Renewable energy is not mentioned in this OpEd as an alternative to the oil revenues and job loses due to cutbacks in oil. The points in this article have been rebutted many times and both opinions have been posted for our members to read.
The philosopher George Santayana wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Philosopher, meet president. In a matter of months, President Joe Biden — through executive orders circumventing Congress with his progressive socialist policies — has caused great harm to United States energy independence and Louisiana coastal restoration.
advocate.com
Thus starts another complaint about the Biden administration’s push for renewables to stop the disastrous effect on the climate by oil. But, could one of these diatribes not have our Senator Kennedy speaking? Of course not.
U.S. Sen. John N. Kennedy, R-Madisonville, on Biden’s oil and gas executive orders: “They are immeasurably foolish. It’s going to gut Louisiana like a fish. One-third of Louisiana’s GDP is related to oil and gas. (Biden’s) war on oil and gas is going to hurt America. It’s going to destroy our energy independence. Here’s President Biden’s new energy policy: We are not going to produce our own oil. Instead, we’re going to buy oil from countries that hate us, so they’ll have more money to buy weapons to try to kill us. “Most Americans support an ‘all of the above’ energy policy: oil, gas, wind, solar, nuclear, geothermal, hydrogen. But they also understand that we can’t run the greatest economy in all of human history without oil and gas, not now, and not probably for a long time.” The recent cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline’s 5,500-mile system was “the most disruptive cyberattack on record, preventing millions of barrels of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from flowing to the East Coast from the Gulf Coast,” according to Reuters. Much of the product was gasoline and jet fuel from Louisiana refineries.
Also written was the comment that Biden, with 50 years of experience, killed the Keystone pipeline all by himself. He has transitioned from oil to renewables too fast. His actions have made us weaker as a country, caused pollution and increased inflation. He also has weakened Louisiana’s ability to fix our coasts as oil puts money into coastal restorations.
State and parish shares of offshore oil and gas royalty revenues, or the Gulf of Mexico Energy Securities Act (GOMESA), represent a critical investment in protecting over two million Louisianans who live and work along our coast. During the 2020 federal fiscal year, almost $353 million in revenue from oil and gas development tied to royalties in the Gulf was distributed among Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, as well as national conservation programs.
Now that this topic has been broached, our other senator comes into the picture.
Here’s Congressman Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee which has broad jurisdiction over American energy policy: “Louisiana has received hundreds of millions of dollars through GOMESA revenue sharing over the past several years. GOMESA funds critical coastal restoration and flood protection projects throughout South Louisiana, and that funding is directly tied to offshore lease sales. “The most recent offshore lease sale which President Biden canceled, should have taken place in March. It probably would have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in that one day, a portion of which would have gone to Louisiana and local parishes to fund coastal restoration and flood protection projects. We’re not getting that money because of this change in policy by President Biden.”
Switching to the cyber attack on the Colonial Pipeline, we are told this took us back to Carter (another Democratic President) in cutting needed energy. Without firing a shot, the East Coast was crippled (or was it caused more by hoarding by some motorists?) Then more talk on pipelines only forgetting they leak and that the percentage of oil in the state’s GDP is going down.
Pipelines are the least expensive, safest, and fastest way to transport oil and gas in the United States. Either Biden knew that when he canceled Keystone or he didn’t. Which is worse? The cyberattack on our soil was bad, but could have been worse. The Biden administration must make protection of energy pipelines a top priority in infrastructure plans. “As one of his first official acts, Biden shut down the Keystone XL pipeline that would improve US energy security. He is treating a pipeline (Russian Nord Stream 2) that increases Russian influence and income better than one that enhances America’s,” according to The Wall Street Journal. Biden must iron out his erratic energy policy before summer vacations begin and COVID-vaccinated families travel. Or families will pay, and pay, and pay.
This is not the first and I am sure not the last article that talks about how we will be hurt if oil leaves but does not look to the future. The case may be made when oil drops further in the country and renewables continue to move up. I am sure some funding for Coastal Restoration can be drawn from the profit renewables make offsetting that argument. In other words, we will have a new technology and we will have to adapt and to change to get the same fiscal benefits.
