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All-of-the-above energy policy
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All-of-the-above energy policy refers to developing and using a combination of various resources to meet energy needs. These resources include nonrenewable resources (e.g., coal, crude oil, and natural gas) and renewable resources (e.g., solar, wind, nuclear power, hydroelectric power, and biofuels).[1][2]
The term exists on a continuum and is used in different ways in different contexts. On one end of the continuum, proponents may emphasize oil, coal, and natural gas development over wind and solar power development, arguing that traditional energy resources are more affordable and more efficient than wind and solar energy. On the other end of the continuum, proponents may prioritize the increased development and use of wind and solar energy over oil and gas resources, arguing that carbon-based fuels may contribute to human-caused global warming.[1][2][3]
Background
According to The New York Times, the phrase originated in a September 2000 floor speech by Representative Benjamin A. Gilman (R-N.Y.). Gilman argued for an energy policy aimed at increasing oil, coal, and natural gas, wind, solar, and hydroelectric power.[4]
| “ | We need to be exploring alternative energy sources, the use of coal, the use of hydroelectric power, of biomass, geothermal, photovoltaic, solar thermal and wind, utilizing ethanol, creating a system of electric reliability, increasing the exploration and supply of natural gas, and retrofitting or building cost efficient oil refineries. In addition, we need to utilize government land for responsible oil and natural gas exploration. The API [American Petroleum Institute] advocates that an effective national energy policy, must at a minimum allow for all of the above.[5] | ” |
| —Benjamin A. Gilman[6] | ||
In 2007, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) described himself as "an all-of-the-above energy guy" to The Chattanooga Times Free-Press. During the 2008 election, then-Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said, "There’s no question that if we’re ever going to begin to seriously move toward energy independence, which is good for our national security and, frankly, very good for our economy—that we have to do all of the above." 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin stated in October 2008, "John [McCain] and I will adopt the all-of-the-above approach to meet America’s great energy challenges.”[4]
In March 2012, President Barack Obama (D) stated, "We need an energy strategy for the future—an all-of-the-above strategy for the 21st century that develops every source of American-made energy."[1]
In September 2016, Bob McNally, president of The Rapidan Group and a former energy official for President George W. Bush (R), stated, "When officials say 'all of the above,' they mean they are neither foreclosing nor disfavoring, from a policy standpoint, development of any energy resource or technology from conventional fossil fuels [oil, coal, and natural gas] to alternatives."[7]
Energy Policy Act of 2005
In 2014, Albert C. Lin, a law professor at the University of California, Davis, argued that the all-of-the-above approach arose "within the context of the 2005 Energy Policy Act." The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was passed by the 109th Congress in July 2005 and signed into law by President George W. Bush (R) in August 2005.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the act was "spurred by rising energy prices and growing dependence on foreign oil" and "shaped by competing concerns about energy security, environmental quality, and economic growth." In 2005, crude oil prices reached $63 per barrel, which was at the time an all-time high. In addition, gasoline prices reached $2.339 per gallon, and the United States imported 58 percent of its crude oil in 2005. At the time, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated that crude oil imports in the United States would reach 68 percent by the year 2025.[2][8][9]
The act authorized the following energy policies:[2]
- Renewable Fuel Standard: The act required increasing the amount of renewable fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, in gasoline sold from 2006 to 2012. In 2006, gasoline and other motor fuels were required to contain at least 4 billion gallons of renewable fuel; the level would increase by 700 million gallons per year until 2012, when renewable fuel would reach 7.5 billion gallons.
- Tax reductions and incentives: Approximately $14.5 billion in tax incentives, including tax reductions, were authorized over an 11-year period to domestic energy producers. Approximately $1.3 billion would go toward energy efficiency and conservation; $4.5 billion for renewable energy projects, such as wind, solar, and geothermal projects; $3 billion in tax incentives for coal production; $2.6 billion in tax incentives for oil and gas producers; and a production tax credit for nuclear power
- Oil and gas production on federal land: The act authorized reduced royalty payments by some oil and gas companies to the federal government as an incentive to increase greater oil and gas production on federal lands.
Use in presidential elections
2016 election
During the 2016 Republican primary, presidential candidates Scott Walker and Jeb Bush stated their support for an all-of-the-above energy policy.[10][11][12]
In a May 2016 speech in North Dakota, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump stated his support for an all-of-the-above energy policy as a way to increase domestic oil, coal, and natural gas production and reduce oil imports. Additionally, the Republicans' 2016 platform called for an all-of-the-above energy policy.[13][14][15][16]
| “ | Together, the people of America’s energy sector provide us with power that is clean, affordable, secure, and abundant. Their work can guarantee the nation’s energy security for centuries to come if, instead of erecting roadblocks, government facilitates the creation of an all-of-the-above energy strategy.[5] | ” |
| —2016 Republican Party platform[17] | ||
The 2016 Democratic Party platform did not reference an all-of-the-above energy policy, a change from the party's 2012 platform. Instead, the 2016 platform favored policies to increase wind and solar energy development, reduce oil consumption in automobiles, and prohibit tax incentives and subsidies to oil and gas producers. In addition, the platform focused on reducing carbon dioxide and similar emissions from oil and natural gas use by supporting greater electricity generation from wind and solar energy development rather than the construction of oil and natural gas-fueled electric power plants.[18][19][20][21]
2012 election
During the 2012 election, both the Democratic and Republican party platforms supported an all-of-the-above energy policy.[22][23][24]
| “ | We can move towards a sustainable energy-independent future if we harness all of America’s great natural resources. That means an all-of-the-above approach to developing America’s many energy resources, including wind, solar, biofuels, geothermal, hydropower, nuclear, oil, clean coal, and natural gas.[5] | ” |
| —2012 Democratic Party platform[25] | ||
| “ | In assessing the various sources of potential energy, Republicans advocate an all-of-the-above diversified approach, taking advantage of all our American God-given resources.[5] | ” |
| —2012 Republican Party platform[26] | ||
2008 election
Republican presidential nominee John McCain supported what he called an "'all of the above' approach to energy security" in the 2008 presidential campaign. McCain's policy proposals included incentives for the development of biofuels such as ethanol, tax credits for energy-related research, and "an even-handed system of tax credits for renewable energy sources." During his 2008 campaign, Democratic nominee Barack Obama's energy plan did not reference an all-of-the-above energy policy. Instead, Obama's plan supported reductions in U.S. crude oil imports, tax credits for wind and solar energy, and policies to decrease oil, coal, and natural gas consumption.[27][28][29]
Trump administration
In October 2016, the Donald Trump presidential campaign released its energy policy proposals. The campaign website stated, "Mr. Trump’s plan is an 'all of the above' energy plan that encourages the use of natural gas and other American energy resources." The Trump campaign website stated that Trump would support increased oil, coal, and natural gas production on federal land. Additionally, Trump promised to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline, reverse the Obama administration's climate change policies limiting emissions at power plants.[30]
The Trump administration released its energy policy proposals in January 2017:
| “ | Sound energy policy begins with the recognition that we have vast untapped domestic energy reserves right here in America. The Trump Administration will embrace the shale oil and gas revolution to bring jobs and prosperity to millions of Americans. We must take advantage of the estimated $50 trillion in untapped shale, oil, and natural gas reserves, especially those on federal lands that the American people own. We will use the revenues from energy production to rebuild our roads, schools, bridges and public infrastructure. Less expensive energy will be a big boost to American agriculture, as well. The Trump Administration is also committed to clean coal technology, and to reviving America’s coal industry, which has been hurting for too long.[5] | ” |
| —The Trump White House (January 2017)[31] | ||
Obama administration
The Obama administration released a report supporting an all-of-the-above energy policy in 2014. The report, issued by the Council of Economic Advisors, stated the following:
| “ | The President’s All-of-the-Above energy strategy has three key goals: 1. To support economic growth and job creation |
” |
The report further elaborated on the Obama administration's energy priorities:
| “ | Over the past ten years, the U.S. economy has undergone a revolution in the production and consumption of energy. Breakthroughs in nonconventional oil and natural gas extraction technology have reversed the decades-long decline in domestic oil and natural gas production. The composition of energy sources has begun to shift: petroleum and coal are now being replaced by natural gas and renewables, cleaner sources with low or zero carbon emissions. Some of these trends predate the Administration, and the President’s All-of-the-Above energy strategy supports these trends and aims to accelerate them in an environmentally responsible way.[5] | ” |
| —The Obama White House (May 2014)[32] | ||
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 University of California, Davis, School of Law, "A Sustainability Critique of the Obama 'All-of-the-Above' Energy Approach," Winter 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Congressional Research Service, "Energy Policy Act of 2005: Summary and Analysis of Enacted Provisions," March 8, 2006 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "crsreport" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "crsreport" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Green Tech Media, "What Does an All-of-the-Above National Energy Policy Mean?" November 18, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The New York Times, "Republicans Cry Foul on Obama Catchphrase," March 23, 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Congress.gov, "Time to Hold OPEC Nations Accountable," September 25, 2000
- ↑ Real Clear Politics, "Energy Policy: The Appeal of 'All of the Above'," September 7, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Bush Signs Energy Bill, Cheers Steps Toward Self-Sufficiency," August 9, 2005
- ↑ U.S. Government Publishing Office, "Energy Policy Act of 2005," accessed August 26, 2016
- ↑ New Republic, "The GOP's All-of-the-Above Energy Policy Is Nothing Like Obama's," August 10, 2015
- ↑ On The Issues, "Scott Walker on Energy & Oil," accessed May 18, 2016
- ↑ On The Issues, "Jeb Bush on Energy & Oil," accessed May 18, 2016
- ↑ House Committee on Natural Resources, "All-of-the-Above Energy Approach," accessed May 18, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "There’s a lot to unpack in just one of Donald Trump’s answers about energy policy," May 26, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Donald Trump’s Energy Plan: More Fossil Fuels and Fewer Rules," May 26, 2016
- ↑ Republican National Committee, "The 2016 Republican Party Platform," July 18, 2016
- ↑ Republican Party, "2016 Republican Party Platform," accessed February 13, 2017
- ↑ Twitter, "Bill McKibben," July 9, 2016
- ↑ Democratic National Convention, "2016 Democratic Party Platform," July 21, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "The Truth Behind the Democratic Platform Debate," June 29, 2016
- ↑ Democratic National Committee, "The 2012 Democratic Platform," accessed August 25, 2016
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Council of Economic Advisors, "New Report: The All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy as a Path to Sustainable Economic Growth," May 29, 2014
- ↑ Synonym, "The Green Energy Views of Democrats Vs. Republicans," accessed April 2, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "An 'all-of-the-above' energy policy," November 15, 2012
- ↑ The American Presidency Project, "2012 Democratic Party Platform," accessed February 13, 2017
- ↑ Republican Party, "2012 Republican Party Platform," accessed February 13, 2017
- ↑ Council on Foreign Relations, "The Candidates on Energy Policy," September 11, 2008
- ↑ U.S. Department of Energy, "Barack Obama and Joe Biden: New Energy for America," accessed August 26, 2016
- ↑ YouTube, "Sarah Palin: Rally 10/25/08," accessed February 13, 2017
- ↑ Donald J. Trump 2016 campaign website," October 9, 2016
- ↑ The White House, "An America First Energy Plan," accessed February 23, 2017
- ↑ The White House, "The All-Of-The-Above Energy Strategy as a Path to Sustainable Economic Growth," May 2014
