After a long and divisive election year, it’s tempting to view every policy issue as deeply polarized. Republicans see the world one way, Democrats see it another way, and never the twain shall meet.
That may be true for some issues, but it doesn’t have to be true for the complex set of issues that comprise energy policy – from emissions, to affordability, to reliability, to national security and geopolitics. In fact, for almost two decades, the U.S. has been a global energy leader, even as power has shifted back and forth between the two major political parties.
In 2011, under a Democratic president, the United States became the world’s largest producer of natural gas. In 2018, under a Republican president, the U.S. became the world’s largest oil producer.
Since 2007, under presidents and Congresses led by both parties, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions plummeted – energy-sector carbon dioxide emissions have fallen by 20 percent, driven mostly by the increased use of natural gas, wind, and solar and a decrease in emissions-intensive coal.
Read more from the American Enterprise Institute here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
