As Americans fire up their grills and head out on road trips, there’s something to celebrate this Independence Day: energy sanity is making a comeback.
This year, there’s a little more freedom on the menu. After years of being shackled by a radical green agenda, 2025 is shaping up to be the year we finally hit the brakes and throw it in reverse.
Here are four reasons why this 4th of July is better than the last:
1. Gas prices are over 31 cents cheaper
According to AAA, the national average for gasoline is more than 31 cents cheaper per gallon than it was last year at this time. That may not sound like much—until you fill up your tank and realize that’s nearly $5 per fill up in a 15-gallon tank. Better yet, gas is now a whopping $1.83 cheaper per gallon than the record highs we saw under Joe Biden just three years ago.
That’s not an accident. It’s the result of prioritizing American energy, not punishing it.
2. You don’t live in California or Washington
While much of America is seeing relief at the pump, California and Washington are doubling down on failure.
In California, gas prices—already the highest in the nation—are about to skyrocket by 65 cents a gallon thanks to regulations and a state gas tax hike.
Meanwhile, in Washington, gas prices have actually gone up 10 cents from last year, bucking the national trend. And on July 1st, the state is tacking on a new 6-cent-per-gallon gas tax, because nothing says “happy Independence Day” like making driving unaffordable.
If you’re not in those states, breathe a sigh of relief—and maybe send a thank-you card to your local leaders who haven’t lost their minds.
3. The war against our appliances is over
This Independence Day, go ahead and crank the air conditioner and fire up that gas grill—because the federal assault on your home appliances is over.
The Biden administration’s war on dishwashers, water heaters, stoves, and ceiling fans has been halted. The savings are real as the cost of replacing everything Joe Biden wanted you to replace in your house was near $10,000 per home. And that’s even before you buy that electric vehicle! This year, the senseless effort to force every American into higher costs and worse performance has officially been scrapped.
Be sure to celebrate by using your appliances freely—without guilt, government overreach, or green lecturing.
4. The Big Beautiful Bill beats back the Green New Scam
Remember the so-called Inflation Reduction Act? It turned out to be a massive slush fund for green special interests and Chinese supply chains. But now, the Big Beautiful Bill is finally pulling the plug.
Washington, D.C. is proposing to phase out wasteful green energy tax credits, and even better—impose a new tax on wind and solar projects that rely on Chinese components. If your so-called clean energy plan depends on slave labor and subsidies, maybe it’s not that clean after all.
Last year, Americans were told to accept high prices, appliance mandates, and dependence on China—all in the name of a green fantasy. This year, we’re turning the page.
Gas is cheaper. Appliance tyranny is dead. Green grift is getting taxed. And a little common sense is finally clawing its way back into Washington, D.C.
So, this 4th of July, as you hit the road, flip the burgers, and crank the AC, remember this: we’re proudly celebrating America’s independence— but we’re also reclaiming our own.
From gas tanks to grill flames, freedom is back—and it runs on American energy.
Larry Behrens is an energy expert and the Communications Director for Power The Future. He has appeared on Fox News, ZeroHedge, and NewsMax speaking in defense of American energy workers. You can follow him on X/Twitter @larrybehrens
This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.
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there’s something to celebrate
Is there?
On Friday, however, I agreed to make the argument the next morning on LBC that heatwaves aren’t a treat, they’re a problem.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/23/why-do-we-pretend-heatwaves-are-fun-and-ignore-the-brutal-burning-reality
The Guardian on a few nice summer days
Certainly there’s nothing to celebrate in the UK. It’s relentlessly depressing to watch. Four long years of degradation ahead.
Oh for the good old days, ‘phew what a scorcher’ headlines, a few shots of teenage girls on the beach, an old bloke roasted like a lobster sitting on a park bench, a kid with a melted lolly, and Samantha Fox being hosed down by the local fire brigade.
I’m actually waiting for it to warm a little this morning before picking cherries for an independence pie.
It’s fun to read all the caterwauling by Dems about how horrible the new law is (I don’t care much for its informal name, the “Big Beautiful Bill”). But if Republicans have any sense at all they’re going to reminding most voters of how they directly benefit between now and next year’s election. Because we can all bet that the media will serve as the echo chamber for the partisans in the Dem party.
Besides taking a meat ax to the green energy scam, how many people seriously want to defend unemployed white men sitting in their apartments playing video games while refusing to donate 20 hours a week to volunteer work as the price for their free health care that the rest of us have to pay for? I mean, really? Dems want to defend THAT? And they want to bitch about working stiffs getting a tax break on tip income, overtime pay, and retirees getting a very small break on re-taxing the Social Security we’ve all been taxed on already for the 40-50 years of our working lives? They want to bitch about THAT?
Let them bitch.
The answer is, of course not – they’ll lie about what’s in the bill. Under Nancy Pelosi, their motto was, “You have to pass the bill to know what’s in the bill.” Now it’s “the bill is really not the bill that it is – the bill is what we tell you it is.”
So now, regular as clockwork the flood this week in Texas is already being blamed on Trump’s firing of the NOAA bureaucrats staffing the scammny climate change element of the agency. As if suddenly, all the radars and computers and meteorologists suddenly walked off the job and left us defenseless against Exxon’s extreme climate.
However, this is like shooting fish in a barrel, as long as Republicans decide they cannot stay silent and let the Dems and their media harlots control the political dialogue for the next 16 months.
No tax on SSI would have been nice. I would have immediately signed up, as probably would have too many others.
The San Antonio area seems to get more than its share of intense flooding. Its 1921 flood took over 200 lives and was claimed to be a 500 year event.
I personally like gasoline to be under $2/gal. The cheapest in Colorado is about $2.40/gal right now (about 0.54 Euros/liter).
I wonder when, if ever, people will ever learn not to build in the river bottom… it gets wet down there :<)
Building in the flood plain can be OK, but the buildings have to be suitably sited and designed to withstand a flood. People like to live and work by the water – always have, always will. But any waterfront property has a risk of being inundated.
The problem is that historically there were no standards for siting and building design to account for flood protection. The new stuff that goes in today is generally so required to comply in most jurisdictions in the US.
From “When the rain Tumbles Down In July”, Slim Dusty:
The settlers with sad hearts are watching
The rise of the stream from the dawn
Their best crops are always in flood reach
If it rises much more they’ll be gone
Or you might check “Five Feet High And Rising”: Johnny Cash.
Both songs date back many decades.
Maybe take a class in tax accounting on the SSI issue or at least a tax planning course. We’re looking forward to tax filing next spring with either SSI offset by the huge deduction for couples or the equivalence of reduced tax on discretionary income realized alongside SSI. That’s in addition to the the under reported benefit of the 2017 law that greatly simplified tax filing for millions of Americans. I know good things when I see them and the dollar signs that go with them, like huge refunds from over withholding and no tax accountants for simple online tax returns.
“Over withholding”. The average worker’s interest free loan to the government.
“if Republicans have any sense at all they’re going to reminding most voters of how they directly benefit between now and next year’s election. Because we can all bet that the media will serve as the echo chamber for the partisans in the Dem party.”
I think Republicans realize they have to counter all the negative comments coming from the radical Democrats, who have nothing good to say about it. Which is standard operating procedure for radical Democrats. They have nothing good to say about Trump or Republicans. Personal attacks is all they can muster.
“So now, regular as clockwork the flood this week in Texas is already being blamed on Trump’s firing of the NOAA bureaucrats staffing the scammny climate change element of the agency. As if suddenly, all the radars and computers and meteorologists suddenly walked off the job and left us defenseless against Exxon’s extreme climate.”
I figured that was going to be next. I halfway expected to see something about it on WUWT this morning.
The two main complaints by Democrats about the Big, Beautiful Law are that able-bodied, single individuals will be required to work or seek work or volunteer, in return for welfare payments. And Democrats seem to think that kicking illegal aliens off the Medicaid program is a bad thing so they are complaining about that, too.
So I assume that their concentrating on these couple of issues means that they are having a hard time picking apart the rest of the Big, Beautiful Law. Oh yeah! The radical Democrats are now hitting Republicans over the national debt. They never even raise the issue when a Democrat is president. Trump’s Big, Beautiful Law is going to grow us right out of a deficit. That, and Trump’s tariffs. Trump’s tariffs are taking in between $30 to $40 billion per month. No inflation associated with tariffs.
People who get paid with tips like Trump’s new “No taxes on tips” law.
People who work overtime like Trump’s new “no taxes on overtime” law.
People on Social Security like Trump’s new tax deduction law which will put more money in their pockets. Trump would have made it the “no tax on Social Security law” but the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that could not be put in the bill that way, so Trump gave the Seniors a tax deduction as a substitute.
The Farmers like Trump’s new law on inheritance laws making it possible for family farms to stay in business when the Head of the Family dies.
The Farmers like Trump’s new law allowing many more temporary workers to be brought in to do farm work. Biden had crippled this program as one effort to sell his open border policy. Trump put a stop to that.
Democrats don’t have many talking points to make. On this occasion, as on most occasions, the radical Democrats will have to resort to lying about the Big, Beautiful Law.
Republicans will need to refute these lies as there are a lot of impressionable people in the electorate. I’m sure Republicans will make their case, because they have a very good case to make.
It’s off to the Races for the U.S. economy now! Trump got his economic plan in place and the Republicans have shown they can do a good job of governing, which bodes very well for the 2026 midterm elections. The Republican leadership did a miraculous job! If you need cats herded, go see them!
With bigger majorities of Republicans in the House and Senate, Republicans can take on the issues like not including illegal aliens in the census, so their numbers cannot skew representation in Washington DC.
Republicans can pass laws requiring Voter ID, Paper ballots, and same-day counting, in every State, and purging the voter rolls of ineligibles in every State.
Republicans can reign in the lower federal courts and stop the lawfare these criminals are perpetrating against their political opponents. Perhaps an impeachment or two is in order.
And there is so much more that Republicans can do with enough representatives in Congress. Then a couple of hard-headed, my-way-or-the-highway Republicans won’t be an obstacle, like they were with the Big,Beautiful Bill.
Btw, you Republicans that have issues with this bill (spending issues mainly), now is your chance to introduce a bill that satisfies your requirements, whatever that may be. You guys were acting like the Big, Beautiful Bill was the only bill in town. Show us what you want in a new bill, maybe a majority will support you. The good thing is you won’t be harming the Trump agenda this time around. It’s already on-track.
Send the Pres and VP out for photo ops at job sites all over America to highlight no tax on overtime and tips. Hit the Dems where it hurts among the working families and jobs sites.
“Trump’s tariffs are taking in between $30 to $40 billion per month. No inflation associated with tariffs.”
Who do you think is paying these tariffs Tom?
According to the Dems, by Nov. 2026 the bodies of victims of the BBB should be piling up like cordwood. At the same time, billionaires will be reveling in their tax free tips and overtime income bonanzas. This will result, of course, in a “Blue Wave” that will through the GOP out of both houses of congress. Well, we all know that there is no shortage of magical thinking among liberal elites.
Yeah, it is a vast improvement over the Auto-pen administration. But, there are still too bloody many subsidies for wind and solar, and the squishes who insisted on subsidy mining should be primaried.
The huge gasoline taxes in CA and WA are the most regressive taxes ever. They strike right at the working class, retirees, and the beloved ‘immigrants’.
I’d really love it if this site left the politics colored glasses shit off the screen. I have already significantly cut back on my visits here like I did a few other sites that cannot keep their politics out of what should not be political.
Actually, the BBB does NOT wipe out green scam subsidies. Late additions means it contains enough loopholes to let this nonsense continue. Very disappointing. For more analysis of the details, see Alex Epstein’s Substack blog.
Why is my post being downvoted? Is it people who don’t want to believe special interests managed to insert language that enables continuation of the subsidies? Or do you think Epstein is factually incorrect? If so, please demonstrate. I HOPE that Epstein is wrong but I’m not going to blind myself with wishful thinking.