American energy independence is vital not just to our economic prosperity, but also to our national security. However, President Joe Biden and his administration have abandoned the policies of the Trump administration and instead prioritized things like environmental regulations and a push for electric vehicles rather than increasing the productivity of America’s energy sector. This decision from Washington, D.C., has resulted in higher energy prices and increased dependence on foreign nations for our energy needs. America’s political leaders should instead return to the policies that work and pursue independence for our national and economic security. First and foremost, America should pursue energy independence as one aspect of our national security. If our country is reliant upon other nations to meet our energy needs, then we cannot truly be said to be independent. For example, according to the Department of Energy, two of the top five nations that provide America with energy are Iraq and Saudi Arabia. In today’s turbulent world, if America is reliant upon foreign nations for its energy, we might someday also be at their mercy should they decide to shut off the spigot.
Energy independence would also benefit America economically. When domestic companies produce energy from our own reserves, we can avoid much of the overhead and shipping costs that come from other sources of energy and energy produced by other nations. Lower energy costs mean lower prices for every aspect of American society, because this will in turn lower shipping, operations, and transportation costs for a host of industries, which could help cool the sky-high inflation that has occurred since President Biden took office.
Unfortunately, the Biden administration seems uninterested in increasing American energy production and lowering energy costs for the American people. One of the first things President Biden did upon taking office was shut down the Keystone Pipeline and close off federal lands to energy companies. President Biden’s EPA has also increased regulations on the auto industry and pushed a transition to all-electric vehicles, despite the fact that the United States does not have the infrastructure in place to support such a transition. Perhaps unsurprisingly, America has also seen the highest gas prices in our nation’s history come during President Biden’s term, peaking at over $5 per gallon in the summer of 2022.
President Trump, on the other hand, took the opposite approach. Upon taking office, he worked to encourage American energy production and opened many of America’s federal lands to America’s energy companies. The Trump administration led the United States to become the number one oil producer in the world and maintain its status as the number one natural gas producer in the world, all while dropping carbon emissions to their lowest level in 25 years. The United States also became a net energy exporter for the first time in nearly 70 years, and gas prices fell as low as $1.94 per gallon.
Americans should demand their political leaders return to the policies that work: pursue clean energy and increase production here at home in order to once again achieve energy independence. This will both allow our nation to avoid reliance on potentially hostile foreign energy producers and it will lower inflationary costs here at home, resulting in a better quality of life for all of America’s men and women.
