We are currently experiencing record-high gas prices. This is affecting many areas of our lives, from the straightforward sky high prices at the pump to increased prices for plane tickets and basic goods and services as companies adjust to the additional costs of gas.
Meanwhile, instead of taking action to relieve Americans, President Biden and his administration have been pushing the narrative that Russia is responsible for the record high gas prices. But is this true?
Mostly false or misleading. Significant errors or omissions. Mostly make believe.
Gas prices have risen since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But they have been rising rapidly ever since the Biden administration took office, thanks in large part to their anti-oil energy agenda.
From day one, President Biden and his administration have worked to curtail U.S. oil and gas production, shutting down oil and gas leasing on federal lands until forced by a judge’s order to reinstate them, canceling the Keystone XL pipeline (which would have been net zero during its lifetime), pausing new oil and gas projects just last month, and pushing an unrealistic and aggressive energy policy that embraces unreliable energy sources that will further threaten our energy security and raise prices for Americans.
Biden and his administration have adopted the talking point that there are 9,000 unused oil and gas leases of which companies can take advantage. They claim that companies can just start drilling and that they’re not holding back the U.S. energy industry. But that is an overly-simplified picture. It’s not so easy to boost domestic production.
Like any other company, oil and gas companies need investors, particularly to increase their production. But investors are wary of supporting these companies because Biden has been working against U.S. oil and gas companies throughout his time in office. There is no guarantee that Biden won’t turn on them once again once this crisis is over.
President Biden and his administration need to abandon their anti-oil, anti-American energy independence policies. If we want to reduce our dependence on foreign nations, including those with dictators such as Russia, we need to encourage the American energy industry and stop chasing a renewable energy dream that’s just not feasible.
Senator Joe Manchin said it well:
“If you are worried about the global climate, anything and everything the United States does to replace and help our European allies, NATO allies, we do it better and cleaner than anybody else, and, I can tell you, much, much better than Russia does it, much better than what Venezuela or what Iran does it.”
“So why wouldn’t we use ours? Why don’t we ramp up and use the energy that we have?…[W]e have the ability. We have the producers that can do it. They just need some support, that’s all. Rather than beating them up and taking a club to them, let’s basically encourage, basically, do more. Be able to produce more quicker, and let’s make the United States of America truly energy-independent.”