With Labor Day weekend already a weeks-old memory, the US Nov. 6 midterm elections are fast approaching. Early voting in Texas starts in just 5 weeks, Oct. 22.
Energy is an important issue in Texas, if only for the sheer volume of the stuff the state makes. In addition to world-scale crude oil and natural gas reserves and the refining and petrochemical complexes used to upgrade these materials into higher-value goods, Texas also is the country’s leading producer of wind power.
Fortunately, whether pro or con any particular source or use, Texas voters are relatively well informed regarding energy. This isn’t necessarily the case elsewhere.
Campaigning for energy
Houston-based Consumer Energy Alliance’s (CEA) mission is “to help ensure stable prices and energy security for households across the country.” Part of how it does so is by actively engaging citizens regarding how diverse sources of energy are developed and the important role energy plays in the economy.
As part of its ongoing Campaign for America’s Energy, CEA in June announced an “initiative to remind voters about the importance of energy in their daily lives and encourage them to consider candidates’ stances on energy production and infrastructure when they head to the polls.”
Roughly three quarters of all Americans with fulltime jobs live paycheck-to-paycheck. According to the US Department of Energy, per capita energy expenditures in the US were $3,052 in 2012. The US Census Bureau found the 2017 poverty threshold for a four-person household with two children to be $24,858. Double-digit percentages of take-home pay for many Americans go to utility and fuel expenses.
CEA recently expanded its campaign in New Mexico to bring greater attention to the state’s desire to improve its business climate, provide more jobs, and help the state’s most underserved families afford energy. For a low-income New Mexican living at or near the poverty line, energy costs can be more than 47% of their individual income, according to CEA.
“As voters begin thinking about their choices for election day this fall, they need to remember that without reasonable energy solutions, their costs for electricity, heating, cooling, and gasoline rise,” said CEA Pres. David Holt. “Unfortunately, those most impacted by energy price increases are those living on a fixed income or living paycheck-to-paycheck.”
Holt added: “The good news is that in many states—including New Mexico, thanks to abundant, low-cost, energy—families and businesses don’t have to go far to get the resources they need to help lower their bills. Voters really need to consider issues, like energy, that can directly affect them when they go to the polls this November.”
Holt continued, “No matter what party you support, you’ve got to make sure that the candidate you’re voting for agrees with your energy priorities. If an elected official has forgotten about the best interests of those they were elected to represent and failed to appreciate the real and devastating consequences that a just-say-no approach to energy has on them, they need to know they are potentially raising energy prices on those who voted them into office.”
Weighing in
One opportunity for voters to weigh in directly will occur in Colorado with Initiative 97 which proposes a 2,500-ft setback for oil and gas operations from “occupied structures” and “vulnerable areas.” The Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission found that the setback would render 85% of the state’s nonfederal land inaccessible to the industry.
The US in uniquely endowed with energy resources beyond those available anywhere else in the free world. How it chooses to use this endowment is a matter for serious consideration. We can participate in that consideration both by discussing it as concerned citizens and by making sure we understand the energy implications of who and what we vote for come November.