Energy Alliance opposes Biden admin push for all-electric, argues natural gas reduces emissions

While the Biden administration has been pushing for an all electric future, arguing that it would be better for the environment in terms of reducing carbon emissions, energy companies argue that natural gas is more environmentally friendly. 

"There are problems with electric vehicles," president of Western Energy Alliance Kathleen Sgamma told Just the News. "There are problems with range and what happens when it's cold or hot. They are missing an opportunity when it comes to natural gas. They are clean burning and they are great for vehicles like buses and delivery. They reduce gas emissions."

The U.S. Department of Energy's U.S. Energy Information Administration still describes natural gas as "a relatively clean burning fossil fuel" and that "burning natural gas for energy results in fewer emissions of nearly all types of air pollutants and carbon dioxide (CO2) than burning coal or petroleum products to produce an equal amount of energy."

According to Western Energy Alliance's research, switching to natural gas in the electricity sector is why the U.S. has reduced greenhouse gas emissions more than any other country since 2005. 

Despite that research, the Biden administration has been pushing for an electric vehicle future for a while, arguing that it is better for the environment and a good solution to climate change. 

Last year, the administration announced a lottery system program run by the Environmental Protection Agency called the "Clean Bus Program" that picked 389 applications from multiple districts, committing $913 million to support the purchase of 2,463 school buses, 95% of which will be electric.  

“President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is accelerating our nation’s transition to electric and low-emission school buses while ensuring a brighter, healthier future for our children,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan at the time of the program's launch.

“As many as 25 million children rely on the bus to get to school each day," he continued. "Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration, we are making an unprecedented investment in our children’s health, especially those in communities overburdened by air pollution. This is just the beginning of our work to build a healthier future, reduce climate pollution, and ensure the clean, breathable air that all our children deserve.”

Oil and gas companies are being roped into the electric vehicle market as of late. These companies are ramping up investments in extracting brine, a solution found underground as a source of lithium – a metal that is widely used for rechargeable batteries, particularly those found in electric vehicles.

According to a report from Energy Wire, lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite demand is skyrocketing as production of electric vehicles increases. Earlier this year, Exxon Mobil’s CEO Darren Woods announced that the company is “actively exploring” options for lithium mining. 

Tim Stewart, president of the U.S. Oil and Gas Association, said that the transition to electric vehicles will be a long one. "Speaking as the owner of an electric vehicle myself, I can tell you that it's going to be a very, very long transition," Stewart told Just the News. 

"The charging infrastructure anywhere outside of a major metropolitan area is so weak and undependable," he continued. "Those early EV adapters now find themselves in the trough of disillusionment where the EV promises have not come to fruition. There are 286 million passenger vehicles in the U.S. today.  We can't even support the 2 million EVs on the road right now, let alone the four million semi trucks that keep us fed and clothed and supplied each day. Fortunately my industry's going to be around for a long long time to support this transition if it ever happens at all."

Another major complaint that energy companies have with the Biden administration is its major regulations on other appliances that are gas powered, such as furnaces and stoves. 

In December, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced that the administration had taken 110 actions on energy efficiency standards in 2022 alone. She claimed that the regulations strengthened U.S. leadership in "the race towards a clean energy future."

All-electric vehicle owners face uncertainty on the road when looking for a recharging station. Granholm herself suffered an embarrassing fiasco this summer when she embarked on a four-day publicity tour from North Carolina to Tennessee with a traveling caravan of electric and non-electric vehicles when a member of her advance team used a gasoline-powered car to reserve a hard-to-find charging spot, angering a family that had been waiting in line.

“We have so many regulations coming out of the Biden administration that will harm consumers," Sgamma said. "When it comes to consumer choice, it affects the lives of everyday Americans."

Electric charging stations are powered by tapping into the available electricity grid. One energy spokesperson said "it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what kind of energy is used" to power the recharging stations — whether it’s derived from coal, nuclear, wind or solar energy.