Biden Needs to Fully Unleash American Energy to Help Our Allies in Europe

March 29, 2022

President Biden’s calls for an immediate European boycott of Russian fuels mean little while he continues to wage a war on American energy. Biden has called on Europe to end its reliance on energy from Russia, but Germany’s plans to reduce its Russian imports could take years. The New York Times:

“Robert Habeck, the vice chancellor and economic minister, said Germany expected to cut its imports of Russian oil in half by the midsummer and nearly end the imports by end of this year.

“The need for Russian coal could be halved in ‘the coming weeks,’ he said. And he estimated that Germany could be free of Russian gas by the middle of 2024, if all goes well.”

Germany is among several countries moving to reduce reliance on Russian energy but not heeding Biden’s call for immediate total sanctions. The Times writes, “While the United States and some Eastern European countries in NATO have been calling for an immediate boycott on Russian fuels, Germany and a number of smaller countries have insisted an energy boycott now would be too costly.”

President Biden has announced a deal to increase natural gas exports to Europe, but that plan doesn’t reach its full potential for another eight years. The Times writes, “The United States would send an additional 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas to Europe this year — roughly 10 to 12 percent of current annual U.S. exports to all countries. By 2030, the president said, the United States will aim to increase supplies by as much as 50 billion cubic meters a year.”

That’s a step in the right direction but Europe cannot wait another decade for America’s full support. The United States has plenty of energy to unleash for our allies today, but we need to access it. President Biden needs to end his punishing energy policies so we can fully support our allies and allow them to be free from Russia’s grasp.