Did the White House just reveal a dirty secret about President Joe Biden’s real position on gas prices?
With the average price for a gallon of gas prices hovering around $5, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insists that the president is working to alleviate pain at the pump.
But during a press briefing on Tuesday, she had a little slip-up as she started to say, “The president has been very clear in making sure that he does everything that he can to elevate” pain at the pump.
However, she caught herself and said that Biden is working “to alleviate the pain that American families are feeling when it comes to gas prices.”
Watch the video below:
KJP: "The president has been very clear in making sure that he does everything that he can to elevate—to alleviate the pain that American families are feeling when it comes to gas prices." pic.twitter.com/97eXtpCMWV
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 21, 2022
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Some conservatives have blamed Biden for the sky-high gas prices as they note the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline and leases for oil drilling.
But there is little evidence that his policies have limited domestic oil production. However, they have not helped to boost production or refining capabilities either.
The United States’ refining capabilities are sharply down from pre-pandemic levels, by roughly 900,000 barrels per day.
That decrease is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to refineries being shut down as demand plummeted. The Associated Press notes that some refineries are expected to boost their abilities. Yet some are hesitant to increase their refining capabilities due to concerns about the push to transition to clean energy which will lead to a decreased demand for gas over time.
During the Oct. 2020 presidential debate, Biden said, “I would transition away from the oil industry, yes.”
“The oil industry pollutes, significantly. … It has to be replaced by renewable energy over time,” he continued.
And during a press conference last month, Biden said, “When it comes to the gas prices, we’re going through an incredible transition that is taking place that, God willing, when it’s over, we’ll be stronger, and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels when this is over.”
It seems Biden believes that high gas prices might drive Americans to abandon their gas-powered cars and help facilitate a transition to electric vehicles.
So, the White House wants refineries to increase their productivity in the near term, but also wants the country to transition away from fossil fuels which would hurt the refinery companies’ profits and could lead to the end of their business model in the long term, which is probably adding to their reluctance to play ball.
As Benjamin Zycher of the American Enterprise Institute, told the New York Post, “If you really believe they’re going to be imposing regulatory and other constraints on the development of fossil fuel resources and investment in fossil fuel infrastructure, then higher prices are the result down the road — and therefore are the result now.”
Biden has tapped the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and wagged his finger at oil companies to try to address higher gas prices — although prices have gone up still. He is also weighing a federal gas tax holiday.
But by continuing to push for a transition away from fossil fuels and thereby the possible death of the oil companies, he is taking action to elevate pain at the pump — even if the White House doesn’t really want to admit it.