Republican presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) is announcing his “Freedom to Fuel” energy plan Wednesday, and its central goal is to take Americans “Back to the Future” on gas prices.
DeSantis wants $2 a gallon for gasoline again.
The energy plan is his fourth major policy announcement since the start of his campaign. The “Freedom to Fuel” plan promises to “Revive American Energy Dominance,” with the fundamental goal being to “achieve $2 gas in 2025.”
Under President Joe Biden, gas prices soared from $2.39 per gallon to more than $5 per gallon. The average gas price in New Hampshire today is $3.729 per gallon, compared to the nationwide average of $3.875.
The last time Americans paid $2 for a gallon of gas was the week of June 1, 2020.
To accomplish that, the DeSantis plan consists of six main components:
● Restore American Energy Dominance
● Save the American Automobile
● Elevate Evidence Over Ideology
● Reform Environmental Permitting and End Green Lawfare
● Jump-Start Critical Mineral and Federal Land Development
● Build the Most Efficient, Affordable, and Reliable Energy Grid in the World
“New Hampshire families know the high cost of relying on our adversaries for oil and natural gas,” Gov. DeSantis told NHJournal. “It is absurd that New England often relies on gas from other countries, including Russia in 2018, when Pennsylvania and other energy-producing states are right next door. As president, I will expand New Hampshire’s access to domestic energy and bring down energy prices for working families starting on Day One.”
Granite Staters pay some of the highest energy costs in the country. Recent analyses put the state at number nine in the nation for the highest out-of-pocket energy expenses. For home heating oil specifically, which more than 40 percent of the state’s population relies upon, New Hampshire ranks sixth in the highest monthly cost.
DeSantis’s announcement comes days after New Hampshire’s U.S. Reps. Chris Pappas and Ann Kuster voted against a bipartisan bill in the U.S. House to block California and other states from banning internal combustion engines. Their vote came even though gas-powered vehicles account for over 99 percent of the cars in New Hampshire. In fact, fewer than 7,000 of the Granite State’s 1.37 million registered vehicles—or 0.51 percent—are electric.
The plan’s “Save the American Automobile” component includes:
● Repeal Biden’s EV mandates and support Americans’ right to drive the cars they want
● Prevent California and faceless bureaucrats from setting America’s environmental standards
● Eliminate Biden’s subsidies for electric vehicles and surtaxes on liquid fuels
DeSantis’s plan represents a clear contrast to the Biden administration’s actions regarding energy, which include federal subsidies for the production of electric vehicles, record government spending on climate change and clean energy, and, most recently, canceling remaining oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to block drilling on millions of acres in Alaska.
Below is the full summary of DeSantis’s “Freedom to Fuel” plan:
RON DESANTIS’ FREEDOM TO FUEL PLAN SUMMARY
Restore American Energy Dominance
•Unleash oil and gas exploration and development, pipelines, and infrastructure on Day One to crush inflation and support working families
•Replace climate change ideology with energy dominance in all national security and foreign policy guidance
•Greenlight American energy exports to strengthen global stability and end energy poverty
•Refill Strategic Petroleum Reserve and limit future use to emergencies
•Revitalize our nuclear energy industry
Save the American Automobile
•Repeal Biden’s EV mandates and support Americans’ right to drive the cars they want
•Prevent California and faceless bureaucrats from setting America’s environmental standards
•Eliminate Biden’s subsidies for electric vehicles and surtaxes on liquid fuels
Elevate Evidence Over Ideology
•Withdraw from Paris Climate Accords, Global Methane Pledge, and all “Net Zero” commitments
•Eliminate ESG regulations and prohibit government accounts and pensions from using ESG
•Repeal Biden’s WOTUS rule and protect our farmers and ranchers
•Repeal Biden rules targeting gas stoves, furnaces, and appliances
Reform Environmental Permitting and End Green Lawfare
•Streamline the environmental review process for energy and infrastructure projects
•Work with states to reduce time and duplication in permitting
•Prevent abusive litigation by environmental groups and defund ideological activism
Jump-Start Critical Mineral and Federal Land Development
•Greenlight oil, gas, coal, uranium, and critical mineral mining and development on federal lands
•Establish a Critical Mineral Strategic Reserve and reduce our reliance on China
•Expand federal land lease sales and devolve more leasing authority to the states
•Order agencies to establish forest management plans to prevent future wildfires
Build the Most Efficient, Affordable, and Reliable Energy Grid in the World
•Repeal Biden’s Clean Power Plan on Day One
•Repeal and oppose all policies that increase our energy sector’s reliance on China
•Focus agencies on advancing the most reliable energy at the cheapest cost
•Defend our grid against blackouts, cyber-attacks, EMPs, and natural disasters
