David Holt, president of Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), recently joined Dave Nemo on his radio show “The Open Road” to discuss the energy, national security and economic problems associated with low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) proposals under consideration in Washington.
In case you missed it, here are some of the key takeaways from Holt’s interview:
On the Reality of an LCFS
- “The LCFS is a misguided attempt to improve the environment by forcing fuels onto the American public that would reduce carbon. At first blush – like communism – it kind of makes sense. But if you really peel back the onion a little bit, we don’t have the technology to meet the designs of these low carbon fuel standards and it would actually increase imports … petroleum fuels that are found in the Middle East, Libya, Nigeria and Russia.”
On the Problems with a One-Size-Fits-All LCFS Approach
- “When you are forcing this one-size-fits-all low carbon approach you are actually penalizing the North American crudes. We currently get about 4 billion gallons a year of oil sands from Canada … So our national energy security is hooked to our friends from the north who are looking at these federal proposals and discussions on LCFS and saying, ‘Do we have the market in the U.S. that we think that we did? Perhaps we should start talking to China and other nations that are more than willing to take our crude from oil sands.’”
On China, Russia, and Venezuela Positioning Themselves to Secure Energy Supplies
- “There was a major deal signed last week between China and Canada to specifically start taking Canadian oil sands and shipping it over to China. We also now have Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez over in Russia negotiating for the Russians to come into the Western Hemisphere to grab some of the available energy there. This is a global issue and we are the only nation on earth looking at ways to restrict our own energy.”
On the Effects that an LCFS Will Have on the Price at the Pump
- “An LCFS is designed to do just that: raise energy prices. It will make our fuels scarcer and increase our fuel prices by at a minimum of 60 cents per gallon for diesel fuel … At a time when this country needs to get back on its feet, this is not the right policy and certainly not at the right time.”
As Dave Nemo and his listeners learned, the American public – especially the truckers responsible for moving the goods and products consumers rely on everyday – have reason to be concerned about an LCFS.
Click HERE to read an article by leading trucking publications about this important issue.
