Submitted by Seth Whitehead, Executive Director Illinois Petroleum Resources Board
Affordable, reliable energy. It’s something we all depend on. And it’s something most Americans have probably gotten used to taking for granted. That was especially true from about 2009 to 2019, as record U.S. oil and natural gas production led to energy costs dropping sharply at the same time food, education and healthcare costs soared.
But that changed in a big way last year, as policies aimed at decreasing traditional American energy production and distribution contributed to energy costs soaring more than 33 percent. As a result, two in 10 American households couldn’t pay at least one monthly energy bill in full. Another 18 percent kept the temperature in their home at an unhealthy or unsafe level. And more than a quarter of Americans sacrificed food or medicine in order to pay an energy bill.
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