The Energy Wars: Climate Elites, Federal Land Grabs, and the Fight for American Freedom

On December 13, 2023, Kim Monson examines the growing assault on American energy independence and property rights with Power the Future founder Daniel Turner and sixth-generation farmer and rancher Trent Loos, exposing the disconnect between climate elites and everyday Americans struggling with government-induced inflation.

Climate Elite Hypocrisy at COP28

Start listening at 32:50 – Hour 1

Daniel Turner exposes the stark hypocrisy of the climate movement’s wealthiest advocates. The COP28 conference in Dubai brought 80,000 attendees for three weeks of luxury accommodations while lecturing ordinary Americans about reducing their carbon footprints. Turner notes that taxpayers foot the bill for American officials attending, including state governors who flew first class with entourages of staffers and security.

The discussion centers on how energy policy directly impacts everyday life. Turner points to a viral comparison showing that the same grocery items from the 1990 film Home Alone have more than tripled in price, driven largely by expensive energy policy. When the Biden administration claims inflation is under control by excluding food and energy, they’re ignoring the two categories that hit working families hardest.

Turner warns that the climate agenda extends beyond energy to transportation and personal mobility. The push for light rail and public transit, he argues, represents an attempt to control where people can go. When government creates traffic congestion by removing lanes for bike paths and bus routes, then proposes congestion pricing as a solution, citizens should recognize the manufactured crisis.

“Look at the people who lead the climate movement, who stand up there on these stages with a microphone and lecture to audiences around the world, telling them how they have to change their lifestyle. They are all incredibly rich and powerful people who will not sacrifice one thing for climate change.”

Daniel Turner, Founder of Power the Future

Wolf Reintroduction Threatens Colorado Ranchers

Start listening at 73:19 – Hour 2

Trent Loos addresses the Colorado gray wolf reintroduction mandated by a narrowly-passed ballot initiative. With 10 wolves set for release by year’s end and 50 total over five years, cattle industry representatives have filed suit to delay the predators’ return. Loos explains that wolves change the entire ecosystem, keeping livestock and wildlife in a constant state of fear and disrupting grazing patterns that prevent catastrophic wildfires.

The conversation expands to federal land ownership, with Loos revealing that one in three acres in the United States belongs to the federal government. He calculates that proper management of public land allotments should generate 110 million protein meals annually, yet current restrictions limit production to just 20 million. The land, he emphasizes, belongs to taxpayers who increasingly find their access restricted under conservation initiatives.

Loos warns of an emerging threat where lands designated for conservation could be traded on the New York Stock Exchange under asset management schemes. Ranchers who signed conservation easements may find their property rights transferred to entities like BlackRock without their knowledge or consent. The push for 30 by 30, placing 30 percent of American land under federal protection by 2030, represents the culmination of this property rights erosion.

“Anybody who can take otherwise useless land and turn it into food continues to maintain a level of freedom that cannot be touched by tyranny. That’s why the cow is demonized as a contributor to climate change.”

Trent Loos, Sixth-Generation Farmer and Rancher