Demand for oil production is climbing in the United States as Americans deal with painfully high prices at the pump. Global unrest has created a wariness with the prospect of being dependent on foreign sources for our fuel supply, particularly in light of the fact that our national Strategic Petroleum Reserve is at a historic low thanks to the oil Biden has already released to combat his own horrible policies. One would think that now would be an excellent time for the Biden Administration to be handing out drilling permits left and right. Yet, the very opposite is true.
In reality, the Biden Administration is not only not issuing permits. In fact, they are illegally canceling permits that have already been issued. The people of Kaktovik, Alaska had the rug pulled out from under them when the federal government canceled oil leases that would have brought critical resources to their town nestled in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Community leaders are demanding answers, and all they are getting from the Biden Administration is empty rhetoric about “climate justice.” There is no justice in going back on a promise, and that is exactly what Biden did by canceling these leases.
However, it isn’t just rural Alaskans who are feeling the pressure of this horrible policy. Americans everywhere are seeing higher prices from the gas pump to the grocery store and everywhere in between. America runs on the trucking industry, and the trucking industry runs on oil.
The bottom line here is that higher prices aren’t just a matter of circumstance. Biden can’t just shrug his shoulders and blame Russia for all of his problems. Biden allowed his administration to be run on bad policy, and those bad policies had bad consequences. Our energy policies don’t have to be a zero-sum game where either American consumers or our natural environment have to be the loser. Smart policies that balance conservation efforts with an emphasis on energy independence can be a win for everyone.
