Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Each year, CRES Forum proudly sponsors the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, produced by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) and BloombergNEF. The 2025 edition, released last week, reinforces what we’ve long advocated: An all-of-the-above energy strategy is the most effective way to meet rising electricity demand, strengthen the economy and reduce global emissions.  

BCSE President Lisa Jacobson and I recently co-authored an op-ed highlighting key findings from this year’s Factbook. With artificial intelligence and data center demand surging, companies like Microsoft, Google and Amazon signed a record-breaking 183 clean energy deals in 2024—nearly doubling the previous year’s power purchase agreements. These commitments totaled 28 gigawatts (GW), a 26 percent increase from 2022. 

The U.S. clean energy sector is ready to meet this demand. Solar and energy storage hit new highs in 2024, pushing renewable energy to 24 percent of total U.S. power generation. Meanwhile, natural gas remained the nation’s largest electricity source, supplying nearly 43 percent of total generation in 2024. Together, natural gas and renewables generated 67 percent of America’s electricity—demonstrating the strength of a diversified energy mix. 

To sharpen our competitive edge in this era of energy expansion, continued federal support is critical. Businesses and investors need policy certainty to drive long-term investments. Existing tax credits for technologies like carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, nuclear, solar, wind and more must be maintained to unlock private capital. 

At the same time, energy projects must come online faster to keep pace with growing demand. Lengthy permitting processes delay grid connections and hinder our progress. Federal permitting reforms are essential to accelerating deployment and ensuring the U.S. leads in energy innovation. 

CRES remains committed to advancing these priorities in Congress and welcomes partners who share our vision for a stronger, all-of-the-above energy future.  

WHAT CRES IS HEARING

WHAT CRES IS SAYING

Administrator Zeldin’s approval of West Virginia’s Class VI well authority... 
“I am pleased to see Administrator Zeldin’s approval of West Virginia’s Class VI well authority. West Virginia has long been an American energy powerhouse, and this decision will empower the state to efficiently permit and accelerate the deployment of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) projects. CCUS is a vital component of an all-of-the-above energy strategy and will help ensure American energy technologies remain competitive while reducing emissions. This decision underscores the importance of state-led innovation in achieving these goals.”  – CRES President Heather Reams in a statement.  

WHAT CRES IS DOING

CRES Academy is back in session! We kicked off the year with Energy Tax Policy 101: Powering America’s Energy Future, a deep dive into how Republicans have successfully used—and can continue to use—the tax code to incentivize American energy dominance. Attendees came away from insights needed to engage confidently with energy tax policy and are on track to graduate.

Our first Cool Conservative Communicators Collaborating on Climate Change with CRES Forum (C6WC) event of the year brought together communicators and reporters for an off-the-record happy hour. 

Love was in the air! The CRES team was on Capitol Hill on Valentine’s Day spreading the love and delivering #CREScandygrams to our favorite Clean Energy Crushes — complete with punny clean energy messages.

CRES President Heather Reams joined Clean Energy for America President Andrew Reagan for a virtual fireside chat to discuss effective messaging strategies for Republican audiences.

CRES Forum President Heather Reams joined a panel briefing to discuss the 2025 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook and how an all-of-the-above energy strategy is strengthening our economy and lowering global emissions.

WHAT CRES IS WRITING

Odessa American: Showcasing American energy on the global stage 
In this op-ed, CRES President Heather Reams and Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) outline their trips to COP29 or the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, to discuss how the U.S. can lower global emissions while also increasing domestic energy production to meet a growing electricity demand. 

CRESponsible Leader: Rep. Darin LaHood 
From the Land of Lincoln, Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) is February’s CRESponsible Leader.  Rep. LaHood’s legislative record reflects his dedication to supporting and advancing an all-of-the-above energy approach.  

Thompson Leads on Sealing Orphaned Wells 
America’s oil and gas industry has a long history of driving economic growth and supporting energy development. However, one lasting challenge is the legacy of orphaned wells—abandoned oil and gas wells that were either never properly plugged or have deteriorated over time.  

WHAT CRES IS READING

Forget saving the planet. Clean energy interests sharpen a different message: Money and jobs – Associated Press 

Clean energy companies press US lawmakers to protect subsidies – Reuters  

In the Trump era, renewable energy isn’t green — it’s ‘dominant’ – The Washington Post 

Mayors Across US Urge Congress Not to Repeal Clean Energy Tax Credits – Inside Climate News