As the War Heats Up, Struggle to Balance the Energy Shortage and the Climate Crisis


“We are in a state of war, we are in a state of emergency, and we must now responsibly increase short-term supply to stabilize the market and minimize damage to American families,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told oil and gas executives on Wednesday. At an industry conference in Houston. “This means you are producing more right now, wherever and whenever possible.”

Ms Granholm said increasing oil and gas production in the short term would not mean giving up on the administration’s goal of moving away from fossil fuels to combat global warming. Mr Biden pledges to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions At least 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

“Yes, we need oil and gas production to meet current demand right now,” said Ms. Granholm. However, “we are serious about decarbonizing while providing reliable energy that is not dependent on foreign competitors,” she added.

Still, it remains unclear what the US will actually do to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels in the coming years. in its last form annual outlookThe U.S. Energy Information Administration said oil and gas are expected to continue to be the nation’s leading energy sources through 2050, without major change in policy. This, scientists say, the need to substantially eliminate fossil fuel emissions if they want to prevent the most devastating effects of global warming.

The government’s main bill to accelerate the transition to cleaner energy, Build Better Actremains in limbo. This bill includes spending $555 billion to deploy low-carbon technologies such as wind, solar, geothermal and nuclear power. Electric vehicle buyers will receive tax credits of up to $12,500. The bill also has billions of dollars to make buildings more efficient and replace gas-fired ovens with electric versions.

While in theory these measures will work, they could go a long way toward reducing America’s reliance on oil and gas. Soon analysis by think tank Energy Innovation estimates that the bill’s electric vehicle provisions could reduce U.S. oil consumption by 180 million barrels per year by 2030; that’s more than double what the country imported from Russia last year. Other provisions to clean power plants, buildings, and industry could reduce US natural gas use by 4.7 trillion cubic feet per year by 2030; this is equivalent to 85 percent of what Europe imported from Russia last year.

But the law stalled in the equally divided Senate. No Republicans support it, and Senator Joe Manchin III, a key Democratic swing vote, said he was against the current version.



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