The debate over how the US will satisfy energy demand from data centers, EVs, and rising electrification continued this week in a divided Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing.
Republicans and Democrats offered different solutions to the problem, and were split on recent energy permitting executive orders from the Trump administration.
Committee Chairman Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) opened the hearing by claiming that wind and solar power aren’t reliable sources of energy—even when paired with battery storage—and that the US has “spent much of the last 20 years shutting down the generation that can actually meet that demand,” like coal- and natural gas-fired power plants.
“The federal government has been investing heavily in certain green energy technologies for decades, handing out tax credits like candy,” Lee said. “Renewables and storage have a place. They’re capable of helping do their part to make the grid more resilient and reliable, but scalability is an issue.”
And when faced with the reality of the greenhouse gas emissions that come from carbon-intensive energy sources like coal and natural gas, Lee and hearing witness Peter Huntsman advocated for making materials lighter so they require “less energy” to manufacture. Huntsman is the CEO of chemical manufacturer Huntsman Corporation, and said in the hearing that using only renewable energy sources “risk[s] losing both our manufacturing and consumer affordability.”
“Ruinous and unrealistic net-zero and decarbonization policies,” Huntsman said, foster the “failed idea…that you can power a modern economy without developing oil and gas resources.”
Democratic members of the committee, including Ranking Member Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), advocated for an “all of the above” energy strategy, which has been touted by Republican green energy proponents in the House, and cited batteries’ ability to provide stable, reliable power. Heinrich in particular bashed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” for phasing out clean energy tax credits that fast-tracked renewable power generation, and a recent Trump administration policy that requires Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to provide an “elevated review” of all proposed wind and solar projects on federal lands.
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“I am deeply disturbed by the recent Department of Interior policy,” Heinrich said. “This nakedly political decision will risk delaying new generation additions to the grid when we need them the most.”
Democrats were also joined by Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in highlighting the importance of renewable energy. She cited off-the-grid communities in Alaska that usually have to rely on expensive diesel fuel to power their microgrids.
“If they can get 20% of their diesel-powered consumption offset by some incremental wind and solar, it’s 20% that they’re not spending [on diesel],” Murkowski said. “We’re operating in different worlds.”
Hearing witness Rob Gramlich, president of energy consulting firm Grid Strategies, presented a separate perspective on the energy generation divide, and one that has come up in debates about other national issues: It should be left up to the states.
“Each state uses markets or regulation or various combinations of investor-owned and other types of utilities to meet their power demand needs. And that’s where the process should take place,” Gramlich said. “I don’t think the federal government needs to be meddling right now in specific power plants.”
Still, Gramlich advised states to utilize the aforementioned “all of the above” approach.
“The power system is more like a basketball team. The point guard doesn’t do what the center does, and vice versa. You need it all,” Gramlich said. “Particularly in this moment of rapidly rising low growth, we can’t be taking one of those players off the court.”