When Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night, voters will be listening as she outlines her vision for America’s future. Her speech to the delegates, the American public, and audiences around the world will likely include a preview of a potential Harris-Walz administration energy policy.
For the sake of the Democrats’ election prospects in November, not to mention American security and prosperity, Harris should deliver a clear message that the U.S. will remain energy independent under her leadership.
The vice president has an historic opportunity to align her party with the majority of Americans who say the U.S. should harness the power of American hydrocarbon energy. A June 2024 Pew Research Center poll found only 29 percent of Americans want to phase out fossil fuels entirely, while a full 69 percent favor a combination of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources to power the national economy.
Americans understand that the country’s energy revolution of the past decade has not only strategically advantaged the U.S. as a global power but has also underpinned our record economic growth. For instance, the Dallas Federal Reserve estimated that oil prices would be 36 percent higher without the fracking technology and production advances from America’s Shale Revolution. With the advent of hydraulic fracking and horizontal drilling in shale formations, U.S. output reached 12.8 mb/d by the end of 2019. That increase of 7.9 mb/d since 2007 has all come from shale. The Dallas Fed also calculated that the Fracking Revolution contributed to 10 percent of GDP growth from 2010-2015. This was no small feat, and that energy boost helped President Barack Obama shepherd the economy back from the impacts of the Great Recession.
Interestingly enough, the places that benefitted the most were the rural parts of America, those most hard hit by the recession and poor healthcare which caused population flight to the big cities and shortened lifespans. They need economic development, good jobs, and social services to strengthen their communities and lighten the burden being absorbed by the urban centers. The American people are not just more prosperous because of our natural resources, they are also protecting future generations by aiding in the reduction of emissions.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the transition from coal to natural gas in electricity generation as a result of the increase in domestic natural gas exploration and production led to a 65 percent decrease in emissions of carbon dioxide in the electrical power sector.
And a groundbreaking 2024 study found U.S. LNG was significantly better for the environment than burning coal or other nations’ (i.e. Russia) natural gas, from production to end use. That’s why it’s encouraging that in 2023, the U.S. became the world leader in LNG production and exports. Worldwide electricity generation from coal hit a record high in 2023, and the U.S. would be well-poised to offer the world cleaner alternatives like U.S. LNG.
Despite the science, the Biden-Harris administration made the unprecedented decision in January to freeze new LNG export projects. The policy has been nothing short of counter-productive for the U.S. economy, our allies’ energy security, and our emissions’ reduction goals. Rather, we should be using it as a full-fledged transition fuel to bridge us to the future that Harris envisions. It will also create prosperity opportunities in the rural districts that were once dependent upon much dirtier coal. Harris’ vice presidential nominee, Gov. Tim Walz, will see the tremendous value for economic development in the rural districts that have a special place in his heart.
Gone are the days of having to accept Washington climate activists’ binary choice between preserving our planet and saving our economy. By fostering the American Energy Revolution, a Harris administration would help add billions to the economy, support middle-class families with their prices at the pump, and remove countless tons of greenhouse gasses from the environment as a result.
Harris and Walz must consider the impact that policies like the LNG export freeze earlier this year will have on U.S. strength in the world, and on Americans’ bottom line. We as a nation cannot afford to experiment with energy policy that denies science and undermines our national interest.
Instead, at this year’s convention I encourage our presidential nominee to send a signal to the world that her administration would harness the power of American energy and propel us to economic and geostrategic greatness. This is what the American people unambiguously want, and it is what voters will consider as they vote for the 47th president of the United States in November.
