With a second term for former President Donald Trump suddenly seeming much more likely following President Joe Biden's stunning debate performance, a federal judge in Louisiana's decision Monday to put on hold a bizarre “move” on liquefied natural gas (LNG) permits by the Biden Department of Energy highlighted a clear example of how energy policy would change if Trump wins the presidential election in November.
Rendering His decisionU.S. District Judge James Cain Jr. questioned the validity of the Energy Secretary's proposed moratorium. Jennifer Granholm and DOE staff “There is absolutely no reason or logic to it, and it's probably a manifestation of ideocracy.”
Hmm. Of course, this is pretty much what I wrote here in February when the policy was implemented, except I left out the “ideocracy” part.
Simply put, if President Trump is re-elected, it would immediately end the federal government's interventionist efforts to pick winners and losers in the energy sector. Historically, these ideological efforts have most often produced unintended consequences that have caused great harm to the affected industries and the economy as a whole.
Indeed, Biden's ideological efforts to force an increasingly reluctant American public to adopt electric vehicles have already done significant damage to the domestic auto industry.
Last month, Fisker became the latest pure-play electric vehicle manufacturer to file for bankruptcy, after rival Rivian was on the brink of bankruptcy and was in danger of taking similar measures. Rescued Angel investor Volkswagen has pledged to inject $5 billion in new capital into the company over the next few years. (Related: David Blackmon: U.S. EV industry shifts back into reality gear)
Ford Motor Co. has struggled in its efforts to launch a successful line of EVs, reporting billions of dollars in losses in the process. Under increasing pressure from investors, management has Postpone and cancel The company plans to invest billions of dollars more in EVs as it shifts its focus to hybrids.
Biden and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's similarly ideological subsidy efforts Large-scale wind power development Wind power off the North Atlantic coast of New England is predictably causing similar damage. A string of planned projects by major wind developers, including Equinor, Orsted and BP, were halted as costs soared due to inflation under the Biden administration. Some have been restarted, but renegotiating electricity rates will likely result in exponential increases in utility customer bills. In addition, at least 98 marine mammal species In addition to the economic toll, this ideological pursuit is also creating environmental disasters: in New Jersey alone, thousands of fish, including endangered species, have washed up dead as wind power development continues.
The economic and other transfers associated with Biden's ideological subsidies for onshore wind and solar industrial facilities are so salient and influential that they are now being opposed in communities across the country, many of which are rejecting them outright. Energy analyst Robert Bryce said: Comprehensive Database He details these refusals on his own website.
Yet despite local opposition, many more wind and solar facility proposals are being approved and developed, benefiting from a variety of federal and state subsidies and tax incentives. Unfortunately, unpredictable and intermittent generation is disrupting the power grid in Texas and across the U.S., with the ideological impact of dramatically reducing the stability and reliability of electric service across the country.
The simple truth is that Judge Kaine, who described the Biden/Granholm LNG permit moratorium as “perhaps a manifestation of ideocracy,” may well have been describing the Administration’s entire energy policy. (Related article: David Blackmon: UN Secretary-General again ramps up tiresome climate scare rhetoric)
Friends, family, and readers ask me daily what changes they think energy policy will bring if a Trump administration takes office. This question is always difficult for me to answer in 50 words or less.
But now, thanks to Judge Cain, I can answer right away: Trump will overturn Biden’s energy ideocracy.
David Blackmon is a Texas-based energy writer and consultant who worked in the oil and gas industry for 40 years and specializes in public policy and communications.
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