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Plan Would Trigger Higher Energy Costs

Mother and Son Cooking

CEA Midwest Executive Director, Chris Ventura, examines how activist lawsuits designed to limit family choices for home heating, cooking, and travel are contributing to rising energy costs that will see consumers spending over $14.1 billion more this winter to stay warm.

The higher energy costs placed on Ohioans are largely due to a lack of supply caused by shortsighted policy decisions that have discouraged investment in American energy development and blocked the building of pipeline infrastructure, while increasing the cost of producing and delivering energy.

 

Add in lawsuits and obstruction designed to stop current energy production by California-based groups like Earthjustice, as reported in the Tribune Chronicle, and Ohioans will see costs increase even more.

Read more – Tribune Chronicle

White House Does Victory Lap on Gas Prices While Other Energy Prices Skyrocket

Riding Bus in Rain

While some politicians are focusing on small decreases in the price of gasoline, despite remaining at historic highs, CEA’s latest analysis on winter heating costs found that families can expect to pay over $14.1 billion more to stay warm this winter.

“The higher energy prices are largely due to a lack of supply caused by policy decisions that have discouraged investment in American energy development and increased the cost of producing and delivering the energy we all need.”

Read more – Fox Business

Consumer Energy Alliance, Mississippi Energy Institute Host Congressman Guest (MS-03) at Roundtable Event Discussing High Energy Prices as Driver of Agricultural Cost Inflation

Young man and his two sons on organic strawberry farm in summer, picking berries

Participants discuss inflation-causing strain high energy prices put on agriculture

Jackson, MS – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the leading energy and environmental advocate for families and businesses, and the Mississippi Energy Institute (MEI) today hosted a roundtable discussion with Congressman Michael Guest (MS-03) at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum.

The discussion focused on the impact of high energy prices on agriculture and the knock-on effect on inflation, which is currently at 40-year highs with little sign of easing. Fertilizer prices, which account for almost 20% of farm costs in the United States, have risen 102% in the last year alone.

In Mississippi, 17% of the state’s workforce is directly or indirectly employed by agriculture, making it the state’s largest industry by revenue. Mississippi farmers in 2021 saw a record high production value for their harvest; however, this production value was offset by higher operating costs due to inflation.

“High energy prices are bad enough in their own right when we pay our bills or fill up our gas tanks. But the negative impact strikes again when the energy costs that farmers and others in agriculture absorb increases prices for commodities, or squeezes family farmers who are already facing economic hardships,” said CEA Vice President and Gulf Coast Director Kaitlin Hammons. “Mississippi and other Gulf States contribute to America’s economy through the offshore energy industry, which has been under attack by aggressive activists and some political leaders. Farmers, families and small businesses are the collateral damage, as higher costs for fertilizer, diesel, gasoline and propane add more inflationary pressure to a nation reeling from it. CEA thanks Congressman Guest for his commitment to making energy affordable and reliable.”

“The rising cost of energy is leading to higher prices for everything — impacting families across our state as they struggle to purchase gas and groceries. To combat these high costs, I am fighting for strong domestic energy policies through my work in Congress. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with Consumer Energy Alliance, the Mississippi Energy Institute, and other experts on these issues toward our common goal of bringing down energy costs and securing our nation’s energy independence,” Congressman Guest said.

“Bad energy policy results in less energy and higher energy bills,” said Patrick Sullivan, President of Mississippi Energy Institute. “As farmers, businesses and households are suffering through high prices, it’s important for all to better understand the causes of today’s economic suffering. Nationally, a more informed public may help avoid challenges in the future.”

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About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is the leading voice for sensible energy and environmental policies for consumers, bringing together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers, and manufacturers to support America’s environmentally sustainable energy future. With more than 550,000 members nationwide, we are committed to leading the nation’s dialogue around energy, its critical role in the economy, and how it supports the vital supply chains for the families and businesses that depend on them. CEA works daily to encourage communities across the nation to seek sensible, realistic, and environmentally responsible solutions to meet our nation’s energy needs.

Contact:
Bryson Hull
(202) 657-2855
bhull@consumerenergyalliance.org

 

Energy Dependent: Biden Seeks Oil from Rogue Nations

Offshore Oil Rig

As the United States continues to grapple with volatile energy prices, forcing families and businesses to dip into their savings to pay for increased costs, CEA’s David Holt spoke with KTRH to discuss how encouraging domestic energy production can lower prices and improve our shared environment.

Listen here – KTRH AM 740

Bad Energy Policies Freezing Out Consumers And Their Wallets

Woman Shoveling Snow

Bad policy decisions have led to skyrocketing energy prices, forcing consumers to spend at least $26.6 billion more on electricity and home heating costs this winter than a year ago.

With rampant inflation affecting everything from the price of groceries to the cost of housing, Americans need to be ready to set aside even more money this winter as they face another burden: at least $26.6 billion more in higher energy bills.

After a year where Americans suffered from the highest gasoline prices in seven years, oil surging past $90 a barrel in response to overly burdensome regulations and compounded by global conflict and the whims of another OPEC+ production cut, this additional cost is just the latest economic jolt to families and seniors who are watching the country sink further into recession.

Federal and state agencies have warned that utility bills will increase significantly for homeowners and renters who rely on electricity, natural gas, propane, and heating oil for warmth during the winter months ahead. In September, Congress had already appropriated an additional $1 billion in emergency funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Plan before the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Winter Fuels Outlook was released on October 12.

The higher energy prices are largely due to a lack of supply caused by policy decisions that have discouraged investment in American energy development and increased the cost of producing and delivering the energy we all need. Now, American families and businesses once again are subject to the whims of foreign nations that do not require the same rigorous environmental standards we do.

By enacting a moratorium on oil and gas development on federal lands, canceling future federal lease sales, blocking pipelines, and restricting energy infrastructure development, the strategic advantage the United States enjoyed after becoming the world’s largest oil and natural gas producer two years ago is quickly fading – and we are seeing the impact on our wallets.

Our ability to boost domestic production greatly diminished the ability of OPEC+ nations to use energy as an economic weapon – as they have for four decades.

Those days are back again, thanks to bad policy decisions. OPEC+’s recent decision to slash oil production by two million barrels a day sent prices rising again toward $100 a barrel. The decision came despite more than a year of pleading and last-minute backchannel diplomacy by the Biden Administration, demonstrating the national security, political and economic risk hurting domestic production created.

Instead of looking to the American oil and gas industry for new oil and gas supply, the Administration has chosen to:

  • Drain the Strategic Petroleum Reserve – designed for emergencies – to its lowest level since 1984
  • Strike a deal with the illegitimate government of Venezuela’s Maduro regime,
  • Ask Saudi Arabia for 200 million barrels more of oil to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The question is, why are we asking OPEC+ for oil for an emergency we created, especially when we have our own energy right here at home? Energy that can be developed cleanly while we continue our march toward net-zero emission goals.

Now, we enter a winter, that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts the U.S. will be slightly colder than last year because of more severe weather. The EIA, in its base case, estimates that energy prices will increase across the board:

Winter Fuels Report
Data provided by the Energy Information Administration

What does this mean for American energy consumers? In real dollar terms, it means families across the country will spend $26.6 billion more on home energy costs in the next six months. Costs will vary widely by region, with some areas being harder hit based on their geography and weather.

Seniors will be disproportionally burdened at a time when 1 million fell into poverty over the last year. The higher prices will come as Americans’ savings are dwindling –  56% of Americans in 2022 cannot cover a $1,000 expense from their savings versus 39% in 2021.

The bulk of these price increases has been driven by bad energy policies that hurt supply in the name of the environment. However, good policies can support the environment and ensure we have an adequate, reliable energy supply that keeps prices low enough so families can afford to live. Elected leaders should look hard at energy policies and support those that make reliability and affordability a reality.

For a PDF copy of the report, click here.

Interested in how much more you’ll pay in your state? Hover over it on the map below.

Updated with the latest EIA Winter Fuels Outlook estimates.

Energy Bill Surge: Consumers Could Shell Out $14B More This Winter

Setting the Thermostat

With winter quickly approaching, Consumer Energy Alliance released it’s annual winter heating outlook which found families will spend over $14.1 billion more this winter to keep warm.

“By enacting a moratorium on oil and gas development on federal lands, cancelling future federal lease sales, blocking pipelines and restricting energy infrastructure development, the strategic advantage the United States enjoyed after becoming the world’s largest oil and natural gas producer two years ago has all but faded,” the CEA said.

Read more – Fox Business

Bad Energy Policies May Freeze Out Families With High Prices This Winter: New CEA Report

Senior citizen keeping warm by the fire

EIA Winter Fuels Outlook Shows New Price Burden for Older Americans, After 1 Million Fell Into Poverty in Last Year

WASHINGTON  – Consumer Energy Alliance(CEA), the leading energy and environmental advocate for families and businesses, today issued an analysis, “Bad Energy Policies Freezing Out Consumers and Their Wallets,” showing that Americans can expect to pay $26.6 billion more for winter heating bills this year.

It incorporates new data from the Energy Information Administration’s Winter Fuels Outlook, released on Wednesday.

“This government forecast spells out an even bigger financial burden for many American families and small businesses across the country,” said CEA President David Holt. “It’s just the topper on a year where bad policy decisions have helped drive gasoline prices to the highest level in seven years, and hostility toward domestic oil and gas production has left us, once again, exposed to the whims of OPEC+ nations. According to new federal projections, Americans living in poverty and on fixed incomes in colder climates will suffer this winter as a result.”

By enacting a moratorium on oil and gas development on federal lands, canceling future federal lease sales, blocking pipelines and restricting energy infrastructure development, the strategic advantage the United States enjoyed after becoming the world’s largest oil and natural gas producer two years ago has all but faded.

“The danger of these kind of policies is evident in Europe, where people are stealing each other’s wood pellets and even burning garbage to keep warm because of their dependence on Russia and degradation of their own energy production and sources,” said CEA Midwest Executive Director Chris Ventura. “No American should accept this kind of risk. The U.S. is the world’s largest producer of oil and gas and no one should be freezing in the winter, nor forced to make the choice between heating or feeding their family. While we grow wind and solar, the energy those renewable sources provide is not enough to meet basic demand.”

Senior citizens are among the most at risk, after a million older Americans fell into poverty last year. The EIA’s base case estimates that Americans, on average, this winter will pay:

  • $931 for natural gas, a 28% increase over 2021
  • $2,354 for heating oil, a 27% increase
  • $1,359 for electricity, an increase of 10%
  • $1,668 for propane, a 5% increase

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About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is the leading voice for sensible energy and environmental policies for consumers, bringing together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers, and manufacturers to support America’s environmentally sustainable energy future. With more than 550,000 members nationwide, we are committed to leading the nation’s dialogue around energy, its critical role in the economy, and how it supports the vital supply chains for the families and businesses that depend on them. CEA works daily to encourage communities across the nation to seek sensible, realistic, and environmentally responsible solutions to meet our nation’s energy needs.

Contact:
Bryson Hull
(202) 657-2855
bhull@consumerenergyalliance.org

Updated with the latest EIA Winter Fuels Outlook estimates.

Consumer Energy Alliance Launches ‘Energy Forward Project’ To Depoliticize Energy-Environment Debate

Utility scale solar and wind turbines

Project Aims to Facilitate Practical, Unbiased Evolution Toward More Sustainable Energy Solutions

WASHINGTON – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the leading energy and environmental advocate for families and businesses, on Wednesday launched the “Energy Forward Project” campaign to advocate for depoliticized energy and environmental policymaking, and arm the public with unbiased information about our nation’s energy systems, sources and advances in decarbonization technologies.

As states across the U.S. continue to explore aggressive environmental policy solutions, the Energy Forward Project seeks to help its members and the communities they serve separate fact from rhetoric in today’s divisive environmental dialogue.

“The politicization of energy and environmental policy is working against our ability to accomplish real emissions reductions and delivery of affordable energy,” CEA President David Holt said. “In statehouses across the country, we’re seeing legislators debate some of the hardest, most consequential energy and environmental policies with entire industries actively being stifled in the debate, and, as a result, they are losing the expertise that is at the forefront of decarbonization technology and research.”

“Too often, we’re allowing electoral outcomes and policy based on unrealistic activist demands – rather than science and data – to guide our approach to improve the environment and make energy policy. The results are often the exact opposite of what was intended – emissions rise as we opt for less clean energy choices in the absence of adequate supplies of lower-carbon options and costs go up for families and small businesses. Europe’s current energy crisis shows us the real risks of getting energy policies wrong.”

Aimed at facilitating a more rapid, lasting evolution toward sustainable energy, the campaign’s guiding principles include ensuring that energy and environmental policies reflect the diversity of our systems, industries, geographies and people.

“One size doesn’t fit all because it matters where energy is located. Cities and communities across the country all have different needs and resources. What works in Texas may not work in Delaware. Our national geographic diversity is an asset to decarbonization, if we embrace all energy options when devising policies. Exclusion does not work, nor does rushing changes to our energy system, which is essential to our quality of life and the economic health of families, small businesses and the nation.”

Citing broad concerns for systems failures and increasing energy costs for families and businesses as additional barriers that have decreased public distrust, the campaign hopes to inspire a renewed commitment to collaboration and innovation.

“We’ve got to be talking more and investing more in the vast array of renewable technologies available or in development today. We’ve got to bring every solution and partner to the table, and rebut the arguments of professional naysayers who fail to bring adequate factual data. Otherwise, the ability of our lawmakers to pass meaningful, effective energy and environmental policy will keep eroding, and Americans will end up with inadequate energy and higher prices. We can and must do better. Americans have always risen to challenges of this scale and scope with practicality, innovation and collaboration. Now should be no exception.”

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About the Energy Forward Project

The Energy Forward Project is a campaign of Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the leading voice for sensible energy and environmental policies for consumers, bringing together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers and manufacturers to support America’s environmentally sustainable energy future.

In the spirit of consumer advocacy, CEA’s Energy Forward Campaign will build coalition partners with businesses and organizations across Delaware, working to empower citizens with the information and tools required to move past the politics and division of energy and environmental policymaking today towards a more sustainable energy future.

 

About Consumer Energy Alliance
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is the leading voice for sensible energy and environmental policies for consumers, bringing together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers, and manufacturers to support America’s environmentally sustainable energy future. With more than 550,000 members nationwide, we are committed to leading the nation’s dialogue around energy, its critical role in the economy, and how it supports the vital supply chains for the families and businesses that depend on them. CEA works daily to encourage communities across the nation to seek sensible, realistic, and environmentally responsible solutions to meet our nation’s energy needs.

Our Energy Independence Suffers a Blow With Change to Legislation

Construction Worker with Excavator

With permitting reform stalled again in Congress, the editorial board of The Sentinel looked back at CEA’s report, Everyday Energy for Pennsylvania, and discussed how American energy production led to independence from volatile world markets while saving Pennsylvanian families and businesses over $30 billion.

As Manchin said, according to political magazine The New Republic, “inaction is not a strategy for energy independence and security.”

 

He’s right.

 

Natural gas lowers households’ energy bills, creates jobs and improves our national security. The Consumer Energy Alliance calculated that natural gas saved state residents $30.5 billion on their heating and energy bills over the prior decade. It created jobs and revenue that led many towns throughout our region to see a revival.

Read more – The Sentinel

Joe Biden Has Hampered Domestic Energy Industry While Pleading for More Foreign Oil

Drilling rig workers in orange uniform

CEA’s Emily Haggstrom examines the importance of encouraging American oil production as the Biden Administration opens up negotiations with state sponsors of terrorism and Venezuela to supply the United States with more oil.

“The administration continues to look elsewhere when the solution has always been here at home,” Emily Haggstrom, the vice president of communications for the Consumer Energy Alliance, told reporters during a call Thursday. “This should be a no-brainer in economics, national security and environmental terms, and we urge the Biden administration to seize this moment.”‘

Read more – Fox News

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