Spring is finally upon us and the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC have officially peaked!
Twenty-one House Republican Conference members, led by Roosevelt Conservation Caucus member Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), submitted a letter to House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith earlier this month stressing the importance of prioritizing affordable energy for American families in any efforts to modify the existing energy tax credits.
We recently released a comprehensive report, as prepared by economic consulting firm the Brattle Group, explaining that over the next decade U.S. peak electricity demand is expected to increase by 30%, with electricity generation system costs rising by 14% if certain tax credits were rescinded.
As we recently argued in a piece for Real Clear Energy, Republicans should be applying long-standing conservative principles in favor of business certainty as they evaluate the merit of these credits. Given the importance of maintaining stable and sustainable energy policies, and building a strong energy future, Members of Congress should embrace all energy sources. This includes traditional fossil fuels as well as a range of alternatives. Technologies like hydrogen, for example, offer a promising solution to both decarbonization and energy security. We’ll be hosting a webinar in April with a panel of experts to discuss energy tax credits, so keep a look out for that invite coming soon.
Also crucial to our energy goals is Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). For over a decade, LNG exports have strengthened the U.S. economy, created countless jobs, and enhanced energy security for both our country and our allies. Last year we wrote in the Wall Street Journal about how President Biden’s efforts to appease environmentalists by announcing an LNG export pause would hurt the economy (and was bad politics too). A few weeks ago, we submitted comments to DOE pointing out the flaws in its LNG export study and reiterating our support of exports.
This month we also touched on energy tariffs in the Duluth News Tribune, again stressing the need for policy certainty and market stability. You can read more here. And finally, ConservAmerica Fellow Dan Mahoney tackled the issue of Endangered Species Act protections for grizzlies here.
That’s it for us this month. As always, we’d love to see what you all are up to, so when you post your photos of the great outdoors to Facebook, be sure to tag us (@conservamerica), and we can share them. Enjoy the warming weather and make sure to get outside and play!
