No country can prosper without abundant, reliable, and affordable energy. Not even America.
Abundant energy is not a luxury — but a necessary ingredient for a prosperous future.
Without energy, your car won’t start, your phone won’t charge, your AC wouldn’t work, and you wouldn’t be able to cook a meal.
Reliable energy not only provides the essentials for our modern lives, but also creates opportunities for millions of Americans and drives innovation.
Fortunately, America has a robust energy industry that can generate enough power for the needs of our economy.
However, a false dilemma at the heart of energy policy endangers our future — pitting one form of energy against another, pressuring the government to intervene and pick one over the other.
This dilemma is not grounded in sound economics.
Renewable and traditional energy are not mutually exclusive. The country needs both to make the American Dream affordable for you and for millions of Americans like you.
The good news? America has the natural resources, capital, and technology needed to reignite the American Dream.
We only need to use them.
America’s energy needs: By the numbers
As the largest and most prosperous economy in history, the United States consumes a lot of energy.
Energy consumption is measured in British Thermal Units (BTU) and each BTU has approximately the same energy as a burning match.
Do you know how much energy America used in 2023? 94 quadrillion BTU — not a billion or a trillion. A quadrillion.
How much is that? Well, with that amount of energy, we could send one of the rockets America used to go to the moon every 26 seconds, nonstop, for a whole year.
All that energy keeps the factories running, your lights on, your internet online, your cars going, and your life steaming ahead.
Fulfilling that demand is a challenging task. Yet, American energy delivered.
In 2023, America produced more than 100 quadrillion BTUs — thanks to traditional and renewable energy.
- Oil, natural gas, coal, and other traditional energy sources produced 80% of energy Americans consumed
- Renewables stood at an 8% of American energy
- Nuclear energy produced 8% of the energy Americans consumed.
The math is simple: If we decided to favor renewables over traditional sources, or vice versa, America would not have enough power to fuel a prosperous life for you and your family—and you would feel the pain by paying higher prices at the pump and at the grocery store.
That’s why Americans for Prosperity (AFP) supports an “all of the above” energy strategy.
The strategy: Don’t just pick one, pick all of the above
Traditional and renewable energy resources are fundamental pillars for the future of the American economy. There is no need to pick; we can have both.
Renewables have made significant advances over the last few decades and will become more critical as time goes by. However, relying exclusively on any one of them and is a recipe for economic crisis.
Traditional energy companies, particularly gas and oil, provide most of the energy we use. Limiting their potential makes it harder for all Americans to build their own version of the American Dream.
That’s why Washington should make it easier for energy companies, all types of energy, to beef up our already mighty industry and give Americans the tools they need to thrive.
How to make ‘all of the above’ energy a reality
AFP has a plan to make an all of the above strategy a reality and by signing this pledge you can be a part of the movement. Here’s our three-pronged approach to make energy affordable for all:
- Minimize government influence: Government overregulation to our energy industry limits our economic potential. Pushing for policies like permitting reform will lay the foundations for a prosperous economy.
- Affordable energy for all: Reliable and affordable energy are key pillars for American success; and we must work hard so all Americans have access to it. Ensuring Washington treats all energy sources equally is one of the ways we can make affordable energy a reality for all.
- Removing energy restrictions: Policies aimed at limiting our energy industry only bring less supply and higher prices. Only by unleashing the full potential of American energy we can make the American Dream affordable for millions of Americans.
