Amid the crisis in Ukraine, top Republicans are calling on Joe Biden to lift his restrictions on U.S. oil and gas to help America become energy independent again.
The Russian invasion into Ukraine is expected to have a devastating effect on the economy worldwide, especially on the energy market, where energy prices are reportedly already soaring with oil costing $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014.
“Joe Biden’s reckless energy policies have already driven up the price of oil and gas over the last year,” said Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) “Even he and his administration are admitting that they don’t want to impose oil and gas sanctions on Russia because they are afraid it’s going to add to the inflation they’ve already created.”
Cotton had a better idea.
“How about we impose those sanctions, but we lift all those restrictions on the production of American oil and gas so we can start drilling on federal lands again and putting out new leases,” the senator proposed. “Reopen the Keystone Pipeline which would bring more oil to America every day from Canada than we import every day from Russia,” he added.
Senator @TomCottonAR: How about we impose sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sectors but lift all restrictions on American oil and gas? pic.twitter.com/LDD6YcRVak
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 25, 2022
To please the environmental lobby, Biden last June killed the Keystone XL Pipeline, costing thousands of construction jobs, and curtailing American oil and gas production. At the same time, he lifted sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany.
Upon its completion, the Keystone Pipeline was projected to deliver 35 million gallons of Canadian crude daily to U.S. refineries.
After assuming office, Biden also quickly shut down oil and natural gas leasing on public lands and waters.
At CPAC, Senator Josh Hawley on Friday called on Biden to shut down Russia’s energy production and open ours back up.
“Joe Biden has made a major strategic error. He’s done the exact opposite! He came into office, lifted sanctions on Russia’s energy pipeline—that stuffed dollars into Putin’s pocket—and shut down ours.”
He added: “We should sanction their energy sector down to its knees and open up ours.”
Senator @HawleyMO: We should sanction Russia’s energy sector down to its knees and open up ours. pic.twitter.com/EmBsmRQh8n
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 25, 2022
“It’s time to unleash American energy,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeted on Thursday.
It’s time to unleash American energy.
— Ronna McDaniel (@RonnaMcDaniel) February 24, 2022
Former Trump Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Thursday blasted the Biden regime for giving Putin “leverage” by killing American energy efforts and “rubber-stamping” the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in Europe.
“#Putin got an assist from incompetent world leaders who propped up #Russia while risking their own energy security,” Perry tweeted. “By killing the #KeystoneXL pipeline and rubber stamping NS2, the Administration increased Russia’s leverage over global energy markets, which got us here.”
In a second tweet, Perry explained that “It didn’t have to be this way.”
In a second tweet, the former Republican governor of Texas wrote: “The United States can rescue Europe from a looming energy crisis by opening the Keystone XL pipeline and exporting US LNG to provide Europe with a reliable energy supply so they don’t have to rely on #Russia,” Perry tweeted.
It didn’t have to be this way. The United States can rescue Europe from a looming energy crisis by opening the Keystone XL pipeline and exporting US LNG to provide Europe with a reliable energy supply so they don't have to rely on #Russia. pic.twitter.com/UDArNB99uE
— Rick Perry (@GovernorPerry) February 24, 2022
In a long Twitter thread Thursday, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem also shared her thoughts on the impending energy crisis:
“A strong American President that put their citizens first would take these six actions right now: 1. Restart and expedite the Keystone XL Pipeline immediately,” she tweeted.
A strong American President that put their citizens first would take these six actions right now:
1. Restart and expedite the Keystone XL Pipeline immediately.
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) February 24, 2022
Reopen federal lands to drilling and oil/natural gas exploration, including ANWR, and revoke Biden EO banning oil/gas leases in the Outer Continental Shelf.
Sign an EO to cut the needless regulations slowing down our domestic energy production, refinement, and transport to the American market as well as for export to European markets.
Immediately work with European nations to replace their supply of Russian energy with American energy.
Hit Putin where it actually hurts and enact heavy sanctions on the Russian energy sector, something Biden has refused to do thus far.
Call on NATO and other Western allies to step up, cut Russia off from the Western economy, banking, financing, and other privileges that are extended to good-faith actors on the international stage, and cut Russia’s access to SWIFT.
If Joe Biden can’t or won’t do all of those things, he should resign immediately before his weak leadership and poor decision-making drag America into another needless war.
There is no question of where former President Trump stands on energy production vis-à-vis Russia. In a statement on Tuesday, Trump hammered Biden for allowing Putin to get rich, while Americans feel pain at the pump.
“Russia has become very very rich during the Biden Administration, with oil prices doubling and soon to be tripling and quadrupling. The weak sanctions are insignificant relative to taking over a country and a massive piece of strategically located land,” Trump said.
“Now it has begun, oil prices are going higher and higher, and Putin is not only getting what he always wanted, but getting, because of the oil and gas surge, richer and richer,” he added.
The former president noted that American became energy independent for the first time under his administration, and if her were still in charge, oil prices would still be low.
“Now what a mess our Country is in!” he lamented.
NEW!
President Donald J. Trump:
“If properly handled, there was absolutely no reason that the situation currently happening in Ukraine should have happened at all. I know Vladimir Putin very well, and he would have never done during the Trump Administration what he is doing… pic.twitter.com/PqnnXbnucg
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) February 22, 2022
During a bilateral NATO breakfast meeting in Brussels in July of 2018, former Trump let European leaders have it over Germany’s pipeline deal with Russia, accusing the nation of being “totally controlled by Russia.”
Trump said that he thought it was “very sad when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia where you’re supposed to be guarding against Russia, and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia.” Trump went on to complain that this was happening while the U.S. was protecting Germany, and called the deal “inappropriate.”
“We’re supposed to protect you against Russia, but they’re paying billions of dollars to Russia, and I think that’s very inappropriate, and the former Chancellor of Germany is the head of the pipeline company that is supplying the gas.”
He added, “it never should have been allowed to have happened.”
I know CNN & MSNBC never aired this, so I figured I would. Spot on, don't you think? pic.twitter.com/6V1vRKxP8p
— Justin Pulitzer (@JustinPulitzer) February 24, 2022