BEFORE A CRISIS MAKES MORE SENSE:

The surging and volatile oil and gas prices created by Russian President Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine highlights the urgent need for the US to reduce its dependence on foreign oil and natural gas and accelerate its move to cleaner energy sources. Never before has it been this clear that fossil fuels are not only harming our environment, but our economy as well.

Rising oil, gasoline and natural gas prices are particularly harmful for small businesses and low-income households. Over the past year, the compounding effects of supply chain issues, ballooning demand and Russia's war in Ukraine has increased the price of gasoline from $2.85 to $4.23 a gallon. For low- and middle-income families, this increase is significant because they have less discretionary income to absorb rising prices. And volatile energy prices create challenges beyond what these households pay at the pump or on their utility bills. For example, unexpected spikes in the price of energy increase the odds that a low-income household will have to reduce purchases of other essential goods, including food, because they cannot easily reduce their consumption of gasoline in the short term.

A transition to clean energy is a transition to cheaper energy. By powering our families with green energy made in America, we can create jobs, lower monthly bills, improve reliability and insulate working Americans from price hikes.

Tweet   @brothersjudd