<[link removed]> The worsening energy crisis sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine underscores the importance of pursuing a balanced national energy policy that responsibly deploys our abundant natural resources to meet growing demand while pursuing cleaner forms of energy, efficiency, and innovation. Rising consumer prices – the national average <[link removed]> for a gallon of regular unleaded at the end of March was $4.22, nearly double what it was a year ago – have spurred our elected representatives into action. Tax holidays and releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve may momentarily ease consumer prices, but such emergency measures are no substitute for balanced energy policies that capitalize on America's vast resources, invest in new technologies, and celebrate American ingenuity. The idea of an all-of-the-above approach to energy policy may seem quaint in today's hyper-polarized climate debate, but that doesn't mean it's without merit. Remove the politics from policymaking, and the inherent value of our natural resources – America's blessing – is undeniable. Advances in technology offer solutions to the pollution and climate challenges while making energy more affordable and accessible. Policymakers should see that as a win-win. There is no single silver bullet capable of meeting all our energy needs. The best bet against energy insecurity and import dependence is a diversified energy supply mix based on the geographic availability of various fuels and advances in technology. We shouldn't discount American ingenuity and the ability of a healthy market to foster innovation. Congress should take the long view when developing energy policy and ensure the transition to a zero-carbon economy is equitable and achievable. Energy isn’t the enemy; pollution is. America is rich in natural resources and resourcefulness. A responsible approach would be to produce as much of the energy we need here at home as cleanly and as affordably as possible while continuously investing in developing increasingly cleaner energy technologies. Achieving true energy security requires looking beyond the next election to support policies that ensure all Americans have access to abundant, affordable, and reliable energy while always striving to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. UPCOMING WEBINAR: Removing Barriers to Cleaning Up Abandoned Mines – April 6 at 11 a.m. ET Please join ConservAmerica on Wednesday, April 6 at 11 a.m. ET for a webinar <[link removed]> on the recently introduced Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2022 <[link removed]> . The bipartisan legislation would make it easier for “Good Samaritans” such as state agencies, local governments, nonprofits, and other groups, to clean up pollution and improve water quality around abandoned hardrock mines. We’re excited to have Idaho Republican Sen. Jim Risch and New Mexico Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich join us for this important discussion, so be sure not to miss it. Click on the link below to register for the event on Zoom. Remarks U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) Panelists Ryan Jackson, National Mining Association Chris Wood, Trout Unlimited Ayla Neumeyer, Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) Maya Hermann, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) Moderated by Brent Fewell, ConservAmerica Register <[link removed]> March Highlights <[link removed]> Report: Strengthening America’s Mineral Security: Net Import Dependence, Supply Chain Vulnerability, and the Case for Critical Minerals. <[link removed]> President Joe Biden has pledged to cut domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent over the next decade. The Biden administration has proposed massive public investments in renewables and other clean energy technologies to achieve that ambitious goal. But many clean energy technologies, including solar and batteries, require critical minerals as their basic building blocks – minerals that the United States must primarily import because of regulatory hurdles to developing new domestic mines. In a report released in March, ConservAmerica recommended a series of steps the federal government should take to increase the domestic production of minerals and rare earth elements essential to national security and reverse our dependence on foreign suppliers. Click on the link below to read the full report: Strengthening America’s Mineral Security: Net Import Dependence, Supply Chain Vulnerability, and the Case for Critical Minerals. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> ConservAmerica President Kupfer Calls on Congressional Leaders to Address America’s Critical Minerals Dependence <[link removed]> ConservAmerica President Jeff Kupfer followed the report – Strengthening America’s Mineral Security – with a letter to leaders of Congress stressing the need for policies supportive of developing reliable and secure sources of critical minerals in the United States. “The data makes clear that America has a deep, persistent, and dangerous reliance on overseas production and processing. This is largely a problem of our own making – one that can be addressed by reforming our national policy framework in support of mineral and energy resource development,” Kupfer wrote in the letter. “A shift in federal policy is essential and long overdue to solve America’s deepening dependence on foreign countries, particularly China, for minerals that are essential to our energy, economic, and national security interests.” The letter and copies of the report were sent to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in the Senate, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in the House. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> ConservAmerica, Hunt Fish 30x30 Coalition Submit Recommendations on ‘America the Beautiful’ Initiative <[link removed]> ConservAmerica and 44 other members of the Hunt Fish 30x30 Coalition submitted formal comments to the Federal Register encouraging the Biden administration to select lands and waters for its American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas based on conservation outcomes rather than arbitrary criteria, and to engage in a meaningful consultation process with local entities and private land owners. The Atlas program is a central component of Biden’s America the Beautiful initiative, and is being done in conjunction with the global 30x30 initiative that seeks to protect at least 30 percent of the world’s lands and waters by 2030. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Watch Webinar: Modernizing Federal Permitting <[link removed]> The federal permitting process can be burdensome and costly, with major infrastructure projects often taking a decade or more to fully permit. As Congress looks to invest billions of taxpayer dollars in improving the nation’s infrastructure, it needs to first overcome inefficiencies and uncertainties within the permitting process. That was the takeaway from a recent online discussion hosted by ConservAmerica’s Todd Johnston on the federal permitting process. Johnston was joined by a panel of experts, including former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Neil Chatterjee, Tom Vinson of American Clean Power, Charlie Riedl of NGSA and the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas, and Alex Herrgott of the Permitting Institute. Check out the webinar on demand at the link below. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Watch Webinar: DOE’s Loan Programs Office Role in the Energy Transition <[link removed]> ConservAmerica President Jeff Kupfer spoke with Jigar Shah, director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, and Rob Hanson, CEO of Monolith, on the increasing role DOE’s Loan Programs Office is playing in meeting the Biden administration’s goal of transitioning the U.S. economy to clean energy. After a decade in which it closed on loans for only one new project, the Loan Programs Office under Director Shah is aggressively seeking large energy infrastructure projects and commercially deployable projects to support through loans and debt financing opportunities. With over $40 billion in loan authority and a broad mandate to provide guarantees and loans across multiple energy sectors, the Loan Programs Office has become a centerpiece of Biden’s efforts to transition to a zero-carbon future. Check out the webinar on demand at the link below. Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> Fox Business: Energy industry Lauds Sanctions on Russian Oil, Say it's 'Befuddling' President Won't Back U.S. Energy <[link removed]> ConservAmerica President Jeff Kupfer spoke to Fox Business at CERAWeek in Houston about President Biden’s decision to ban Russian oil imports, saying it was the right move even if the administration appears to have been forced into it by events. "I think it was the right move. They ultimately in some way got pushed into it," Kupfer said. "With the bipartisan pressure from the Hill, it sort of left them no choice but to do it." Kupfer, a former Acting Deputy Energy Secretary under President George W. Bush, also noted that we need to be realistic about the energy transition. “We can’t wave a magic wand and transition to a new system that does away with fossil fuels." Read More <[link removed]> <[link removed]> ConservAmerica in the News at CERAWeek <[link removed]> “There is a general recognition that we can't turn on a switch and change prices in the short term, but there are things we can be doing that will impact the long term,” ConservAmerica President Jeff Kupfer told Fox News when asked at the start of CERAWeek in Houston about the current state of U.S. oil production. “In addition to permitting reform and additional drilling, we need to make sure the infrastructure is in place to get the product out of the ground to consumers,” Kupfer added. “We need transportation and export facilities to be built. We need to take a step back and look at the complete picture and be willing to focus on long-term benefits rather than the short-term political ‘wins. Only then can we lower gas prices.” Read More <[link removed]> Don’t Forget to Register…. Register <[link removed]> Spring has Arrived; Get Out and Catch It. A colorful brown trout caught on the middle Provo River outside Salt Lake City, Utah. <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]> ConservAmerica, 1455 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington DC, United States Unsubscribe <[link removed]>