America Deserves Energy Reality, Not Climate Fear
- Jul 31
- 3 min read
(Directly from Life: Powered Newsletter: July 28, 2025)
Recent rhetoric from climate activists reveals a troubling disconnect between their alarming predictions and their continued demands for massive government intervention in energy markets. In this newsletter, we break down some of the recent hype and show why Americans should not surrender to fear-based policies that drive up costs while delivering no meaningful benefits.
The Contradiction in Climate Economics
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres recently claimed that renewable energy has achieved clear cost superiority, stating that solar power is now "41% cheaper" than fossil fuels and offshore wind is "53%" cheaper. If these claims are accurate, one must ask a simple question: why do wind and solar still require enormous government subsidies and mandates?
As Wall Street Journal columnist James Freeman notes, "one can use this argument to secure government subsidies for only so many decades before taxpayers start asking why they have to support an infant industry that's older than they are." The contradiction is glaring. If renewable energy truly offers such obvious advantages, market forces alone should drive adoption without political coercion.
The reality behind these cost comparisons is more complex. Energy analyst Jonathan Lesser points out in research for the National Center for Energy Analytics that "a megawatt of solar or wind generation is simply not equivalent to a megawatt of conventional power" due to intermittency issues. When the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine, backup power systems and storage requirements impose hidden costs that don't appear in simplified comparisons.
Exploiting Tragedy for Political Gain
This economic sleight of hand becomes more troubling when combined with opportunistic fear campaigns. Michael Bloomberg's recent exploitation of Texas flooding tragedies exemplifies this approach. As Jason Isaac from the American Energy Institute observes, Bloomberg "couldn't resist swooping in to exploit their suffering as a marketing opportunity for his brand of alarmist hype and centralized energy control."
Bloomberg's argument that more wind and solar subsidies would have prevented natural disasters lacks any scientific foundation. Empirical data (not highly speculative models), including from the U.N. itself, show that it is currently impossible to discern a link between climate change and flooding, and it won’t be possible for a long time. Real disaster preparedness requires robust infrastructure and reliable energy—exactly what intermittent renewables cannot provide during emergencies.
A Regulatory Reckoning
The good news is that America is beginning to reconsider the regulatory foundation of these costly policies. The EPA has announced it will formally reconsider the 2009 Endangerment Finding that has served as the legal basis for numerous expensive regulations. According to Reuters reporting by Valerie Volcovici, the agency plans to soon reverse its scientific determination that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health, removing what has been the legal foundation underpinning major climate regulations. According to the EPA's March 12, 2025 announcement, the agency has relied on this finding to justify "seven vehicle regulations with an aggregate cost of more than one trillion dollars", along with numerous other regulations such as the Clean Power Plan.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin stated that the agency "will follow the science, the law, and common sense wherever it leads" while advancing commitments to "cleaner, healthier, and safer air, land, and water." This approach recognizes that environmental protection and economic prosperity need not be mutually exclusive.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright highlighted how "the 2009 Endangerment finding has had an enormously negative impact on the lives of the American people" through "an onslaught of costly regulations that raised prices and reduced reliability and choice on everything from vehicles to electricity and more."
The Path Forward
Americans deserve honest discussions about energy policy based on facts, not fear. Real environmental leadership means questioning policies that impose massive costs on working families for no tangible gains. It means recognizing that America's energy abundance has already delivered significant environmental improvements, including 80% reductions in air pollution over the last 50 years.
The reconsideration of federal climate regulations offers an opportunity to restore balance to energy policy. America's energy future should be determined by innovation, competition, and consumer choice, not by fear campaigns that benefit billionaire investors while burdening ordinary families. We can choose the energy abundance that has always powered American prosperity over the expensive rationing demanded by climate alarmists.
Source: Life:Powered Weekly Newsletter
Date: Mon, Jul 28, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Subject: Facts:Powered - America Deserves Energy Reality, Not Climate Fear
