Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, the Democratic chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, joined Republicans in criticizing the Biden administration for its energy policies. Manchin accused the department of putting election-year politics ahead of a long-term strategy, and alleged unresponsiveness to Congress. Other Democrats praised the committee’s criticism, while Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska accused the Department of Interior of using Alaska as a “deaf card” to pay off environmental groups in an election year. The administration also issued a final rule restricting oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The criticism came in response to a bill approved by Utah Republican Rep. John Curtis, which would block the BLM rule if it were implemented, and a proposal for the Lava Ridge wind energy project in Idaho.
Solar Dominates US Energy Capacity Growth
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has published data showing that solar accounted for over 75% of US electrical generating
