President’s war with fossil fuels harms America
After campaigning on a pledge to end the existence of the oil and gas industries, President Biden can’t get his story straight regarding America’s energy producers. One day he is begging them to produce more supply; the next he is declaring war on their business practices.
It’s long past time for Biden to stop his hostility toward America’s energy sector. When I returned from serving as ambassador to New Zealand, gas cost less than $2. This week, I paid $5.11 per gallon. Middle-class budgets are getting squeezed, inflation continues to soar — it’s no wonder Biden’s poll numbers are tanking faster than our economy.
Our current energy crisis did not happen overnight. The Biden administration has worked hard to fulfill his promise to “end fossil fuel.” He has halted new oil and gas leasing on federal land and waters and used the long regulatory reach of the federal government to impede construction of pipelines. Last month, his administration halted the potential to drill for oil in more than 1 million acres in the Cook Inlet in Alaska.
When supply restrictions led to soaring prices, Biden has trotted out a series of excuses. He tried deflections — “Putin’s price hike!” — to villains — “Exxon made more money than God” — to distractions — a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax. Not only has the idea been widely panned by leading Democrats — Barack Obama once dismissed a gas tax holiday as a “gimmick” — it does nothing to address the supply crunch, which combined with soaring demand, have driven prices to their current levels.
The one thing Biden should but won’t do is stop the browbeating of America’s energy producers. He has shown no interest in a positive, working relationship, and even mocked the CEO of Chevron as “mildly sensitive” for objecting to the constant vilification.
Perhaps the most concerning part of our current crisis is the lack of hope. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. Granholm has predicted gas prices will “fall” to $4.27 by the third quarter — $2 higher than the day this administration took office. The cold winter weather will lead to out-of-control heating bills that will force further hard choices for many, especially young families, or those on fixed incomes.
To be sure, everyone wants a clean environment. As a triathlete, I will be swimming in New England’s lakes this summer and taking my granddaughter to Rye Beach. We should all work together to protect our natural resources, both now and into the future. But that doesn’t mean singling out an entire industry and sinking our economy in the process. Green technology is not yet ready to support our energy needs. Just look to Germany, who has been forced to resume its coal production after intentionally zeroing it out in favor of renewables.
The similarities to Jimmy Carter are getting hard to ignore. Soaring inflation and skyhigh gas prices at home combined with global instability have created a collective sense of pessimism. In July 1979, Carter described the national mood as a “crisis of confidence.” In Biden’s words, “People are really, really down.”
The underlying challenge for both presidencies involved energy. In Biden’s case, his manmade policies in pursuit of a green fantasy have driven our nation to the brink. The recovery starts by looking here in America — not overseas — and working with, not against, the energy industry that has made us the envy of the world.