Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall on Tuesday called out President Joe Biden for his continued refusal to lift his ban on the Keystone XL pipeline and grant new oil and gas leases on public lands.
Marshall has sued the Biden administration for both actions in order to relieve struggling Americans’ gas bills.
A representative of the Alabama petrochemical industry told 1819 News on Tuesday that, “The cost of a tank of gas is roughly what the owner of that service station believes it will cost to replace that fuel.”
Marshall explained that while Alabama’s price gouging law prohibits the “unconscionable pricing” of items for sale or rent during a declared state of emergency, it is useless against federal policies designed to punish American consumers and put the security of our allies at risk.
“Prior to President Biden’s entering office, America was a major exporter of oil and gas, yet today, we are witnessing in dramatic fashion the impact of the Biden administration’s 180-degree energy policy reversal from energy independence to dependence on foreign countries,” said Marshall. “Gas prices in January 2021, averaged $2.39 a gallon nationally. Today, they are at a historic high of $4.17 a gallon and rapidly rising. Over the last 12 months, President Biden has doubled down on his policy of limiting domestic fossil fuel production in favor of more expensive green energy. Incredibly, today, as Americans face a worldwide fuel shortage not seen in a generation—the very definition of a national energy emergency—the Biden administration continues to keep its foot squarely on the brakes of increased American energy production.
“Rather than demonstrating leadership and marshaling all of America’s energy resources to combat the effects of the ongoing world energy crisis, President Biden used his press conference today as a commercial for his costly and unproven green energy agenda, all while he begs Saudi Arabia and communist Venezuela to bail us out by increasing their drilling.
“I sued President Biden over his illegal reversals of oil and gas drilling permits on public lands as well as his blocking of construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The crisis in Ukraine underscores the seriousness of these efforts. My colleagues and I will not quit fighting until the Biden administration restores America’s energy independence; otherwise, our country will continue to be at the mercy of world oil supply disruptions resulting in ever-higher gas prices.”
On Tuesday, President Biden called on the United States and our European allies to refuse to purchase any more Russian oil or natural gas in response to their ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. alone has been importing between 500,000 and 600,000 barrels of oil a day from Russia.
Experts believe someone will still take the Russian oil and it will make its way to the global markets.
Gas had reached $3.99 a gallon in Alabama Tuesday.
Biden has embraced a very extreme anti-fossil fuels agenda with the forced adoption of electric cars, windmills, and solar panels. The cost of adopting these changes has been estimated as being in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
Marshall is running for re-election as Attorney General against Harry Still III in the May 24 Republican primary.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandon.moseley@1819News.com.
