Energy Roundup: Two Years Since Householder Arrest

• It has been two years since FBI agents arrested then-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four others in what prosecutors say is the biggest bribery scheme in state history. The Columbus Dispatch has published this update on the legal proceedings in the House Bill 6 scandal.
• Diesel fuel prices are averaging $5.50 a gallon nationally — up 68% from a year ago — as U.S. refineries are “essentially maxed out,” reports say. (The U.S. has 11 fewer refineries operating today than before the pandemic.)
• A report by Bloomberg says high energy costs — primarily for electricity and natural gas — are forcing U.S. manufacturers to scale back operations.
• From July 2021 to June 2022, the monthly average Henry Hub natural gas spot price nearly doubled, increasing from $3.84 to $7.70. But the Energy Information Administration now says prices will decline to an average of $5.97 in the second half of 2022.
• Energy policy continues to divide the two major political parties. Reports say environmental groups and liberals in Congress are demanding that President Biden declare a “climate emergency,” while U.S. Senate Republicans have introduced a bill to prevent the president from using climate as a basis for a national emergency.

Meanwhile, this infographic shows electric generation in the U.S. has been relatively stable since 2000 despite increases in renewable and distributed sources. China generates nearly twice the amount of electricity produced in the U.S. — and it continues to approve new coal-fired power plants. 7/21/2022