The free world needs American energy. Will President Biden meet the moment?

Americans are being told we’re in the midst of a global “energy transition.”  Why? Because political, academic, media and corporate elites say so. But they don’t appreciate being questioned; they prefer deference and compliance. 

Democrats have made ending America’s fossil fuel use central to their platform, and their policies have pushed billions of tax dollars toward “green technologies” — wind, solar, batteries, etc. Energy executives at big oil companies are falling in line to satisfy activist board members who hold environmental, social, and governance (ESG) requirements like knives to their throats.

But is the world really in the midst of a rapid “energy transition?” The two most populous countries in the world, China and India, are not. They’re promoting more fossil fuel output while China falsifies its emissions numbers. Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine resulted in Germany turning their coal plants back on, and last month Californians braced for widespread blackouts after its energy grid continued to strain due to the overly-aggressive rush to green strategy of the state’s liberals. Is this progress?

Each of these instances has a common theme — they are all attempts at short-term, temporary fixes to a complex problem. It brings back not-so-distant memories of Democrats’ cries of “transitory” when referring to surging inflation. At least some have admitted they were wrong on that one. 

But will they admit they were wrong in their rush to green agenda? Despite the alarm bells — “Crippling Energy Bills Force Europe’s Factories to Go Dark” (New York Times) and “Europe Braces for a Winter of Sacrifices” (Bloomberg) – I wouldn’t count on it.

So, herein lies the problem. Global elites claim we can rapidly transition to a wind and solar-powered economy, while only temporarily needing fossil fuels.  But global demand for reliable and affordable energy is increasing, whether it be Europeans trying to free themselves from the boot of Putin or the billions of people in developing countries who want to industrialize to improve their standard of living.

America has the resources to meet this demand now and into the future, but we need the expanded infrastructure to do it. We need more pipeline capacity and more LNG export terminals — and those things take long-term planning.   

But these realities don’t fit the left’s “temporary” timeline and doctrine. Expanded infrastructure, including pipelines and export terminals, only become viable investments with policy certainty and years to recoup that investment. Yet, the Biden administration refuses to grant them that. The President and his environmentalist friends want it both ways. With this uncertainty, the infrastructure we need will never be built. 

Here are some key questions. Does the Biden administration want America to be the global leader in energy, or do they want to demand a fossil fuel-free world? Do they really believe massive nations like China and India will follow?  Are Democrats OK with denying developing nations the ability to use fossil fuels to improve their quality of life, as America did? Do Democrats view America and American-produced energy as a force for good in an increasingly volatile world?

Now is the time for choosing. The world needs energy — American energy.  This is a historic opportunity for our leaders to come back to reality, and realize that if we ruin our economy by pursuing these arbitrary “green” goals to achieve this “energy transition” by shutting down our affordable and reliable energy resources, the Russians, Iranians, Venezuelans, and other resource-rich regimes will fill the void — and they don’t like America.

Johnson represents the 6th District of Ohio and is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.