OPINION:
With Ron DeSantis bowing out of the Republican primary, the presidency now essentially comes down to the final three. Will America take a chance on fresh blood in Nikki Haley, redeem Donald Trump’s controversial reputation, or be willing to forgive record inflation and stick with the status quo under Joe Biden?
Energy is a top-ticket issue in this presidential race, with gas prices still well above average and inflation refusing to budge, many voters will be making their decision based on energy.
Here’s what the three top-tier candidates are saying about energy and climate change.
Nikki Haley
Ms. Haley’s reputation as a strong leader, skilled negotiator, and unapologetic conservative is well-earned as a six-year governor of South Carolina. Ms. Haley’s story is the quintessential American story — a daughter of immigrants shattering expectations to become one of the most powerful political leaders in the country. Ms. Haley is viewed by many Republicans concerned by Mr. Trump’s public image as the safer choice.
Ms. Haley played a pivotal role in withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She has repeatedly expressed support for pro-energy policies, including expanding domestic fossil fuel production, supporting pipelines, and rolling back electric vehicle subsidies. And she is one of few candidates — few people anywhere — exposing the environmental and economic problems with the green movement’s reliance on Chinese batteries and technology.
However, her recent comments in the New Hampshire debate rang alarm bells in the energy sector: “I do think that climate change is real. And I think that it’s something that we have to deal with.” Of course, the climate changes — millennia of geological data support this, though not the catastrophic climate narrative. But the abruptness of Ms. Haley’s comment ceded the moral high ground and has left many wondering what she would consider an acceptable compromise to “deal with” it.
Donald Trump
Mr. Trump’s main advantage in the presidential race isn’t his lightning rod status, although controversies certainly keep him in the news cycle and at the front of the minds of voters. GOP polls overwhelmingly show Mr. Trump at the top because of his record in the White House. Even those who would previously have identified as anti-Trumpers are having a hard time resisting a bit of nostalgia looking back on $1.99 gas and their dollars stretching 20% farther.
Mr. Trump spent much of his administration undoing bad energy policies put in place by his predecessor, such as cutting taxes and rolling back draconian environmental regulations to save energy producers massive costs. In fact, America’s short-lived energy dominance under Mr. Trump’s pro-energy and pro-business stances saved the average household $2,500 a year. Even in today’s dollars, that’s several months’ worth of groceries — a meaningful sum most Americans would be extremely pleased to have back in their bank accounts today.
President Biden has made his opinion on Americans’ energy choices abundantly clear — issuing sweeping anti-fossil fuel executive orders his first week in office and all but mandating electric vehicles, whether consumers want them or not.
Mr. Biden’s fixation on climate change — which, contrary to the Left’s claims, actually flies in the face of climate science — has consumed every facet of his considerable bureaucracy. Mr. Biden has adopted nearly every possible anti-energy policy short of unilaterally banning fossil fuels without apology — from emissions mandates and natural gas taxes to boosting woke ESG investing practices that discriminate against private businesses based on their industry and political stances.
And the American people have suffered for it. It’s not just gas prices. Because the price of energy strongly affects the price of manufacturing and transportation, it affects everything we buy. Energy strongly influences the overall cost of living, so every decision Mr. Biden has made to restrict American energy producers means more and longer-lasting inflation.
Who will the American people pick?
For the sake of our economy, national security, and overall quality of life, I hope the voters will choose a candidate who will support our responsible American energy producers — the men and women in the oilfields and pipelines working long, hard hours to keep our lives running smoothly. With 10 months left until the general election and many news cycles still to go, anything could happen.
• Jason Isaac, CEO and Founder of the American Energy Institute and Former Texas Representative
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