After pledging to end the oil and gas industry during his 2020 campaign, President Joe Biden sent a letter to executives from a number of oil companies this week and demanded they do more to decrease gas prices in the United States. His administration is also calling companies unpatriotic.
KJP calls on oil companies to "be patriots" and lower gas prices. pic.twitter.com/YBwHdMhROj
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 15, 2022
The American Petroleum Institute responded to Biden's letter while reminding him of the essential value of the oil industry.
"The U.S. refining industry is one of the safest and most efficient in the world, operating among the highest environmental standards. We are committed to reliably meeting Americans’ energy demands and keeping the market well supplied in this moment and for decades to come," API said in a letter to the White House. "Our industry is dedicated to providing affordable, reliable, and sustainable fuels and other petroleum products for Americans and our global allies, as we have done for decades, including throughout the COVID pandemic when many of our companies experienced enormous financial losses."
API has also given the White House a long list of policy changes they need to fulfill Biden's request, which is focused on prioritizing and unleashing domestic supply.
So far, these ideas have been rejected.
Meanwhile, President Biden continues to deplete the Strategic Petroleum Reserve with no decrease in gas prices to show for it.
Our Strategic Petroleum Reserve is for emergencies but Biden has been depleting it for political gain while refusing to unleash the production of American energy. https://t.co/YpAItDXAQV
— Mike Rogers (@RepMikeRogersAL) June 16, 2022
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is supposed to be strictly used for national security emergencies and severe weather events, not as a Hail Mary when Democrat's anti-American energy policies fail. Biden cannot keep tapping into this critical resource. https://t.co/PBciYchKIv
— Rep. Stephanie Bice (@RepBice) June 15, 2022