Biden administration energy policy baffling in a time of war

The Biden administration’s response to rising oil prices is perplexing, to say the least. Whether the much higher prices of oil and gas are a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, whether they pre-date that invasion or are a reaction to some other market force, it would seem that the last thing our nation should be doing is trading one dictator for another.

It took Biden far too long to order a ban on Russian oil, with the invasion of Ukraine commencing on February 24 and Biden announcing his executive order on March 8. And we understand that it was a complex issue involving more than a simple order affecting about 5 percent of U.S. oil imports. Indeed, it was clear that a coordinated ban would impact many of our allies far more than the United States, though prices have risen steadily even here in the U.S.

Still, Biden’s solution to high oil and gasoline prices has been baffling. Instead of ramping up domestic oil production, the administration immediately reached out to three oil giants with questionable records regarding human rights: Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Iran.

Now, we understand that the U.S. cannot simply increase the supply of gasoline with the snap of a finger, and there are many factors involved with domestic production and the price of fuel, not the least of which is our nation’s increased demand as the economy rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the Biden administration has certainly taken a hostile approach to fossil fuels in the United States, and whether you agree with that position or not, and whether his stance is reasonable in the eyes of many Americans, it seems clear that the president has played politics with American energy production.

It seems only prudent and logical for the United States – prompted by leadership from the Biden administration – to do what it can in the near term to get all of the energy it can from domestic sources to, first of all, wean ourselves off of any dependence on unfriendly countries, and secondly, to strike a financial blow to Putin’s War. Russia is, after all, little more than a huge fuel tank in regard to its economy.

The last thing the U.S. should be doing is playing ball with totalitarian countries, some of whom could even be considered to be our enemies. Venezuela? Really? Iran? Come on. And while Saudi Arabia has been a longtime, if problematic, ally, and can probably turn on the petroleum tap faster than other nations, the kingdom has taken a decidedly nasty turn under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in recent years, even by the Saudis’ own checkered record of torture, executions and abuse of even the most basic of human rights.

The assassination of journalist and Saudi regime critic Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018 leaps to mind, and just last Saturday the kingdom executed 81 alleged criminals in the largest mass execution in modern Saudi Arabia history.

Do we really want to get in bed with dictators of that ilk? With Putin killing thousands of Ukrainians, the wisest course of action is to shut off his lucrative petroleum tap and open our own.

As Wyomingites, we have always believed in a balanced approach to energy production, with the Cowboy State able to produce it all: coal with ongoing research in to clean coal technology, oil, natural gas, wind power, nuclear power, hydro power and solar power. It is folly to abruptly cut out fossil fuels, especially in a time of war.

We have the ability to supply our allies, as well as ourselves, with more than enough energy to stick it to Vlad the Invader.

-Lovell Chronicle