
GOP Energy Report Card, 2015
Last year, when Republicans gained a decisive edge in both houses of Congress, I made predictions as to the six energy-policy changes we could expect—as the two parties have very different views on energy issues.

Last year, when Republicans gained a decisive edge in both houses of Congress, I made predictions as to the six energy-policy changes we could expect—as the two parties have very different views on energy issues.

In August 2015, the Obama administration announced its Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plan to cut the national average of 32 percent of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 from power plants’ 2005 levels.

Texas, West Virginia, and 22 other states have filed a lawsuit to challenge an Obama Administration rule that opponents say radically restructures the way electricity is produced and consumed in the United States.

President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, released in its final form on Monday, August 3, sparked jubilation in the solar industry. The same day, however, some other news reminded the public of what happens when government policy mandates and incentivizes a favored energy source: Taxpayer dollars are gobbled up and investors lose out.

The EPA’s final Clean Power Plan, released on August 3, financially hammers coal-dependent states, compared to the Obama Administration’s 2014 draft proposal. Nine months after the loss of Kentucky Democrat Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes and the retirement of West Virginia Democrat Jay Rockefeller, the EPA’s attack on coal country is all about going after Republicans.

The Clinton campaign’s newly announced “ambitious renewable energy plans” move far beyond Obama’s highly criticized efforts that have increased costs and jeopardized reliability. But they appease environmental activists and wealthy donors.

California Gov. Jerry Brown welcomed President Barack Obama’s “Clean Power Plan,” a new set of environmental regulations to cut down what the administration calls “carbon pollution.” The goal is to cut national carbon dioxide emissions 32% from 2005 levels by 2030.

Most people are unaware of the unconstitutional expansion of federal authority to take control of electric generation in this country.

One year ago, Gina McCarthy, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, announced the controversial centerpiece of the Obama Administration’s climate change legacy: the Clean Power Plan (CPP). The rule is slated for finalization this summer.

In the United States, and most of the western world, there is an ideological war with dire physical consequences. It is the war on fossil fuels. But, even if you understand that energy is central to everything in modern society, the war is much bigger than energy. It is about freedom. It is about control. It is about global governance.