Jeffrey Clark, APA President
America stands at a crossroads. The nation can cling to outdated thinking that pits one energy source against another, or it can embrace a future where every state participates in the energy economy and every American benefits from the abundance that comes from using all of our resources. The choice isn’t between old energy and new energy, between red states and blue states, or between coastal interests and rural communities. It’s about leveraging every resource America has to build an economy that works for everyone and positions this nation to lead the world in the defining competition of our time.
The slogan is simple: All-American energy from ALL American states. It’s not just a catchy phrase. It’s a recognition that every state in this union has energy resources worth developing, every state can contribute to American energy independence, and every community deserves the opportunity to participate in the prosperity that energy development creates. From wind in the Great Plains to solar in the Southeast, from biofuels in Missouri to geothermal in Arkansas, from natural gas in Texas to nuclear in South Carolina, from hydropower in the Pacific Northwest to offshore wind on the Atlantic coast, America’s energy diversity is our strength, not our weakness.
An “all of the above” approach to power generation isn’t just good policy. It’s the only strategy that makes economic sense for American consumers and the only path that positions the United States to compete in a world where the AI race will determine who leads the future. And make no mistake: if we lose the AI race to China, we will have lost the future itself.
Artificial intelligence requires massive amounts of electricity. Data centers powering AI systems are already transforming the electricity landscape, and their appetite for power will only grow. The nation that can deliver abundant, affordable electricity will be the nation that dominates AI development. The nation that can’t will watch its future slip away.
We cannot afford to wait. The timelines for building traditional natural gas power plants stretch too long when the demand is accelerating right now. We need to build the resources we can deploy today while also investing in the resources that will power tomorrow. That means nuclear reactors providing baseload power for decades. That means natural gas plants that can ramp up and down to balance the grid. That means wind and solar that can be built quickly and cheaply to meet surging demand. That means energy storage systems that make intermittent resources reliable. We need more of everything, working together, everywhere, all at once.
The economics are straightforward. Wind and solar are now the cheapest forms of new electricity generation available. Nuclear provides emissions-free baseload power with unmatched reliability. Natural gas offers flexibility and affordability. Energy storage is plummeting in cost while improving in performance. When these resources work together rather than compete for political favor, they create the kind of power system that can support the most advanced economy on Earth while keeping costs manageable for families and businesses. This isn’t theoretical. It’s happening right now in states across the country that have embraced energy diversity instead of energy tribalism.
But this is about more than just keeping electric bills manageable or even winning the AI competition, as critical as both of those are. This is about economic development and opportunity in every corner of America. For too long, energy policy has created winners and losers based on geography and political influence. States with favored resources prospered while states with different resources watched opportunity flow elsewhere. That’s not just bad policy. It’s a betrayal of the American promise that every community can chart its own path to prosperity.
When we commit to developing All-American energy from ALL American states, we’re saying that rural Oklahoma has as much right to benefit from wind development as coastal Virginia has to develop offshore wind. We’re saying that Texas can participate in the energy economy through natural gas, wind, and solar just as Georgia participates through solar and nuclear. We’re saying that every state’s resources matter and every state’s communities deserve the economic benefits that energy development delivers.
For rural America, this commitment is particularly vital. Farm country has watched manufacturing plants close, family operations consolidate, and young people move away in search of better opportunities. Energy development offers these communities something they haven’t seen in decades: major capital investment coming to them rather than passing them by. When a wind farm or solar project comes to a rural county, it becomes one of the largest taxpayers in that county, often the largest. That tax revenue flows directly to school districts that are struggling to keep teachers, hospitals that are fighting to keep their doors open, and county governments that are stretched thin trying to maintain roads and provide basic services.
For American farmers and ranchers, renewable energy represents a hedge against the uncertainty that has come to define modern agriculture. Commodity prices swing wildly. Weather patterns have become less predictable. Input costs keep rising. Trade policies shift with every election. And yet, the bills keep coming due. Land leases from wind and solar projects provide stable, long-term income that doesn’t depend on rainfall, commodity markets, or Washington’s latest farm policy. That steady check in the mail can mean the difference between keeping the farm in the family and selling to a corporate consolidator.
The beauty of renewable energy development on agricultural land is that it doesn’t force an either-or choice. A farmer doesn’t have to choose between growing crops and hosting a wind turbine. The turbine takes up a tiny footprint, the rows of corn or soybeans run right up to the base, and the farmer collects lease payments on top of whatever the harvest brings. Solar arrays can be designed to allow grazing underneath or between the panels. And when these projects reach the end of their useful lives in twenty or thirty years, they’re decommissioned and the land returns to agricultural use. Farmland stays farmland. Ranchland stays ranchland. Families can pass their land to the next generation knowing it served them well without being permanently removed from production.
This matters in a nation where agriculture isn’t just an industry. It’s a way of life and a cultural identity. Rural communities don’t want to become industrial parks or housing subdivisions. They want to stay rural. Energy development done right allows them to do exactly that while generating the revenue they need to thrive.
But the economic opportunity extends far beyond rural America. By leveraging all of our energy resources, the United States can position itself as the world’s premier energy exporter. Our natural gas resources, particularly when combined with domestic demand met by renewables and nuclear, can be exported as liquefied natural gas to countries around the world. This brings economic prosperity from international customers who are eager to buy American energy. It helps the world shift away from dirtier resources like coal, reducing global emissions while growing American jobs. And it strengthens America’s geopolitical position by making allies less dependent on energy from adversaries.
When America exports LNG, we’re not just selling a commodity. We’re exporting energy security, environmental progress, and American values. Countries that buy American natural gas aren’t funding authoritarian regimes in Russia or the Middle East. They’re supporting American workers, American innovation, and American leadership. That’s economic power translated into geopolitical influence, and it’s only possible when we develop our domestic resources fully enough to meet our own needs while having surplus to share with the world.
The AI challenge makes all of this more urgent. China is investing heavily in AI infrastructure because Chinese leaders understand what’s at stake. They’re building power generation capacity at a pace that should alarm anyone concerned about American competitiveness. They’re not debating whether to build renewables or natural gas or nuclear. They’re building everything they can as fast as they can because they know that the nation with abundant electricity will be the nation that leads in AI, and the nation that leads in AI will shape the future of the global economy.
America cannot afford to respond to this challenge with half measures or ideological debates about which energy sources are politically acceptable. We need gigawatts and we need them fast. That means approving projects quickly, streamlining permitting without sacrificing environmental protection, and creating regulatory certainty so investors know their capital won’t be stranded by political shifts. It means building wind farms in Iowa and Wyoming, solar arrays in Nevada and North Carolina, natural gas plants in Pennsylvania and Louisiana, nuclear reactors in Georgia and Tennessee, and energy storage systems wherever the grid needs them.
The misinformation campaigns funded by those who profit from limiting competition will inevitably push back. They’ll claim that we can only afford to support one type of energy. They’ll argue that renewable energy is unreliable, even though the data shows wind and solar paired with natural gas and energy storage deliver excellent reliability. They’ll say that we should wait for perfect solutions rather than deploy the technologies available today. These arguments don’t hold up under scrutiny, but they’re loud and well-funded because energy policy creates winners worth billions and losers facing obsolescence.
The facts tell a different story. Renewable energy is lowering electricity costs for consumers across the country. It’s providing stable income for farmers who are struggling with volatile commodity prices and uncertain weather. It’s generating tax revenue for rural communities that have been starving for investment. Nuclear power is providing emissions-free baseload electricity that can run for decades.
Natural gas is offering the flexibility to balance the grid and keep the lights on when demand spikes. Energy storage is making intermittent resources reliable. And together, these technologies are delivering the affordable, abundant power that America needs to win the AI race, strengthen the economy, and lead the world.
America doesn’t need to pick winners and losers. We need to create a level playing field and let every energy resource compete while ensuring every state can participate in the economic benefits. Natural gas will continue to play a vital role in the nation’s energy mix, providing flexibility and reliability.
Nuclear will provide the steady baseload power that can run for generations. Renewables will drive down costs and can be deployed quickly to meet surging demand. Storage will make the whole system more resilient. By using all of these resources strategically, America can do what no other nation can: deliver energy abundance that powers prosperity at home while strengthening our position abroad.
This isn’t about ideology. It’s about economics, national security, and opportunity. It’s about giving every state the tools it needs to participate in the energy economy rather than watching prosperity happen somewhere else. It’s about winning the competition that will define the future. And it’s about recognizing that America’s diversity, including our energy diversity, is our greatest strength.
All-American energy from ALL American states isn’t just a slogan. It’s a strategy for building the abundant, affordable, reliable power system that American families need, American businesses demand, and American competitiveness requires. It’s a recognition that we need more of everything, working together, everywhere, all at once. And it’s an acknowledgment that the only thing standing between America and energy dominance is the political will to unleash the resources we already have.
The question isn’t whether America should embrace this opportunity. The question is whether we’ll move quickly enough to maintain our global leadership, win the AI race, and secure prosperity for the next generation. Every state has energy resources worth developing. Every state can contribute to American energy independence. And every American stands to gain from a policy that puts abundance ahead of scarcity, opportunity ahead of restriction, and national success ahead of narrow interests.
The world is watching. Our competitors are building. And America’s next chapter will be written by whether we choose to develop All-American energy from ALL American states or whether we let political squabbles and special interests hold us back while others surge ahead. The choice is ours. The time is now. And the future belongs to the nation that has the wisdom to use every advantage it possesses.