Thursday, March 28th, 2024 Church Directory

Reckless Energy Policies

(Editor’s Note: The following column was submitted by Rep. Tom Emmer.)

For the last two years, working Americans have been crushed under the heel of rising energy prices. Biden has made repeated promises that he would go after American energy production. At one point he even vowed that he would “end fossil fuel.” Unfortunately, he has attempted to make good on this promise, and the results have been catastrophic for the American people.

This winter, Minnesotans are expected to see the highest home heating prices in decades, with some predicting increases of as much as 30% compared to last winter. Even as American families are forced to pay record prices to keep their homes warm, the Biden administration continues to double down on its war on American energy.

To paper over their reckless energy policy, the Biden administration has drained our Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to the lowest level since 1984. In fact, President Biden has drained our SPR by nearly 40%, more than 200 million barrels in just over two years. That is more than all other U.S. presidents combined. These reserves are meant to be used in response to natural disasters or national security concerns, not to provide cover for Joe Biden’s nonsensical energy policy.

Without ample reserves, this administration has hamstrung our national security and our ability to respond to natural disasters. Thankfully, we are putting an end to this recklessness.

Last week, House Republicans passed the Strategic Production Response Act. This legislation will limit the Energy Department’s ability to draw from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve until it develops a plan to effectively replenish the stockpile by increasing the percentage of federal lands available for oil and gas production. However, these restrictions would not apply in cases where there is a severe energy supply disruption, such as a natural disaster.

As a country we only have one solution to high energy prices: we need a market-based, all-of-the-above energy strategy, produced here at home. This means employing every form of energy available to lower costs for the American people, including fossil fuels, nuclear energy, renewables and everything in between. As the Biden administration continues to demonize and stifle domestic energy production, we continue to advance policies that protect and strengthen American energy security.