Green groups are celebrating the
president’s comments last week that clean energy is the answer to ending the
country’s reliance on foreign oil after he banned imports
of Russian oil and gas in an effort to weaken Putin.
Biden said Russia’s war against
Ukraine and its effects on global oil markets "should motivate
us to accelerate a transition to clean energy."
But while progressive groups like the
Sunrise Movement have looked at the current crisis as an opportunity to
move toward ending America’s reliance on fossil fuels, Republicans say it’s
those very same policies that created the crisis in the first place.
"The world cannot rely solely on
renewable energy like wind and solar at this point and time – that’s a fact the
White House can’t understand," Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., who serves
on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, "It's clear that the US could
have easily provided an alternative to Russian energy to our allies and
taken away the Kremlin’s ‘ace’ had this administration not bent to the whims of
the progressive left and deserted an effective all-of-the-above energy
strategy."
"There is no denying that abandoning
traditional fuel sources and failing to export LNG to our allies, per the
left’s climate agenda, created the perfect storm for Putin to take advantage
of," he added.
Senate Minority
Whip John Thune, R-S.D., said the Democrats’ push for electric vehicles during
the energy crisis is over-simplistic.
"I’m
not opposed to clean energy, but the real solution to America’s energy
independence is right under our feet if we’re willing to look,"
Thune said. "We need a federal government that understands the
importance of responsible domestic oil and gas development as the foundation of
an all-of-the-above energy strategy – a strategy that also includes biofuels,
nuclear, and renewables."
"America
can once again achieve energy independence, and we must," he said.
"As we’re seeing here and around the globe, energy security is also a
matter of national security."
Republicans
argue that Biden’s axing of the Keystone XL pipeline and pausing of new federal
oil drilling prevented America from remaining energy independent. Lawmakers in
Biden's own party also criticized him in May after he lifted sanctions on the
company behind Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
Critics
say the country's continued reliance on foreign adversaries like Russia for oil
and gas imports gave Putin more leverage in his calculus to invade Ukraine.
House
Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., who also sits on the House Energy and
Commerce Committee, wrote that. Biden "has played into Putin’s
hands by ending American energy independence and renouncing U.S. oil and gas
resources."
"Europe
did not become energy-dependent on Russia overnight. Putin’s barbaric attacks
on Ukraine can be traced to Europe’s scorn for fossil fuels and nuclear
power," Scalise wrote. "Through his efforts to make the United States
more like Europe, President Biden has ensured that European countries cannot
turn to our abundant resources to drive down natural gas prices and cut free
from Russian energy."
"While
the U.S. could meet all of Europe’s energy needs, Europe receives nearly 40% of
its natural gas from Russia," he continued. "Without alternative
energy suppliers, European families will suffer from over-reliance on Russia
because of European leaders’ shortsighted Green New Deal policies."
"President
Biden’s disastrous leadership has crippled the United States’ power and
influence on the world stage," he added. "Sadly, we are seeing now
how the Biden administration’s far-left energy policies have made Russia richer
and emboldened Vladimir Putin."
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., made similar
statements, arguing that "simultaneously blocking the U.S.
pipeline and green-lighting Russia’s pipeline sent the message that American
security would be sacrificed in order to appease European leaders and
environmental extremists."
"The final sticking point is Nord
Stream 2," Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., ranking member of the Energy
and Natural Resources Committee. "Germany saying they’re delaying the
approval of the pipeline for the next six months. I want to permanently stop
that pipeline. You know that Vladimir Putin very effectively uses energy as a
weapon. He uses it against other countries. He uses it to fund his
military."
"And Joe Biden has played right into
his hands by killing the Keystone XL pipeline in this country and making it
harder for us to use the energy we have in America right now," he said.
Biden dragged his feet on announcing a ban
on Russian oil and gas imports on March 8 after facing pressure from his own
party. Gas prices were already smashing records and bringing down his approval
ratings well before Russian forces attacked Ukraine, but the war accelerated
the rise.
The Biden administration had previously
released 50 million barrels of oil from the National Strategic Reserve on Nov.
23, 2021, in an attempt to alleviate growing pain at the pump. The
administration released another 30 million barrels from the reserve this month,
but the prices continued to rise. After he announced a ban on Russian oil,
Biden warned Americans that there was "not much" he could do about
the rising prices.
On Friday, Biden told House Democrats that
the record gas prices and inflation, which hit a 40-year high last month, are
not his fault.
"Make no mistake, inflation’s largely
the fault of Putin," he said. "I love, you know, the Republicans
saying it’s Biden’s gas pipeline, Biden’s said he’s going to stop the Keystone
Pipeline and I did and that’s the reason prices went up. Folks let’s get
something straight here, the Keystone Pipeline was two years away and had been
2 percent finished. Give me a break."
Cruz called Biden’s comments
"insane" and a "flat-out lie."
"Biden declared war on U.S. energy
production. "He shut down the Keystone pipeline, he shut down leases on
federal lands, he shut down ANWR. And the result is rig counts plummeted, and
when you reduce supply, when you reduce U.S. production, the price goes up."
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