Since day one in the White House, President Biden has touted that his administration would promote “the most ambitious climate change agenda in history” and “expand affordable clean energy to every American.” While this is a talking point we continuously hear from both the President’s campaign and at the White House’s daily press briefings, I fear President Biden has a misunderstanding of how we can actually achieve the clean energy future he talks about.
We cannot face our climate challenges today by viewing the issue through a straw hole. A narrow view of such a vast and complicated issue leads to an ill-conceived notion that radical, switch-flipping action will overcome the challenges in front of us. The Biden Administration needs to understand that while a drastic reduction in carbon emission is achievable, it cannot be done overnight, or even in four years. Rural areas across the country know and understand this, but the Biden Administration doesn’t.
In his first year as President, Biden suspended all new leases for oil and gas on public lands and waters, thus halting massive domestic energy production nationwide. I have spoken many times about the concept of energy independence; a notion that a country can support its energy grid without depending on mass imports of energy from other countries. In our case, shutting down domestic production created an energy void; a void that could not be filled with modern, clean energy solutions because our country is simply not ready for it. Rather than helping us “fight climate change,” this led to gas prices radically increasing to highs not seen in nearly half a century, and the United States turning to her adversaries for dirty energy imports.
Our system works best under an all-of-the-above approach to energy independence. This allows for the integration of new and evolving production methods with traditional forms of energy to sustain a grid rather than relying on hard-stop energy policies that prevent one form from being used over another.
Nuclear and hydropower are effective and efficient ways of powering urban, suburban, and rural areas—just look at how successful they are in Central Washington—especially when paired with traditional forms of energy. We know the Lower Snake River dams power hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses within their vast grid, and the evolution of hydropower has proved to be an affordable and reliable source of energy for our area and others alike across the country. Yet rather than applauding this renewable source of clean energy, the Biden Administration has thrown its weight behind the effort to breach the dams; an effort that completely contradicts its climate and carbon agenda. With rising interest rates and costs for developing new energy, hydropower is and will continue to be a block in the foundation of our nation’s clean energy arsenal; especially as one of the cleanest renewable and reliable sources available to us today. If President Biden’s efforts to overlook this fact continue, then our economy and energy sector will suffer.
In Congress this year, I helped pass H.R. 1, The Lower Energy Costs Act that aims to reverse the course of the President Biden’s misguided approach to energy management. I also introduced The Northwest Energy Security Act to protect the Lower Snake River Dams, and even brought the House Committee on Natural Resources to Central Washington for a field hearing on how important the dams are to the Pacific Northwest and to the future of American clean energy. Supporting legislation for a diversified energy portfolio is a top priority of mine in Congress, and we are using our area as an example.
If President Biden needs to see what a good use of affordable, renewable, and reliable clean energy looks like, I’m sure Air Force One can make it to Central Washington on one tank of fuel.
