In a letter addressed to President Joe Biden, Republicans are asking the executive to reverse his “anti-American energy policies” in order to increase domestic energy production and meet the demands of Americans as gasoline and food prices continue to rise.
Since taking office, Biden has distanced his administration from almost every policy endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Under Trump’s energy policies, America in 2019 become energy independent for the first time in 62 years, fulfilling a key campaign promise made during the 2016 election. Among these policies was the authorization of the Keystone pipeline and the approval of the use of hydraulic fracking, policies rejected by his predecessor, President Barack Obama.
By April 2020, the impact of these policies became clear as the price of gasoline plummeted to an average of around $1.94 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Since Biden’s inauguration, data from the EIA shows average gas prices have increased every month, shooting up from $2.42 per gallon in January to $3.272 per gallon in September. Further indicating decreased energy production, crude oil prices also hit a 7-year high at $80 per barrel, prices last seen in October 2014.
As prices continue to increase, Biden has tried to regain control by enticing the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Plus (OPEC+), comprised of OPEC nations such as Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela, along with non-OPEC members like Russia, to produce more oil to lower costs. Thus far, these efforts have been ignored.
At the same time, Democrats have touted their $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill’s new climate policies, which Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has promised will constitute “an extremely aggressive [transformation of the U.S. energy system] away from fossil fuels.”