By Lee Zeldin
The fight for American independence 250 years ago was driven by self-determination. Now, the push toward American energy dominance is powering our future.
Wood energy fueled the American Revolution and the first 100 years of our fledgling republic until our self-sufficient patriots invented a way to harness the power of U.S. coal, which fueled the Industrial Revolution.
The Trump Environmental Protection Agency is now paving the way for a Golden Age of Energy Dominance.
America evolved from horse-drawn carriages, wood-burning stoves, and candlelight to a global industrial success powered by coal, petroleum, natural gas, nuclear, and hydropower.
The previous administration irresponsibly abandoned American baseload power and any support to produce and deliver it for the good of all Americans. President Donald Trump is course-correcting.
What’s happening in my home state of New York is sadly coming to a state near you if we
don’t work together to secure more baseload American energy and infrastructure. Misguided state policies to phase out baseload power sources such as coal, natural gas, and nuclear are driving up electricity prices while making the grid vulnerable.
A New York grid operator has said it does not have sufficient backup power generation needed to deploy reliable, affordable electricity during heat waves or extremely cold winters when people demand more electricity for heating and air conditioning. So, the grid goes down. It’s that simple.
In New York, lawmakers decided to eliminate reliable, affordable baseload power generation by 2040 in favor of unreliable, intermittent renewable energy.
New York’s hydraulic fracturing ban has cost residents thousands of dollars annually in higher natural gas and electricity prices. Meanwhile, state officials continue pursuing radical climate policies that waste taxpayer dollars on ineffective environmental interventions, leaving the power grid vulnerable while further driving up electricity rates.
For grid stability, renewables should not be jammed through as attempted replacements for fossil fuels. Common sense dictates that they should be viewed as no more than possible supplements.
One by one, New York has and will continue to force reliable baseload power plants to retire as people pay the price. New York residents are paying among the highest in the country for electricity. California, which rivals New York on electricity prices and matches the state on climate goals, has seen its electricity rates rise to 30 cents/kilowatt hour, a 58% increase.
Meanwhile, New York and California are among several states suing the EPA to stop policies that would ensure all Americans have reliable, affordable 24/7 electricity to power and heat their homes and maintain their modern way of life.
Maryland is another one of those states. Residents already pay a high 15 cents/kilowatt hour, and now the state is setting up a $19 billion energy relief fund to help residents afford rising electricity prices instead of simply allowing U.S. energy production and delivery to thrive in the state, which would naturally bring prices down.
Continue reading over at The Washington Examiner:
At the start of America 250, one of the very best ways our country can celebrate U.S. independence is to totally unshackle the full potential of American energy dominance. My latest op-ed @dcexaminer https://t.co/FVnmoCO60j
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) July 8, 2025
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