Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need

Running on Empty

What to Know: In Tuesday night’s presidential debate, Vice President Joe Biden tried to distance himself from the Green New Deal, though his campaign website calls it a “crucial framework.”

The TPPF Take: President Trump’s energy policies are key to reviving our economy. Vice President Biden’s plan would destroy jobs and raise energy costs.

“The Trump administration’s deregulatory policies, combined with a rapidly innovating domestic energy industry, led to the U.S. becoming a net exporter of petroleum products in 2019, for the first time since 1949,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “This surge in American energy production has saved Americans more than $200 billion a year on energy costs for their cars, trucks, homes and businesses.”

Breathing Easier

What to Know: At the same time as Trump has implemented his energy policies, our air has become the cleanest it has been since 1970, the EPA says.

The TPPF Take: Over the last 50 years, the United States has dramatically reduced emissions of the six key pollutants that harm human health.

“Lead, ozone, carbon monoxide, and other harmful airborne substances have declined by 74% — all while our economy, population, vehicle miles traveled, and energy consumption have skyrocketed,” says TPPF’s Jason Isaac. “Our cities are no longer shrouded by smog and toxic fumes, despite our dramatic growth.”

Assault on Batteries

What to Know: Tesla’s Elon Musk is “sad” by how the media covered his company’s much-hyped “Battery Day.”

The TPPF Take: While Tesla deserves credit for its engineering and marketing advancements, physics and economics offer plenty of reasons to tap the brakes on the EV hype.

“EV advocates and salesmen like Musk love to compare battery development to innovations in computing, but that is not how it works. Batteries only improve by a few percent each year, and it takes many years for a new technology to reach the market and achieve broad adoption,” says TPPF’s Brent Bennett. “We need to recognize that while EVs will certainly have a role in the future of transportation, physics and economics—not public policy—will ultimately determine their rate of adoption.”