The Iran War Didn't Push Your Heating Bill This High. The Blue Government's Energy Policy Did
Pipeline blockages and refinery shortages explain why energy prices rise every winter, leaving families vulnerable to fluctuations in the global oil market.
The high price of energy is among the main concerns of voters
The summer season has arrived and the Iran war is to blame for the increase in energy prices. Explains the time war. It does not explain the vulnerability.
America produces large amounts of oil and gas. Why do prices jump when the Persian Gulf flares up? Because oil is traded in the global market. A crisis anywhere moves prices everywhere.
But the real problem is state-level policies that have prevented us from truly unleashing our domestic energy bounty.
Chevron's CEO warned that Iran's conflict has posed a "very real" threat to global oil supply as gas prices rise.
It is well documented that we have a shortage of refineries. The country has 130 operating refineries, down from 301 in 1982, and no major new refineries have been built in the United States since 1976. Here in the Northeast, when we lost the Philadelphia Energy Solutions plant, we lost about 335,000 barrels per day.
In my state, New York, like many other states, we have a self-imposed supply problem. Natural gas travels through pipelines, and New York has blocked those pipelines. Right next door, Pennsylvania is home to some of the richest gas fields in the country. If built, the Constitution pipeline would carry natural gas 124 miles, with 99 miles of new route in New York.
American businesses are not allowed to build. It's time Congress helped them
The fight to build this much-needed pipeline is now 10 years old. In April 2016, the government rejected the water permit. The courts confirmed it. The company tried again in 2025, then pulled out in November after three warnings that its application was incomplete.
And the problem is deeper than a pipeline. Bad climate laws set broad emissions targets, and the program to meet them is slim, if not unattainable. Consider Local Law 97 of New York City. The law penalizes large buildings that exceed the permitted greenhouse gas emission limits, and these limits will be greatly tightened in 2030. Owners must pay for costly renovations or fines. Either way, the bill would hit tenants, co-op owners and small businesses.
The real reason why electricity bills increase in summer will surprise you
Democrats in many state capitals seem determined to stifle other reliable and affordable energy sources. Nuclear reactors and coal-fired power plants have been shut down, both of which provide the energy needed by citizens, especially low-income families.
Meanwhile, utility bills continue to rise, filling your gas tank becomes more of a pain, and truckers and haulers face punishing diesel prices, which of course drive up the price of everything from lumber to lunch meat.
Senators push Trump to release home heating oil stockpile amid rising prices
I have spent over 20 years in the energy and utilities industry. Energy is not abstract. Pipe, wire, steel and supply. As long as demand continues, limit supply and prices will rise. This is an account, not an ideology.
And winter makes it even more brutal. On the clearest days, when the pipes are full, utilities struggle to find alternatives, and alternatives cost more. Families on fixed incomes cannot opt out. They lower the thermostat and pull on another jacket.
The Trump administration is moving toward Biden's signature environmental legislation
Here's something that should bother everyone, whatever their politics. A state that does not produce or import its own fuel does not become independent. Becomes a customer. It offers to supply against the world and accepts any price demanded, including prices set by wars.
What is the solution? Approval of pipeline projects with the capacity to import domestic gas. Keep reliable power plants running until real replacements are built and tested. Approval of the construction of new refineries. Be honest about the costs of climate requirements and implement them as quickly as working families can afford them. Judge success by lower bills and steady supply, not ribbon cuts.
And most importantly: vote this November for candidates who are dedicated to America's energy independence and who support the sensible and robust development of both the production and refining of our abundant energy resources.
Dave Bowie spent 20 years in the energy and utilities industry. His book, The Four-G Revolution: The Battle to Save God, Gas, Guns, and Glory, was published by RealClear Publishing on October 6.
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