Opinion

How American energy helped build 250 years of freedom and opportunity

Energy has been essential to US prosperity from the first oil well to the newest data center

By Mike Wirth Fox News

Published July 1, 2026 5:00am EDT

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Two hundred and fifty years ago, a brave group of risk-takers believed that liberty was worth the cost and declared their future would rely not on the rule of a distant king but instead on the courage of free people. They had no guarantee of success. But they had conviction. And that conviction built a great nation.

As we celebrate America's 250th anniversary, it is worth asking what transformed a revolutionary idea into the most prosperous country the world has ever known. The answer has many parts: the rule of law, free enterprise and the ambition of generation after generation.

Yet America’s story is not simply one of ideas. It is also a story of turning ideas into progress and achievement. And running through every chapter of that success is an often-overlooked force: abundant, affordable and reliable American energy.

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Time and again, ingenuity has transformed that energy into greater opportunity,........

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