Prices continue to rise even though some of the most notorious dictators in the world are being begged by President Biden to drill for more oil. The new energy strategy is referred to as a “Not In My Backyard” or NIMBY energy policy. Instead of extracting the plentiful oil and natural gas from our soils, the Biden administration plans to build unreliable solar farms and import fossil fuels from countries that are more environmentally damaging.
Biden’s approach may have an impact on you in ways that you might not have thought of. Due to falling U.S. production, there is a global shortage which leads to higher prices. Increasing transportation costs cause rising prices to affect the price of goods or services. But what if rising prices could make it difficult for you to defend yourself, while Democrats scramble to disarm you?
Michigan’s Isabella County Sheriff’s Office has used up its entire year’s fuel budget. They plan to answer some non-emergency phone calls to keep costs down. A non-emergency could quickly turn into an emergency, as any law enforcement officer will tell you. In large counties with long travel times, this policy can lead to unnecessary tragedies.
What about rural or exurban counties that could be affected by the same problem? The cost of first responders has risen dramatically. Michigan’s average gallon price is $5.00. The national average was $3.06 last year. On Biden’s Inauguration day, it hovered at $2.50. Our Commander in Chief made it clear that lower prices are not something we can expect anytime soon. The Commander in Chief stated to Americans that the idea of being able to “click a switch” and lower gasoline prices is unlikely. Prices rose by $0.25 per week.
Here’s another reason Biden’s NIMBY policy on energy could cause Americans to fail: Yesterday saw the Gulf of Mexico’s first named storm. After producing heavy rainfall and flooding the inland, a low-pressure system moved over the Atlantic Ocean to form Tropical Storm Alex on June 5. Hurricane Agatha struck the Pacific side of Puerto Angel, Oaxaca on May 30, according to Mexico. NOAA reports that Agatha was the strongest tropical storm to hit the Pacific coast of Mexico during May. This season is just getting started.
People’s homes can be damaged by severe summer storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. The price of lumber and other building materials has been rising steadily over the past 12 months. Most American homes and buildings have asphalt-based roofs. Asphalt is a byproduct of oil refining.
I know that almost all commercial roofing materials and shingles used in the United States are made locally because I was employed in the industry. Shipping internationally is expensive due to the weight of the final product. This makes it difficult for many people to ship long distances within the country. The price of asphalt in the United States is directly related to the cost of a barrel of oil. The price of a bundle or roll of commercial roofing will rise as American oil refineries decrease their production.
Most roofing products are used by construction crews to re-roof existing buildings after storm damage or age, and not new construction. Newsreels often show damaged roofs covered in blue plastic tarps, to protect the rest. Bad news. The plastic tarps are made from petroleum products that are derived from oil or natural gas. These products will be more costly and less plentiful than thousands of other products that use chemicals from fossil fuels.
If you think it’s easy to convert to metal roofing, then think again. I’m waiting for a small quantity of aluminum railing to fix the retaining walls. It will be here in 90 days. Metal shortages are all around. Low-density energy like solar and wind is not enough to produce metal. Imports from China will be required as domestic production costs rise. If you live in Tornado Alley, Hurricane Row, or Hurricane Row, you might want to learn how to thatch.
Biden called his NIMBY policy an “incredible transformation.” It is extremely burdensome at both the pump and on the monthly energy bills for most Americans. Biden’s precarity policy may make Americans less secure and less safe as fossil fuel prices continue to rise. This is the result of a self-inflicted injury to the nation that has the largest fossil fuel reserves and uses the most environmentally sound methods to extract it.
