CFACT was at the University of Iowa to engage students about the importance of fossil fuels in the United States economy. Many students were not aware of how dependent
we are on fossil fuels, and they were quite surprised to learn how many different ways they use them in their everyday life. Some students strongly agreed with CFACT about the importance of fossil fuels.
One student said, “fossil fuels play a huge role in our economy, and the government really needs to stop playing with power plants. Wind and solar power need to be economically viable, and big government money is just holding them back.” Ultimately the massive government subsidies given to wind and solar power, despite the best intentions of the federal government, are only preventing true innovation in the energy sector by stifling competition.
Other conservative and free market groups were also excited to hear what CFACT had to say about fossil fuels and the environmental debate. Both the University of Iowa College Republicans and University or Iowa Young Americans for Liberty were impressed with CFACT’s unique, free-market based approach to protecting the environment.
They were also surprised to learn some of the popular misconceptions about the United States energy sector. They were quite surprised to learn wind and solar energy only account for 3% of the power generated in the United States (compared to 80% from fossil fuels). At the end of the day both groups were excited to learn there are free market solutions to the environmental debate and relying on the government is far from the only option.