Over two dozen governors are calling on President Joe Biden to reverse his energy policies and boost domestic production.
In a statement obtained by CBS News, 25 of the 28 Republican governors in the country said, “As governors, we call on President Biden to reverse his policies and restore America’s energy independence for our citizens as well as our allies abroad.”
“By removing his bans on new oil and gas development on federal lands, building the Keystone XL pipeline, and reinstating regulatory reforms to streamline energy permitting, we can protect our national energy security and sell to our friends rather than buy from our enemies—specifically Russia,” the statement continued.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlier Baker, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine were the three Republicans who did not sign the statement.
Republicans have blasted Biden for his energy policies and linked them to rising gas prices. On his first day in office, Biden revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have carried oil sands crude from Canada to the U.S. He also froze decisions about new drilling on new federal oil and gas drilling last month.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) claimed during an appearance on Fox Business earlier this week that the Biden administration wants “to shut down domestic oil production.”
“We are much more reliant today on foreign sources of oil than we were when he arrived, and that sadly was by design. They are destroying American jobs and replacing them with Russian jobs and Middle Eastern jobs, and that’s not good for America or for the world,” he added.
On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki argued that approving the Keystone XL pipeline would “take years for that to have any impact.”
The governors’ statement comes amid growing calls for the U.S. to ban Russian oil and gas imports following its invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, there are concerns that the situation could send gas prices even higher.
The White House announced this week plans to release 30 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to “protect American businesses and consumers, including from rising prices at the pump.”
UPDATE [04/05/22, 1:42 p.m. EST]:
After the publication of this story, AFP issued a fact check. IJR is adding this context for the benefit of our readers.
AFP called social media posts “misleading” that “claim President Joe Biden’s policies are undermining US energy independence, arguing that the White House is making America reliant on oil from abroad.” It adds, “The United States became a net exporter of oil and refined products in 2020 but still imports millions of barrels per day, and global market conditions will affect the country no matter how much crude it produces domestically.”