Energy

Like the rest of the Trump administration, our new EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, is already off to a roaring start. Last week, he announced the EPA’s newest initiative – “Powering the Great American Comeback.” The five pillars of this plan outline the administration’s intent over the first 100 days to restore American energy dominance, bolster our own domestic production, and reduce our reliance on foreign energy resources.

Fuel costs are a consistent and fluctuating part of any family budget, and Americans with lower and fixed incomes face the largest burden when prices spike. During the summer of 2022, when drivers had serious sticker shock at the gas pump, the average price of gas eclipsed five dollars nationwide, and states with especially restrictive energy policies, like California and New York, registered average gas prices of $6.40 and $4.90, respectively.

On Wednesday December 18^th, President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delivered yet another blow to the American auto industry and affordability for our families. The EPA announced that it granted California permission to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars in the state. In doing so, the EPA put radical Green New Deal policy agenda items over the economic interests of American consumers. 

In a major blow to Iowa farmers and biofuel producers, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that it expects to finalize biofuel blending volumes for 2026, 2027, and 2028 at the end of 2025 – more than a year after federal law requires. This decision will have far-reaching implications for the agriculture and biofuels industry that both support hundreds of thousands of jobs in Iowa and strengthen American energy security while lowering gas prices for American families.