U.S. Energy Secretary Threatens American Energy Producers

August 30, 2022

The Biden/Harris Administration is at it again. They threaten American oil and gas producers while begging foreign countries for help. Late last week, it was reported that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm sent a letter to top American oil refiners telling them to stop exports to help refill storage levels and disregard our European allies. 

The Wall Street Journal reports on the letter’s contents:  

“America’s allies in Europe are desperate for alternative supplies of fuel amid the Ukraine war, and U.S. producers are happy to provide what they can. So wouldn’t you know the Biden Administration now wants to limit fuel exports…That’s the message Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm sent last week in a letter imploring seven major refiners to limit fuel exports. We obtained a copy of the letter, which the Administration didn’t release publicly. Ms. Granholm warns that gasoline inventories on the East Coast are at a near-decade low, and diesel stocks are nearly 50% below the five-year average across the region.”

After hearing all that, one would think that the logical response would be to allow the sale of more oil and gas leases to help increase domestic supply. Unfortunately, time and time again, this administration has blocked the sale of leases and canceled pipelines. Biden’s bureaucrats at agencies like the FERC are even going out of their way to block future pipeline projects. We are leaving Americans and our allies with the short end of the stick. 

“Fuel storage levels would be much higher in the Northeast if not for New York state’s natural gas pipeline blockade, which has made the region more dependent on oil for energy. One-third of New England residents still use oil to heat their homes, and New York this month is generating more electricity from oil than from solar or wind.”

Power the Future Executive Director Daniel Turner discusses the latest snafu from the Biden Administration.  

“This letter is no different than an arsonist calling the fire department…The Biden Administration’s all-out war on American energy, including new oil and gas infrastructure, has delivered this crisis situation and struggling families will pay the price. It’s pathetic to watch the Biden Administration beg foreign countries to produce more oil and then threaten American companies when their failures deliver terrible consequences. Make no mistake, the Biden Administration doesn’t really care about how fuel shortages hurt Americans, they just care about how fuel shortages hurt their chances in November.”