Congressman Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Bob Latta, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, have addressed a letter to Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA). The letter acknowledges the IEA’s decision to reinstate objective data analysis in its World Energy Outlook (WEO) by reintroducing the Current Policies Scenario (CPS).
In their statement, Guthrie and Latta said: “Strengthening our nation’s energy security is vital to securing our grid, powering AI and domestic manufacturing, and ensuring that Americans have the energy resources they need. For the last several years, IEA forecasts incorrectly assumed the peak demand for oil and natural gas would come before 2030. As a result, these forecasts deterred investments by painting an inaccurate picture of what energy markets will need in the future. By finally standing up to activist pressure opposing the use of oil and natural gas to power our economy, the IEA will once again be able to provide the unbiased market forecasts decision makers rely on to provide reliable and affordable energy into the future.”
The letter points out that maintaining objective data analysis is essential for policymakers and industry stakeholders who depend on accurate information about global energy markets. It criticizes past decisions by the IEA to remove CPS from its reporting under pressure from climate activists, which led to reliance on scenarios based more on policy goals than market realities.
According to information cited in the letter, oil and natural gas make up about 74 percent of primary energy sources consumed annually in the United States. Natural gas alone accounts for roughly 43 percent of electric power generation. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects continued growth in natural gas demand due to advancements such as artificial intelligence.
The lawmakers argue that politicized demand scenarios can mislead policy decisions and investment strategies. They reference a recent instance where projections from the IEA were used by the Biden-Harris Administration as support for banning liquefied natural gas export projects—a move they say discouraged investment in critical energy supplies.
The full text of their letter is available online.
