Learn
Newsletter
Common Sense Energy: Haaland’s Hot Seat
Your Weekly Dose of
“Common Sense“ Energy News
Presented by:
The Empowerment Alliance
May 20th, 2022
- A majority of Americans support increasing LNG exports. Pew
- The Biden Administration has re-canceled the lease sales in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. Fox News
- Finland is the latest American ally in Europe to face economic threats related to energy from Russia. Reuters
- The Biden Administration’s energy policies were in the hot-seat this week and under fire from Senator Manchin (and others). The Hill
- Senator Ted Cruz and colleagues sent a letter to the Secretary of Commerce urging him to clear the backlog of permits awaiting approval. Press Release
The world prospers when America leads.
For decades, Russia has chipped away at the economic independence of America’s allies in Europe. This came to a breakpoint when Russia held hostage the energy resources needed in those countries and proceeded to invade Ukraine.
Today, America’s allies are looking to unravel their dependence on Russian oil and natural gas. America has the opportunity to fill that void and reclaim its position as a global leader in energy.
According to a recent poll conducted by Pew, a majority of Americans (61%) “say they would favor the United States expanding production to export large amounts of natural gas to European countries.”
In order to achieve this increase in exports, the Biden Administration must increase domestic energy production and approve export terminal applications today. It takes time to extract these resources, build pipelines and fill them, and even more time to build new export terminals. It must start today.
Bottom line: The majority of Americans support increasing LNG exports to Europe. The President should increase domestic energy production to do so.
The Biden Administration has re-cancelled the lease sales in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. This halt in potential supply increase happens against a backdrop of American families facing record high gas prices.
“As Americans face record-high prices at the pump, the Biden administration canceled one of the most high-profile oil and gas lease sales pending before the Department of the Interior” Fox News
This cancellation is the latest in a string of confusing policy coming from the Biden Administration and his Dept. of the Interior. Since taking office, he has banned leasing on public lands, lifted the ban after it was struck down by a court, invalidated the only lease sale held for environmental reasons, and now, canceled the only other scheduled lease sale.
In a hearing yesterday, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland was on the hot seat, grilled with questions about the DOI’s leasing policy and the effect said policy is having on gas prices. This hearing comes as Haaland released a statement saying that a new 5-year offshore leasing plan would be complete by the end of June. Notably missing from her announcement was a commitment to schedule new lease sales.
Americans are hurting financially. At a time when families cannot weather additional shocks, President Biden seems determined to not do anything to relieve that burden.
A glimmer of common sense, Senator Cruz (R-TX) coordinated a letter signed by nearly two dozen Senators (many of whom are DOEI signers) to ask Commerce Secretary Raimondo to move forward with approving permits currently on hold at NMFS.
Bottom Line: President Biden’s Department of the Interior is flip-flopping like a fish out of water. Courts have ruled that lease sales must continue, but Secretary Haaland continues to drag her feet.
Yet another of America’s European allies is feeling the economic pressure at home from Russian threats.
Finland is in the process of preparing its grid for a loss of natural gas supply from Russia. Even though a small amount of the economy depends on natural gas, almost that entire supply is imported from Russia.
Still, “companies in the forestry, chemical and food industries would need to find alternative energy sources or adapt their production.”
American natural gas has the potential to fill that gap. Hopefully the Biden Administration has the foresight to assert American energy dominance and support our allies while bolstering domestic industry.
Bottom line: The world benefits when America leads. The energy void left by Russia should be filled with American sourced resources.
It was a record-setting week for the Biden administration. And we’re not talking about the Guiness type of record that warrants a celebration.
For the past 9 days, gas prices have continued to increase, breaking a record for the highest average price with the turn of each new day. The national average for a gallon of regular unleaded now sits at $4.59, up a shocking 17 cents from last week. Not to pile on, but this week also marked the first time in history that every single state in the country was looking at an average price over $4.
While the majority of Americans place the blame on his “green at all costs” agenda for the price at the pumps, this is far larger than a political problem for President Biden. As prices continue to climb, ripple effects will be sent throughout the global economy. Diesel/jet fuel is critical to countless supply chains. If this trend does not reverse, it will wreak havoc on consumers this summer, with some predicting food shortages as a potential outcome. Sadly, this could’ve all been avoided had the President heeded warnings from the oil and gas industry from the very beginning.
Hearing On EPA Nomination: On Wednesday, May 25, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing on a nomination for Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Hearing On Interior Budget: On Wednesday, May 25, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing on the FY2023 Department of Interior budget.
COMMON SENSE QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“In July, while you were here during last year’s budget hearing, I made clear that the time for a pause had come and gone, I’m sorry to say it has become crystal clear that the ‘pause’ is in fact a ‘ban’.”
– Senator Joe Manchin to Secretary Deb Haaland, in reference to the Biden administration’s continued efforts to avoid any new lease sales.
