First, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule mandating carbon capture from power plants across the United States. Many power plants operating today using clean, American natural gas would face closure under EPA's proposed rule—threatening reliability and resilience of the electricity grid and resulting in higher electricity prices for American families, increased reliance on foreign adversaries, and more global emissions.  

Plentiful and reliable energy is a cornerstone of prosperity, and the United States is the gold standard for energy production because we develop it cleaner than almost anywhere else on the planet. When the United States supplies more of our world’s energy, global emissions go down. Yet, the Biden Administration continues to push polices and unrealistic mandates that create unnecessary obstacles for American energy producers, who are already global leaders in reducing carbon emissions.    

The same day as the EPA’s guidance, the U.S. Department of Treasury unveiled guidance on the implementation of certain clean energy tax credits passed under the Inflation Reduction Act. While their intentions may be to accelerate onshoring our clean energy supply chain and manufacturing capabilities, the guidance would do the opposite by killing any competitive advantage for American sourced and manufactured clean energy technologies. The Biden Administration now considers any product assembled in the United States—regardless of the origins of its subcomponents—eligible for the extra 10 percent tax credit.  

As President Biden and the Democrats continue to unveil policies just to appease the extremists of their party, Republicans must keep advocating for their commonsense, all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes renewables, natural gas, hydropower, nuclear, hydrogen and the like. 

At CRES, we understand that protecting our environment and boosting our economy go hand-in-hand. By championing conservative solutions and highlighting innovators in the United States—instead of giving away tax credits to our adversaries, like China—we cannot only strengthen our national security and decrease our reliance on foreign countries, but we can maintain our status as a global leader in the fight against climate change.