Of all the insidious and nonsensical policies from the Biden administration, their insistence on destroying America’s energy independence is arguably the most baffling and probably the cruelest.
Why wouldn’t you want the United States to produce its own oil, thus eliminating the need for foreign imports? Not only does that drive the price down for Americans, but it also puts the country in a power position on the geopolitical world stage.
Regardless, the Biden administration has taken a hard line and will no longer allow offshore drilling for oil just as the country experiences a gas price crisis not seen for two decades.
All three remaining offshore oil and gas leases have been canceled by the Biden administration, adding to America’s supply problem just as gas prices reach their peak.
The Department of the Interior (DOI), which oversees all lease sales on federal lands and waters, said a sale spanning 1.09 million acres in the Cook Inlet in Alaska was canceled due to a “lack of industry interest” while two in the Gulf of Mexico were canceled “due to factors including conflicting court rulings.”
Lack of industry interest? Sure, Jan.
The three sales were scheduled under the current five-year offshore lease plan that expires in late June. Under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, the DOI is mandated to issue five-year plans with a list of proposed offshore lease sales.
However, the Biden administration has delayed issuing a new plan and in April DOI Secretary Deb Haaland said there is still a “significant amount of work” to do before the agency publishes the plan. The administration even suggested that the next offshore oil and gas lease sale wouldn’t take place until after October 2023 in the DOI’s FY23 budget proposal.
But President Joe Biden has faced increased pressure from Republicans and Democrats to develop a new offshore plan and expand onshore drilling as well amid the Ukraine crisis. The average price of gasoline nationwide reached $4.42 per gallon Thursday, its highest level ever, according to AAA data.
The API and the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) published a report in March warning that a failure to issue a new offshore lease plan would result in tens of thousands of lost jobs and a decline of 500,000 thousand barrels of oil per day in domestic production.
He added that the DOI “absolutely has the ability to hold these lease sales.”
In November, the DOI held a 1.7-million-acre offshore oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico. The administration, though, announced it wouldn’t appeal a federal court ruling nixing the sale in February.
Republicans are rightfully perplexed by the Biden administration’s decision to further restrict gas supply amid a global crisis, a European war, and skyrocketing prices at home.
In the midst of crippling inflation and record gas prices, yesterday the Biden Administration canceled more oil and gas leases in Alaska and Mexico. These moves are only hurting the American people. We need to unleash the power of American energy!
— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) May 12, 2022
Americans are struggling with record gas prices – up over 50% since Biden took office – but he doesn’t care. Rather than expand domestic energy production, he continues to reduce U.S. production capacity (increasing our reliance on foreign oil) by canceling our oil & gas leases.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 12, 2022
Gas prices are at a record high, and Biden just canceled oil and gas leases in Alaska and the Gulf.
Joe Biden is directly responsible for the high cost of gas.
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) May 12, 2022
Almost like all of this was done by design?
Author: Sebastian Hayworth
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