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Friday, March 29, 2024 - 07:42 AM

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

First Published in 1994

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

The House Energy Action Team (HEAT) is a coalition of Members of Congress who support the development, deployment, and efficient use of all-of-the-above energy resources. Reps. Markwayne Mullin and Jeff Duncan serve as co-chairs.

Reliable, Affordable Energy for All Americans

For many Americans, Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer. As temperatures rise, so does demand for electricity to cool homes. Energy expenses in the summer can become burdensome for low-income families forced to prioritize air conditioning over other expenses.

As Republicans finish out this session week and head home for Memorial Day, we will keep advocating for all-of-the-above energy solutions that bring down utility costs for all Americans. Given estimates that policies like the Green New Deal will cause household energy prices to skyrocket, Democrats need to be held accountable for the danger their schemes pose to low-income families, workers across the United States, and our national security. 

FACT: The Green New Deal calls for the U.S. to run off 100% renewable energy in 10 years. Estimates show that a 100% renewable energy grid would cost Americans anywhere from 43 to 286% more on their electricity bills. 

Higher energy costs disproportionately affect low-income families. 

  • America’s poorest families spend 22% of their household budgets on utilities and gas. By comparison, families in the top income quintile only spend 5% of their household budgets on these same expenses.
    • Rising energy prices hit low-income families harder. 
  • 2011 study showed that families receiving federal assistance with their energy bills took the following actions in response to high energy costs:
    • 23 percent kept their home at a temperature that was unsafe or unhealthy.
    • 17 percent were unable to use their air conditioner in the past year because their electricity was shut off or their air conditioner was broken and they could not afford to fix it.
    • 24 percent went without food for at least one day.
    • 37 percent went without medical or dental care.
    • 19 percent had someone in the home become sick because the home was too cold.
  • California lawsuit alleges that the state’s efforts to reduce emissions has raised the cost of housing and cost of living in a way that disproportionately affects minorities.

Duncan Energy Statistics 2019
(Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

States with the most draconian environmental laws have the highest energy costs.

  • Taxes, burdensome environmental laws, and radical "keep it in the ground" activism simply pass along higher energy coststo American consumers and families who can often ill-afford higher energy costs. 
  • In New England specifically, moratoriums on natural gas extraction, and pipeline transport from Pennsylvania and Ohio caused electricity price increases that were double that of similar regions across the country.  
    • According to the Global Energy Institute, a slight increase in the national average retail electricity price was likely driven by opposition to new natural gas pipeline infrastructure. 
  • New Yorkers face natural gas shortages because radical state policies won’t allow the state to explore and harvest the abundant resources beneath its own soil. 
  • A recent University of Chicago study found that in states with mandated renewable portfolio standards, electricity prices increased 17% after 12 years and only resulted in a minor 4.2 percentage increase in renewable generation. 


(Source: Global Energy Institute)

Access to affordable, consistent energy is a matter of life or death. 

  • More than half of an average household’s annual energy consumption is used for heating and air conditioning.
    • Heating and air conditioning aren't luxuries, especially in weather extremes.
    • A recent study found that one in five households reduced or forewent basic necessities to pay their energy bill.

Member Highlights

THE BOTTOM LINE: Democrat energy policies are economically catastrophic to the very Americans Democrats claim they are trying to help. All-of-the-above energy policies supported by Republicans are delivering affordable, reliable energy to Americans of all income levels. 

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