy jobs. Contact him at daniel@powerthefuture.com and follow him on Twitter @DanielTurnerPTF
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