In this country demand for electricity is expected to increase by 25% in the next 25 years. This increase is a function of the demands of an expanding economy and a growing population. And that 25% does not account for artificial intelligence or electric vehicle battery charging demands, which might add an additional 60% increase.
Newsom is unaware that humanity exists in all weather extremes of the world, from the hot and dry Sahara Desert to the frigid northern hemispheres. The animal kingdom has adjusted to climate change over billions of years, and now humanity, without a replacement for raw crude oil, may need to use the tools provided by oil products and fuels to master the continuous climate change adjustment challenges.
Energy wisdom—not energy denial—is the foundation of sustainable civilization. Three industry leaders share their individual thoughts on the state of energy, and then collectively join forces for a powerful conclusion.
There is a tight correlation between poverty and “deprivation” of the entire range of basic products and services that are taken for granted by wealthier citizens. A personal car is the iconic energy-dependent product that is highly correlated with freedom of mobility and independence, as well as improved personal and national economic outcomes.
We must remember, for the present and future, that all 8 billion living on this planet represent a materialistic society, and that electricity CANNOT exist without the products made from fossil fuels, and that so-called “renewables” CANNOT make any products or fuels.
This misunderstanding, treating electricity as interchangeable with materials, is the central flaw of the green movement. Electricity is a utility, not a substance. It drives processes but cannot itself make things. Even basic metals like iron and copper require carbon as a reducing agent during smelting. Without carbon, humanity would lose the very means of transforming minerals into usable materials.
Recent activities by Ukraine against Russian refineries, and the incident at the Chevron Refinery in California, are exposing the vulnerability of major Goliath infrastructures being stationary targets for slaying by the David’s in the world.
To make the most of the elements from future power plants combusted natural gas exhaust, a greenhouse becomes a perfect partner. The SRU recovered heat energy will be piped over and will be used to maintain the perfect growing environment for a multitude of different food crops.
Ukraine has launched a bold and unprecedented aerial counteroffensive against Russia that targets its critical oil infrastructure that is the foundation of its military domination. Ukraine knows that Russia’s military and economy are dependent on their oil refinery infrastructure for transportation fuels and the thousands of other products
The vast resources of underground coal, crude oil, and natural gas are all useless unless refined or processed into the fuels and products that support the lives of 8 billion people. Refineries, coal gasification, and coal liquefaction plants—though emission generators—remain indispensable to modern civilization.
Even though about 80% of the global population of 8 billion people are living on less than $10 per day, the world’s 825 operational oil refineries are processing more than 100 million barrels a day of crude oil to support the thousands of products and transportation fuels demanded by humanity on this planet.
The global nuclear renaissance is well underway—evidenced by companies like Oklo, which is now included in the Russell 2000 stocks list. The outlook is based on Oklo’s long-term vision, particularly with the Trump Administration’s increased focus on AI Revolution data center development powered by nuclear generated electricity.
Natural gas and crude oil are commonly needed fossil fuels to manufacture insulation, wires, and computers used in all methods of generating electricity. This is because components of natural gas and oil are essential feedstocks for creating plastics, which are used for insulation and many computer parts.
In recent decades, no new refineries have been built in America. Building these projects is not only expensive but also fraught with environmental and political opposition, particularly with rising concerns over climate change and the transition to greener energy. These projects can experience delays due to various factors, including financing, logistics, and regulatory hurdles.
Today, over 6,000 products derived from petroleum enrich our lives. They have reduced infant mortality, doubled global life expectancy from around 40 to over 80 years, and made it possible to travel anywhere in the world by plane, train, ship, or car—drastically reducing weather-related deaths to nearly zero. These were all unimaginable in societies before 1800.
California Governor Newsom remains unaware that electricity came AFTER oil, as ALL electrical generation methods from hydro, coal, natural gas, nuclear, wind, and solar are ALL built with the products, components, and equipment that are made from the oil derivatives manufactured from crude oil. Without Crude Oil there can be no Electricity!
The rising cost of electricity is primarily due to the entrenched nature of utility monopolies, which restrict consumer choice and inhibit market competition. As the electricity demand steadily increases—driven by factors such as the proliferation of electric vehicles, population growth, and the rapid expansion of energy-intensive data and AI centers—electricity supply remains limited by outdated regulatory frameworks and market models.
Understanding how energy systems work is key to smart decisions. Fossil fuels are not just fuels—they’re essential inputs for modern economies. Renewables alone can’t replace them. Without public awareness of these realities, policies risk being shaped by ideology rather than practicality.
The Trump Administration can lead the West in supporting this vision, dismantling restrictive green mandates and investing in Africa’s nuclear future. Denying Africa access to electricity is not justice—it’s a betrayal. By championing SMRs, the U.S. can help power Africa’s rise, ensuring prosperity for the continent and stability for the world. The time to act is now.
Not only does California’s la-la land have a minuscule impact on worldwide emissions, but its growing dependence on refineries in China to meet the enormous demand for transportation fuels to support the state's public and military airports is becoming a national security risk to the entire United States of America.
All countries need to pursue reliable, efficient, environmentally friendly electricity sources capable of generating and distributing dispatchable electricity to their industry and citizens. Nuclear generated electricity is undeniably the most reliable, cleanest and most sustainable way to do this.
California’s “Green” and “Net Zero” policymakers that wish to “transition away from fossil fuels” have focused on reducing just the SUPPLY of in-state oil production and refining to reduce emissions but have offered no backup plan to maintain the supply chain of the products and fuels to support the 4th largest economy in the world.
Perhaps it is time to weigh the benefits against the risks. If we do, nuclear power comes out way ahead of other electricity production methods. This Executive Order is at least a step in this direction. We need to ensure it is enforced and strengthened to allow for an improvement in quality of life at a cost of pennies per kWh of electricity for everyone in the world.
And now, as the early EV are aging, we need to deal with an even uglier side of Electric Vehicles –disposing of the toxic EV batteries from old or burned-out EV’s, that are polluting the air we breathe and the grounds we walk on.
It’s scary that our “Green” and “Net Zero” policymakers are setting “energy” policies that are mandating subsidies, directions, and tax breaks, when they have no comprehension of the subject of ENERGY.
While the economy DEMAND continues to increase for products and fuels, Newsom continues to destroy the SUPPLY of oil and refining to meet those DEMANDS – China coming to the rescue!
Electric vehicles are being mandated in California, but Governor Newsom is oblivious to the fact that it’s just another product that cannot exist without oil, as all the thousands of parts and components of EV’s, from tires, insulation, and computers, are made from the oil derivatives manufactured out of crude oil.
Over the last several decades, California’s passion to transition away from fossil fuels has overregulated and overly burdened just the SUPPLY of oil production and refining but has not reduced the increasing materialistic DEMANDS of the world for the more than 6,000 products and transportation fuels made from those fossil fuels.
Today, “Net Zero” policymakers setting “green” policies are oblivious to the reality that so-called “renewables”, ONLY generate electricity but CANNOT make anything. In addition, everything that NEEDS Electricity, like iPhone and computers, are made with petrochemicals manufactured from crude oil, coal, or natural gas.
Oil, coal, and gas are foundation to the global economy, contributing to thousands of products—estimated at over 6,000—that underpin modern living standards. These fossil fuels drive economic activity by providing energy and raw materials for industries, transportation, and manufacturing, while their derivatives permeate everyday life, from plastics to medicines.
All of us should be environmentalists at heart. Our daily purchases and actions should contribute to the preservation of clean air and water on the planet. Yet, we also care about our quality of life and our peaceful existence on this planet. So, we make compromises. One such compromise would be to ensure that any replacement for electricity production would be better than what we abandoned.
Net Zero, only in the wealthy countries that can subsidize renewables, is ineffective in achieving its primary goal and can never stop the weather changing. The impact of Net Zero policies is devastating for the economy and high productivity, electricity, all the more than 6,000 products made from oil derivatives, and the aviation, gasoline, and diesel fuels for our intensive industries in particular.
When we consider the needs of developing economies, we have no choice but to consider that access to electricity is a crucial cornerstone to alleviating poverty, promoting economic growth and improving living standards. It is an essential social and economic indicator. The link between electricity and GDP per capita is one of the strongest correlations in the social sciences.
Wealthy countries’ wish to rid the world of crude oil, coal, and natural gas, without replacements in mind, is immoral, since extreme shortages of the products manufactured from fossil fuels will result in the tragic loss of billions of lives from diseases, malnutrition and weather-related events, both in the developed world and in developing economies.
We have more than 50,000 merchant ships, more than 20,000 commercial aircraft and more than 50,000 military aircraft that use the fuels manufactured from crude oil. The fuels to move the heavy-weight and long-range needs of jets moving people and products, and the merchant ships for global trade flows, and the military and space programs, are also dependent on what can be manufactured from crude oil.
Instead of demonizing the energy sources for the products and fuels that built the world we know as home, we should seek balanced solutions that preserve the benefits of modernity while addressing genuine environmental concerns. A world without fossil fuels might look idyllic in the abstract, but in practice, it would resemble a dystopian world that is harsh, impoverished, and unrecognizably bleak.
Now, America seems to be fading into the wallpaper of greed and propaganda. It slinks to massive subsidies to support ancient power generated from breezes and sunshine, like wind and solar. America needs to reestablish its world-leading manifestation of this technology through our secret weapon called free enterprise.
Politicians in wealthier countries are pursuing the most expensive ways to generate intermittent electricity. Energy poverty is among the most crippling but least talked-about crises of the 21st century. We should not take electricity, products, and fuel for granted. Wealthy countries may be able to bear expensive electricity and fuels, but not by those that can least afford living in “energy poverty.”
By harnessing the power of waste, or utilizing new innovative technologies, we can focus on continuous and reliable electricity through recycling tires and plastic waste to help reduce our reliance on coal and natural gas, reduce the landfill footprint, protect the environment, and create a cleaner, healthier world for generations to come.
At the expense of its residents, who are now paying the highest costs for electricity and fuels in the nation, California’s Governor Newsom remains oblivious to the other 8 billion on this planet that are dependent on the products and fuels from oil, the same oil for which there is no known replacement.
Hope is on the horizon. The landmark US Supreme Court Chevron case has taken much of the teeth out of overzealous federal bureaucrats. US Senator Steve Daines of Montana has proposed legislation to keep coal mines operational.
