A four-word phrase has become the latest trend in conservative energy policy: “all of the above” (AOTA). This approach claims to embrace all forms of energy, from renewables to hydrocarbons and nuclear.
Instead of relying on this vague but well-intentioned slogan, lawmakers should follow Energy Secretary-designate Chris Wright’s lead by promoting an energy plan centered on four different words: “affordable, reliable, and secure.”
Those words will be key to American energy dominance.
AOTA is a hollow talking point that could enable the current “net-zero” energy doctrine, focusing on carbon emissions targets rather than reliability, affordability, and security. It makes energy policy climate-centric rather than people-first and ignores the realities of the electrical system and the needs of modern life.
Attempting to appeal to moderate audiences, green-minded energy wonks use AOTA language as a sleight of hand. They aim to rally support for initiatives that typically result in “green” or “clean” energy boondoggles, including overbuilding intermittent energy sources, such as wind and solar, at a utility-scale.
Yet, without favorable weather conditions, wind and solar falter. Relying on constant sunshine or predictable breezes, solar and wind aren’t dispatchable, meaning they can’t be easily turned on and off to meet peak grid demands. Solar functions only 24.9% of the time, compared to 34.5% for wind. Battery technology could solve this problem, but the existing technology simply can’t meet the current demand.
Moreover, solar and wind rely heavily on subsidies. By 2031, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will provide upwards of $1.2 trillion in green energy subsidies. Ironically, these subsidies can harm the renewable sources they purport to help. For instance, the inflation wrought by the IRA has caused many solar companies to go belly up.
“Green” energy advocates wrongfully suggest that the time to phase out carbon-emitting energy is upon us. However, we cannot swap coal plants with wind farms without tremendous expense and risk. Instead, we need more baseload and dispatchable power—the energy sources that provide the bare minimum, around-the-clock supply that the grid needs at any given time and those that can be peaked to meet high demand—such as nuclear and natural gas. Wind and solar are neither baseload nor dispatchable, so swapping them for existing infrastructure is a fool’s errand.
This isn’t to say that renewable energy doesn’t play a role in the future of energy. A diversified grid has its benefits by adding redundancy safeguards—and that diversification should reflect what the grid needs to stay reliable and adequate and what the market desires without subsidies. Policies around public utilities also differ from private consumer desires for alternative energy products. Consumer choices for rooftop solar and EVs have become increasingly desirable and should remain, but tax dollars should not subsidize those desires.
Instead of the AOTA approach, energy policy must emphasize Wright’s original trifecta: affordability, reliability, and security. Lawmakers must provide clear guardrails for utility-scale power that ensure least-cost procurement, dependable around-the-clock generation, and domestic production that keeps energy affordable and secure at home while expanding into global markets, particularly with liquified natural gas (LNG).
Following Election Day, Americans gave a clear mandate to promote American energy dominance and security. President-elect Donald Trump campaigned heavily on the “drill, baby, drill” slogan, emphasizing the importance of oft-stigmatized industries like natural gas.
Naturally, Trump’s energy message resonated down-ballot. Republicans successfully flipped the U.S. Senate, with notable electoral victories in Pennsylvania, Montana, Ohio, and West Virginia—all states that rely heavily on their energy sectors.
The incoming Trump-Vance administration can supercharge its energy agenda on Day One. The first steps involve undoing the damage caused by President Joe Biden, such as unpausing, reversing EPA’s power plant rule, and abolishing the green energy subsidies in the IRA.
Long-term goals must include hardening and securing our grids, removing arbitrary federal overreach, and allowing the states to take charge of their energy production and capacity to unlock their full economic potential. The Trump administration must equally commit to reforming extraction permitting and environmental review, emphasizing a safe yet streamlined regulatory environment. Moreover, lawmakers at the state and federal levels must engage in robust permitting and regulatory reform to allow energy projects—such as building pipelines, new baseload plants, and renewing existing facility licenses—to flourish.
There’s no reason to hide behind euphemistic rhetoric. The incoming administration should feel empowered to send eco-fundamentalists’ hyperbole and climate alarmism to the dustbin of history. It’s time to embrace energy abundance and responsible environmental stewardship.
Domestic energy is a net positive for the economy, national security, and environment. With the opening of more offshore oil and gas leases to auction and exploration, national parks and public lands stand to benefit from the Trump-era Great American Outdoors Act, which permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund. More extraction-based royalties will preserve these natural resources and reduce parks’ maintenance backlogs.
AOTA rhetoric can’t and won’t result in abundance or security. Energy Secretary-designate Wright is right: Rather than falling prey to the climate alarmism agenda, rising energy costs, and risks of blackouts, the trifecta of affordability, reliability, and security will best unleash American energy dominance.
André Béliveau is the Senior Manager of Energy Policy at the Commonwealth Foundation, Pennsylvania’s free-market think tank. X: @TheRealBeliveau
Gabriella Hoffman is the Director of the Center for Energy and Conservation at the Independent Women’s Forum. Follow her on X at @Gabby_Hoffman