Restoration in the News: Kevin Mooney Delivers Sharp AI & Energy Analysis
At the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, Senior Investigative Researcher Kevin Mooney revealed how that state could lead the American energy and economic boom.
Kevin Mooney, Senior Investigative Researcher at Restoration News, provided sharp insights at a recent panel discussion covering energy independence as the engine of economic growth. He applauded the forthcoming decision by EPA Chief Lee Zeldin to reverse the "endangerment finding," which incorrectly calls CO2 a pollutant, and notes this decision will constitute the single largest deregulatory effort in American history.
The panel included Mooney as a subject matter expert due to his extensive history writing on energy and environmental issues. His new book, Climate Porn, does a deep dive into how to unshackle the American economy using energy production as the catalyst.
Senior Investigative Researcher @KevinMooneyDC appeared on a panel discussing American energy dominance at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference on April 11. Check it out, he did a great job—and he also pitched his new book! pic.twitter.com/Rkt7gcpQ3J
— Restoration News (@NewsRestoration) April 20, 2026
Reliable Energy, Regulatory Reform, and National Security
On April 11, 2026, at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, a panel titled “Powering the Future: Energy and AI in PA” explored how Pennsylvania’s abundant natural resources can fuel the explosive growth of artificial intelligence while securing American energy dominance. Moderated by Joy Johnson of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association, the discussion featured investigative researcher and author Kevin Mooney of Restoration News, Jim Welty of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, and Ted Ellis of the America First Policy Institute’s Power America initiative.
Joy Johnson opened by framing AI’s transformative potential for manufacturing, national security, and economic prosperity. She noted Pennsylvania’s status as a top electricity exporter, powered largely by natural gas and nuclear generation. With data centers projected to drive energy demand growth of 4,000–7,000 percent, Johnson emphasized the need for forward-looking policies on workforce development, infrastructure, and dependable baseload power to turn this surge into thousands of jobs and billions in economic output.
Kevin Mooney delivered a sharp critique of foreign influence—particularly from China—on U.S. energy policy through environmental regulations that target domestic production. Ranking Pennsylvania as the nation’s second-largest energy producer after Texas, he argued that outdated rules and punitive schemes like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) stifle output and raise costs.
Mooney praised the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and called for sweeping deregulation, including revival of nuclear power. He also promoted his new book, Climate Porn, which exposes what he describes as the climate movement’s anti-population, anti-capitalism agenda built on fabricated science. Mooney warned that continued dependence on intermittent renewables or foreign supply chains risks ceding geopolitical advantage to China.
Jim Welty spotlighted Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale leadership, noting the state produces approximately 20 percent of U.S. natural gas with vast untapped reserves. He described data centers as a major new market opportunity for natural gas and stressed the need for a level playing field free of heavy subsidies for renewables, which he said are less viable in Pennsylvania’s climate. Welty highlighted how the shift to natural gas has already slashed emissions dramatically and urged faster permitting, expanded pipeline infrastructure, and elimination of RGGI to keep energy affordable and competitive.
Ted Ellis reinforced the urgency of meeting AI’s skyrocketing demand without compromising reliability. He advocated prioritizing proven baseload sources—natural gas, nuclear, and coal—over intermittent renewables, warning against data-center moratoriums that could drive innovation overseas. Ellis urged policymakers to adopt a “drill baby drill, mine baby mine, build baby build” approach to outpace China’s rapid expansion of coal and nuclear capacity. He stressed protecting ratepayers from costly mandates and ensuring energy policy supports economic growth rather than ideological goals.
Pennsylvania Leads the Way
Throughout the panel, speakers returned to a common theme: Pennsylvania sits at the crossroads of American energy dominance. By leveraging its natural gas, nuclear potential, and pro-growth policies, the state can power the AI revolution, create high-paying jobs, strengthen national security, and maintain technological superiority. The discussion underscored that deregulation, infrastructure investment, and rejection of anti-energy ideology are essential to realizing this future.
As the clip concludes with Mooney’s book pitch, the message is clear—America’s energy abundance is not just an economic asset but a strategic imperative for the 21st century.
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KEVIN MOONEY: New Book 'Climate Porn' Targets Phony Science, Exposes Anti-Constitutional Assault on American Sovereignty
JEFF REYNOLDS: American Power Helps Millions Survive Harsh Climatic Conditions in Winter Storm
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