Dustin Dunbar, Ph.D
Most American voters want the same basic things from our energy system: lights that stay on, gas they can afford, jobs that pay the bills, and clean air and water for their kids and grandkids. You shouldn’t have to pick just one of these. You deserve all of them.
For more than a century, oil and gas powered almost everything in our lives. They helped build the modern United States and supported millions of jobs. They were what we had, and they were necessary. But today, new technologies are opening the door to cheaper, cleaner, and more secure energy—from solar and wind to advanced batteries and fusion power. We don’t need to “shut off” oil and gas overnight. We need a smart “all-of-the-above” approach that keeps what works while building what’s next.
Below are 6 strategies American voters should expect and ask for from any serious energy plan:
1. An “All-of-the-Above” Energy Strategy
You shouldn’t be forced into an either-or choice: oil and gas or clean energy. A strong America needs both right now. Oil and gas still power cars, trucks, planes, farms, and many factories. They keep people warm in winter and cool in summer. Turning them off quickly would mean higher prices and less reliability, which hits working families first.
At the same time, solar, wind, geothermal, fusion, and other clean sources are getting cheaper, safer, and stronger every year. A smart plan keeps using oil and gas while we build up cleaner options. That means modernizing old systems, reducing waste and pollution, and gradually shifting more and more of our energy to sources that are cleaner and cheaper over time.
2. Reliable Power and Fair Prices
Most voters don’t wake up thinking about “energy policy.” They think about their power bill, their gas tank, and whether the grid will fail in a heat wave or winter storm. You deserve a system that puts reliability and fair prices first.
That means investing in the power grid so it can handle storms, heat, and growing demand from things like electric cars and data centers. It means using different kinds of energy so if one source is strained, others can fill the gap. Oil, gas, fusion, hydro, solar, wind, and more can work together. When leaders promise big changes but ignore reliability, regular people pay the price. Voters should expect plans that keep energy steady, strong, and affordable.
3. Honest Information, Not Spin
Energy debates are full of scare tactics. One side may say, “If we move to clean energy, the economy will collapse.” Another may claim, “If we keep using oil and gas, the planet is doomed tomorrow.” Most voters know the truth is more complicated. You deserve clear, honest information, not headlines designed to make you angry or afraid.
A fair conversation should tell you the real costs and benefits of each energy source. Oil and gas are powerful and reliable, but they pollute and are tied to global tensions. Solar and wind are clean and getting cheaper, but they depend on weather and need better storage. Nuclear is steady and carbon-free, but people worry about safety and waste. Leaders owe you plain talk about trade-offs, timelines, and how changes will affect your bill, your job, and your town—not just talking points.
4. Investment in the Future: Fusion Power and Salt Batteries
Oil and gas powered the last century; new technologies can power the next. Many scientists are working on fusion, a type of energy that copies how the sun makes power. We're seeing recent breakthroughs with enormous potential. If we can get it to work at scale, fusion could give us huge amounts of energy with no smokestacks and very little waste. Some experts see fusion as the future of energy, and predict that practical fusion plants may be only five years away.
We're also seeing rapid progress in advanced batteries, including designs that use common materials like salt. A typical lithium battery is like a phone battery that gets weaker every year. But sodium batteries are tough. They can be charged and emptied over 10,000 times. This means your car battery could easily last 20 years or a million miles—long enough to pass the car down to your kids.
Salt batteries go further in the cold. This is another game-changer. Lithium batteries "freeze up" and lose power in the winter. Sodium batteries love the cold. They keep 90 percent of their power even at 40 degrees below zero. In a blizzard, a sodium car will actually go much further than a lithium car because it doesn't waste energy just trying to stay warm.
Voters should look for leaders who support strong research and development in these areas. Oil and gas will still matter for years, but building the next wave of energy now can mean cheaper, cleaner, and more secure power down the road.
5. Respect for Workers and Communities
Energy isn’t just about machines and wires. It’s about people and places. Many American families depend on oil, gas, and coal jobs. Their work has powered this country for generations. Moving toward new forms of energy should not mean turning our backs on them.
A fair plan respects workers in traditional energy fields and gives them real options, not just slogans. That can mean retraining programs, incentives to bring new energy projects into old energy towns, and help for small businesses that depend on these industries. New jobs should be good jobs, with solid pay and benefits. Voters can ask a simple question of any energy plan: Does it protect and honor the people who built America’s energy system while preparing the next generation for the jobs of the future?
6. Putting Families Ahead of Special Interests
Big money has always played a part in energy decisions, from oil and gas companies to large utilities and even some clean energy firms. But regular voters are the ones who feel the results: higher bills, local pollution, or power failures. You deserve an energy policy that puts families and communities first, not lobbyists.
That means more transparency about who is funding which policies. It means rules that prevent any one group from writing all the laws in its own favor. It also means listening to people who live near refineries, pipelines, wind farms, and power plants, instead of treating them as an afterthought. When leaders put families first, they focus on health, safety, and long-term stability—not just short-term profit or political wins.
A Future That Works for Everyone
American voters don’t all agree on politics, but most agree on this: we want energy that is reliable, affordable, and as clean as we can reasonably make it. Oil and gas helped build the country and are still important today. At the same time, new tools—from solar and wind to fusion power and salt-based batteries—give us a chance to aim for cheaper, cleaner, nearly limitless power in the years ahead.
You shouldn’t have to choose between keeping the lights on now and building a better future. A strong “all-of-the-above” energy strategy can honor the past, meet today’s needs, and open the door to tomorrow’s breakthroughs. The real question is not whether we pick one source over another, but whether we build an energy system that finally works for the people who depend on it most: American families, workers, and communities.
Dustin Dunbar, an Independent, is running for U.S. presidency. As founder/CEO of FreeHealthInsuranceHelp.com (since 2009) and division manager for HealthMarkets before that, he's assisted tens of thousands of Americans. He founded the wellness non-profit AlcoholFreeRevolution.org, is a real estate entrepreneur, was an appraiser for First Alliance Mortgage, and modeled for Ford Model Agency. He holds a PhD in psychology from Saybrook University. His books include You're Doing Great! And Other Lies Alcohol Told Me, Her Holiness, and Make America Whole Again: A Blueprint for Leading the AI Age, Empowering Global Security, and Reuniting the Nation. Learn more at Dustin-Dunbar.com.