Spring is well and truly underway in most of the United States (even here in Alaska), and the summer travel season is about to start. Here in the Great Land, our economy depends a great deal on energy development, but we also depend on tourism, and with this coming long weekend - Memorial Day weekend - the traditional tourist season will be kicking into high gear.
Energy prices, of course, affect everything we do, every economic decision we make. Under the feckless Biden (or whoever) administration, energy prices were kicked up, partly because of the hostility of that administration to energy extraction, partly due to resources diverted into green energy boondoggles.
I wouldn't have doubted it possible for so much to happen so quickly, but here we are; as we coast into this first long weekend of summer, gas prices, adjusted for inflation, are lower than they have been since the first George W. Bush administration.
Americans celebrating Memorial Day by hitting the road will likely be paying the cheapest gas prices since 2003.
GasBuddy, a fuel savings platform, said Tuesday that it forecasts the national average price of gasoline to be $3.08 per gallon on Memorial Day. That would make it the cheapest since 2021 in nominal terms. After adjusting for inflation, it would be the lowest since 2003.
This is not expected to be short-lived. Prices of gasoline are expected to average around $3.02 per gallon between Memorial Day and Labor Day, with prices falling below three dollars on some days.
That’s likely to bring cheer to the 69 percent of Americans who plan on taking a road trip this summer.
That's good news, and it's a remarkable change in a short time.
Last summer, the national average price of gasoline was $3.58 per gallon on Memorial Day. This year’s lower price reflects increased oil production that has lowered crude oil prices. A barrel of Brent Crude, the global standard for oil prices, is currently priced at $65.07, down significantly from the $83.71 a year ago.
Energy affects everything we do, every decision we make, and every economic transaction. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and the rest of the Trump administration have been focused from the very beginning on bringing energy prices down, especially where fossil fuels are concerned.
Even The Hill, normally no friend of the Trump administration, is forced to admit success here; an opinion column by Larry Behrens on Wednesday also noted the Trump administration's accomplishments in energy.
When President Trump returned to the White House, he immediately set out to reverse the devastating energy policies of Joe Biden.
Undoing Biden’s damage alone would have been a tremendous service to the country. But true to form, Trump went even further, setting in motion an American energy renaissance unlike anything we’ve seen before.
In just four months, President Trump delivered the strongest, most successful energy agenda in modern American history. By making energy affordability, abundance and independence the priority again, he is proving that energy is the backbone of our economy, security and way of life.
Here's the best part: In doing all this, the Trump administration has essentially told the climate scolds where to head in. That's worth doing in itself, and that's for sure and for certain.
See Also: Your Gas Stove Is Safe! Trump Kills Biden-Era Appliance Regs
Biden Admin Continued Pouring Money Down Green Energy Ratholes Even After Trump Won
Energy prices affect everything we do. We've poured enough taxpayer dollars into green energy boondoggles; it's time to get our energy policy back on track, and it's amazing how quickly this is happening - and how quickly prices are reflecting it.
Although if I could make one suggestion to the Trump administration on energy policy, it would be this: Let's not overlook nuclear power. We solve today's problems with tomorrow's technology, and that tomorrow includes nuclear energy. The new reactor designs are clean, safe, efficient, and deliver higher energy density than anything else available today. The new small modular reactors (SMR) have enormous potential to provide power in spot locations, like AI centers and server farms, as well as to small towns and remote settlements. They could also help with a vital national security issue: decentralizing our power grid.
For the time being, though, enjoy the lowering energy costs, and when your vacation time comes around, enjoy that road trip - and enjoy the fact that it will cost you less now than it did a year ago.
What a difference a president makes.
Vacation season grows nigh. If you're coming to Alaska this summer, welcome! Enjoy our enormous state, our unparalleled vistas, our great fishing, and all the other things that Alaska has to offer; spend some time in our state that is so clean, vast, wild and free, and you'll appreciate why we call it the Great Land.
