While doing a deep dive into our history as part of our anniversary celebrations, I’ve been struck how cyclical many of the issues are that the Alliance has faced over the last 50 years. There are ebbs and flows to access to public lands, EPA regulations, and taxes. It’s a little depressing when I read an old document that expresses a political challenge almost exactly like one we’re facing today. Yesterday’s proposed BTU tax is today’s carbon tax. Today’s leasing ban is yesterday’s programmatic environmental impact statement dragging on for years. Yesterday’s attempt to eliminate Intangible Drilling Costs is today’s attempt to eliminate those very same IDCs.

Despite the Biden administration’s recent halt on permit approvals for liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminals, other recent announcements show that pressure from the public, trade groups, state officials, and Congress can hamstring the administration’s worst proposals. Here’s a quick review of the latest actions, good and bad.
 

• Gas stove ban halted: The Department of Energy (DOE) rolled back a proposed ban on gas stoves last week in its final appliance standards rule. Due to blowback from the public, notably chefs, home cooks, and grassroots campaigns, only 3% of gas stoves on the market today will be affected – not 94% as proposed last year. The Alliance submitted robust public comments on the rule, which helped inform the agency of its misguided proposal.