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BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, along with other attorneys general, today sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources urging full consideration and support for S.J. Res. 10, which would terminate the national energy emergency declared by President Trump in Executive Order 14156.
“In declaring an energy emergency, the president distorted the facts about America’s energy landscape,” said Attorney General Brown. “He did this to serve his political agenda. As a result, he committed our country to energy sources like fossil fuels. These sources jeopardize our communities' health and limit our ability to build a more sustainable future with increased solar and wind power.”
In the letter, the attorneys general argue, “There is no energy emergency. American energy production is at an all-time high and our electricity grid is resilient.” The attorneys general also state that “the evidence shows that we already have an abundant and reliable energy system, and are well-equipped to maintain, diversify, and expand this reliable energy supply in the future, even as energy needs increase.”
In their letter, the attorneys general note that energy production in the United States is thriving, with record quantities of crude oil and natural gas, and that the country has been a net energy exporter since 2019. Additionally, they point out that renewable energy enhances grid reliability and affordability, stating, “The North American Electric Reliability Corporation, responsible for ensuring the reliability and resiliency of America’s power grid, reports that the bulk power system is resilient, and that the single biggest reliability risk factor is extreme weather induced by climate change.”
The attorneys general also make clear that extreme weather—not an underproduction of fossil fuels—is the most urgent threat to America’s energy grid.
“Burning fossil fuels only increases the instances of severe extreme weather that damages our Nation’s infrastructure and threatens human life,” the attorneys general wrote. The so-called energy emergency ignores these scientific realities and undermines efforts to build a resilient, modern energy system. By discouraging a diverse portfolio of energy generation—including home-grown, renewable sources like solar and wind—the emergency declaration puts Americans at greater risk and weakens long-term grid stability.
The letter also notes the incredible potential of renewable energy, noting that “The Department of Energy estimates that the United States has enough renewable energy potential to meet 100 times the annual nationwide energy demand.”
The letter urges the Senate Committee to approve S.J. Res. 10, stating, “The Emergency Declaration is unsupported by the evidence. If left unchecked, the Emergency Declaration and the swift deregulation it invites will make our Nation’s energy and electricity supply less reliable and less affordable.”
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