Conservatives in my party kill clean energy: It’s time to resurrect



Conservatives like me have spent decades arguing that renewable energy has enhanced the energy independence of the United States, but those who once demanded foreign oil freedom have now brushed on local solar and wind engines.

I’m a Republican for a lifetime Testify before Congress Three times, they supported legislation on reforming clean energy incentives. Although wind and gas turbines are mainly made in the United States, many of my conservatives are trying to suffocate the U.S. renewable energy industry in pursuit of energy independence. The industry is not innocent: its close connection to the left-wing climate crusade alienates many on the right.

But electricity demand and market forces now offer the industry a chance to resurrect: reshape clean energy, rather than ecological signaling, but a core component of American competitiveness and independence.

Political error estimates

80% of my Republicans support wind and solar in 2020, but by 2025, that share has dropped to around 60%. The erosion of support is the result of misestimation: renewable advocates are very closely aligned with progressive climate politics, turning industries that everyone once accepted into a left-wing reason, alienating conservatives in the process.

Maga activists discover their Bette Noir, turning “green energy” into an object of contempt. Republican officials who once welcomed renewable projects in their area now echo the anti-updated conversation points. Despite 70% of U.S. wind energy is produced in the red state (Texas alone gets nearly 30% of electricity from the wind), wind energy has become a pariah at Republican bases.

Market Opportunities

The sharp rise in demand for electricity driven by artificial intelligence and electrification may achieve what politics do not have: making clean energy essential. Traditional resources cannot expand quickly enough: new nuclear plants take decades, and even natural gas cannot quickly increase to meet near-term demand.

By contrast, wind, solar and battery installations can be built in a fraction of the time. Renewables provide zero branch office electricity, a White House study warns that if we can’t increase cheap capacity, AI-powered demand may generate electricity by 2030. They are essential to keeping lighting and energy costs low.

Conservative reflection

To win conservatives, renewable advocates must re-advocate information about liberal, secure and free enterprise, values that clean energy can advocate.

free: Conservatives reward individual freedom, which should include the freedom to generate their own powers – the right that ordinary homeowners have exercised, not just elites.

Safety: Domestic renewable energy is a fortress against foreign threats: solar panels have produced electricity for decades, with only clouds and nightfall. Wind turbines can operate for 25 years and their components are mainly made by us. After installation, no opponent can turn off the supply of sunlight or wind.

Free Enterprise: Renewables often undercut the cost of fossil fuels, and the competitive environment will be level soon as the federal clean energy tax credit expires in 2027. Policies to block renewable energy are not “pro-market” – if wind and solar are cheaper, let them compete. Clean energy is not a Trojan horse for large governments, but the best free enterprise.

The way forward

The clean energy sector is entering or destroying the period: the federal tax credit will expire in 2027, leaving a two-year window to build as much capacity as possible, while the incentives continue. This looming deadline triggered a blitzkrieg of development, turning years of growth into a sprint. Losing subsidies can be hurt, but it is also an opportunity for the industry to prove itself by cutting costs and competitive innovation.

National electricity prices have risen 13% since 2022, partly due to a lack of cheap supply, not because some people claim “too much” renewable energy. Every utility is getting faster and faster, only making solar panels and batteries more attractive. If suppliers seize this moment to scale up and reduce costs, they can thrive based on the merits rather than the task.

in conclusion

The future of American energy should not be a partisan battlefield. Our prosperity and security depend on the abundance, affordable capacity of every source, including clean energy. Clean energy is not a progressive scam – it is just pure energy, and it happens to be consistent with conservative values. Let’s end the energy culture war and let the free market drive the next era of growth so that the United States can win.

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