OPINION:
We often hear that time is money. Vice President Kamala Harris’ energy agenda is set to rob Americans of plenty of both. She recently told “The View” that “there is not a thing that comes to mind” that she would have done differently than President Biden in their time in office.
Americans are struggling under the Biden-Harris administration’s policies. It is becoming increasingly clear that Ms. Harris’ answer to the hole we’re in is to dig deeper.
With prices up 20% since the administration took office, Americans are tired of paying more and getting less. Many are putting in extra hours or even taking extra jobs to make ends meet. Their time and hard-earned money aren’t stretching as far as they did four years ago. For the culprit, look no further than the Biden-Harris war on domestic energy production.
The Inflation Reduction Act has ironically supercharged inflation. Ms. Harris cast the tiebreaking vote to pass the bill. But instead of economic growth or real infrastructure, American taxpayers are sending billions in green handouts to special interests and corporations.
Her vote aligns with her record; as a senator, she introduced plans for an even more expensive and ambitious Green New Deal, and she supported removing the filibuster to pass them.
Beyond spending, the Biden-Harris administration has waged a regulatory war on American energy production. The consequences are piling up. This administration’s energy weakness has enriched and emboldened aggression from adversaries such as Iran and Russia. At the same time, China continues to dominate critical mineral supply chains, and plans for a green energy transition threaten to increase American foreign mineral dependence. Americans are suffering from higher prices at home, and our farms, factories and businesses are falling behind.
Ms. Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has been eager to reframe her administration’s war on American energy while placating her radical climate base. She has been strategically ambiguous about her energy agenda, attempting to reverse her previous opposition to fracking while declaring that her values haven’t changed.
Despite her administration’s moves to hinder American oil and natural gas production, she boasts of surpassing the pre-pandemic oil production high. Importantly, she fails to recognize that we are still reaping the benefits of former President Donald Trump’s pro-energy agenda while this administration is doing everything it can to undercut it.
Unfortunately, we still haven’t seen the full damage of this war on domestic energy production.
The future of American energy begins with today’s policies, and this administration’s anti-American energy bent, including its dismal record on leasing, its pause on approvals of liquefied natural gas exports and its rollback of Mr. Trump’s needed permitting reforms, paints a bleak future. Ms. Harris’ plans would cement this future, committing our nation to a self-destructive march to “net zero” and energy poverty.
It goes beyond expensive gas and electricity. The net-zero energy agenda is incredibly expansive in reducing Americans’ quality of life.
Take the home appliances that make your life easier: your stove, air conditioner, washer and dryer, dishwasher. The Biden-Harris administration has been ratcheting up “energy efficiency” requirements that rob consumers of choice in the name of combating climate change. These regulations mean that consumers will often face pricier appliances that don’t work as well. Instead of government dictation, Americans deserve the free-market innovation that improves their daily lives.
Further, as this administration moves to end Americans’ ability to choose gasoline-powered cars and natural gas stoves, it has no credible plan for the future of our electric grid. Even former Biden-Harris climate adviser Gina McCarthy recognized that she “underestimated the grid challenges” of the green agenda.
That’s where you get California Gov. Gavin Newsom accompanying his state’s ban on gasoline-powered cars with moratoriums on electric vehicle charging due to grid strain. With policies like these going nationwide, Americans can expect more blackouts, higher prices and less freedom.
This kind of failed planning is at the heart of the Biden administration’s anti-energy agenda. It promises to make future generations worse off, not better. It limits the quality of life and the freedoms that abundant American energy can provide for all Americans. It weakens us in an increasingly dangerous world.
As Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Ms. Harris’ running mate, said recently in a telling slip, “We can’t afford four more years of this.”
He’s correct. We can’t. The Biden-Harris administration has put Americans in a hole, and it is time to stop digging. Let’s stop moving backward and commit to American energy freedom. Now is the time for America First energy policies that drive security, prosperity and freedom.
• Carla Sands is a former U.S. ambassador to Denmark. She serves as vice chair of the Center for Energy & Environment at the America First Policy Institute.
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