President Trump is doing the one thing absolutely essential to affordability over the long-term, and that is dismantling the climate change agenda. This move is expected to have a significant impact on the cost of energy for Americans.

The Climate Change Agenda and Energy Costs

The climate change agenda is based on the premise that fossil fuels are far too cheap for our own good because the price we pay fails to account for the environmental damage they inflict. However, this viewpoint is at odds with the vast majority of Americans who want access to the cheapest sources of energy.

The regulatory crackdown on coal-fired power plants added to retirements of existing facilities while discouraging construction of any new ones. This undoubtedly contributed to the upward pressure on electric rates. Natural gas was also a regulatory target, including its use in home appliances like furnaces and water heaters.

The Cost of Climate Change Policies

The new transmission lines needed to incorporate more wind- and solar-generated electricity come with cost estimates into the trillions of dollars. And since these electricity sources don’t work 24/7 like coal, natural gas or nuclear can, they will necessitate investments in battery storage that may tack on trillions more.

Swapping out the energy sources that have succeeded in the marketplace with those favored by government for their supposed climate friendliness is a recipe for higher costs, not lower ones. We can have affordable energy, or we can have intrusive climate change policy, but we can never have both.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.