All of the Above Energy or Best of the Above: Conservatives’ Way Forward

In recent years, conservatives have proudly championed “all of the above” energy as the most practical path for meeting energy demand, strengthening reliability, and lowering emissions. Yet, during a House hearing regarding recent actions by the Department of Energy, “all of the above” seemed to morph into “best of the above.”

Of course, we shouldn’t support every energy source simply for the sake of inclusivity or box-checking. But if we’re serious about solving the energy trilemma –affordable, reliable, and clean–we need every tool available. With the world’s energy demand surging at unprecedented rates, limiting our energy resources is self-sabotage, not prudence. The proliferation of AI is here, which mandates an era of rapid “energy addition,” in the words of Secretary Chris Wright.

An all-of-the-above energy approach does not mean pursuing all energy sources without a strategy, nor does it mean ignoring affordability and reliability. In fact, an all-of-the-above strategy inherently produces a more affordable and reliable energy landscape.

Take my home state of Texas, for example. The world leader in oil and gas, Texas also leads the country in wind energy production and had a record year for solar installations in 2023. In fact, during hot summer days in June of this year, wind and solar provided more than 40% of the electricity for necessities like air conditioning. Since Winter Storm Uri caused widespread blackouts across the state, we’ve put considerable work into bolstering energy reliability and resilience–ensuring we would never again experience what we did in February 2021.