AI, Energy, & CPAC 2025
Exciting things ahead.
Good morning,
For you newbies out there, welcome to Outsider on the Inside. I hope this dispatch from in and around the nation’s capital on underreported topics finds you well.
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Quick Thoughts
Support and follow the work of IWF’s Center for Energy and Conservation today if you haven’t already.
The National Energy Dominance Council is officially launched.
Happy Restoration Day, Lithuania!
News I like: the IRS is shrinking.
The State Department removed mention of its "does not support Taiwan independence" position.
Yikes. Baby mama drama.
This humpback whale swallowed then released this Chilean kayaker.
That’s all for now. Stay tuned for next Friday’s dispatch.
Drill Baby Drill vs Plug Baby Plug: Do It All for AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is omnipresent in our daily lives. While AI is greatly misunderstood, our smartphones use it as do chatbots and social media outlets. As do many other tools. Fears about humans being displaced are largely unwarranted, even with the emergence of generative AI tools that produce new things or outcomes.
While America leads in AI innovation, China is rapidly catching up. The U.S. can’t cede to the CCP. That’s why AI must be powered by electricity that’s reliable and be unburdened by onerous regulations.
Countries desiring to be competitive in AI must first adopt an energy abundance mindset by ditching net-zero climate pledges. Under the new Trump administration, reliability and abundance is taking priority over arbitrary and unenforceable climate posturing to ditch fossil fuels by 2050.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, alongside President Trump, has promised to unleash America’s Golden Age of energy, including AI, by prioritizing abundance (or energy addition) over net-zero. He said an “abundance of American energy required to power modern life and to achieve a durable state of American energy dominance.” Even S&P Global conceded, “The persistent use of fossil fuel power generation to meet datacenter demand will make reaching net-zero goals more difficult for the tech sector and electric utilities.”
AI-powered data centers require lots of energy, arguably the equivalent amount needed to sufficiently power cities. Wells Fargo predicts U.S. AI data centers will add 323 terawatt hours of electricity demand by 2030. Therefore, our energy demands - including AI - will be fulfilled by reliable, baseload power sources - not by intermittent, questionably “green” ones.
Continue reading at Townhall.com
I’m Speaking at CPAC 2025
I’ve attended CPAC on and off since 2012. Now I get to speak at the confab. Better late than never, I suppose.
I’m participating in a panel on dietary guidelines and how to depoliticize them. From the energy and conservation angle, I’ll tackle why guidelines must be depoliticized and not forcibly promote diets like questionable vegan/plant-based ones under the guise of climate change and environmental stewardship.
The science is largely against fake meat (yikes!) and vegan diets.
If you’re coming to National Harbor, here are details for my panel:
February 20th
10AM ET
National Harbor 4
I hope to see you at CPAC this week!
ICYMI
Articles/commentary/media appearances from the past week.
MEDIA MENTIONS
I joined the HOWL for Wildlife Podcast to discuss the Trump administration’s conservation priorities.
I appeared on The Lars Larson Show to discuss France’s nuclear strategy and if it can dominate on AI like the U.S.
I joined That Kevin Show to discuss the Trump administration’s energy agenda and catalyzing nuclear energy.
And I appeared on The Vince Coglianese Show to discuss Fairfax County’s longstanding backyard chicken policy and how to remove it.
ARTICLES/BLOGS
IWF: CA Bill Would Make Oil and Gas Companies Liable for Natural Disasters
IWF: American Business Group: ESG Rules Make European Investments Expensive
IWF: My Straw, My Choice
Townhall: America Will Win AI Race With Reliable Energy and Innovation
District of Conservation
Catch up on District of Conservation episodes below.
And check out a new episodes of The Sportswoman Show with Maple Farmer Nikki Boxler.
Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts and encourage your friends to subscribe to the newsletter too.
—Gabriella