The U.S. is producing record amounts of oil, natural gas and renewables, but it turns out not many people really want an “all of the above” energy economy.
The term “all of the above,” embraced by past politicians as varied as Barack Obama and former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, is built on the notion that an abundance of every type of energy will generate jobs, keep costs low for consumers and power the economy forward. “We’re moving on all fronts at the same time,” said Dan Yergin, a Pulitzer-winning energy historian and vice president of the analytics firm S&P Global.
But that hasn’t stopped Republicans from hitting Biden for blocking some pipelines and slowing new lease sales to drill on public lands. The Energy Department also announced it wouldderided Biden in a release this month, accusing him of “shutting down American energy while flies to Saudi Arabia and begs them to produce more energy.” That was a reference to a diplomatic trip Biden took to the kingdom in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused oil prices to spike.
While climate advocates cheer these gains, they say any move by the administration that benefits fossil fuels violates Biden’s pledge to put the fight against climate change at the center of his energy policy., one of the Senate’s strongest climate advocates, said Biden’s embrace of “all of the above” energy policies is hurting him with young voters worried about climate change.