Energy Subcommittee Republican Leader Fred Upton (R-MI) led all Republican members of the Energy and Committee on a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm urging them to end Russian imports of crude oil and lower energy prices in America by producing more energy here at home.
“We’ve all watched the Russian invasion in horror, some of us have even heard direct requests from President Zelensky urging the US to abandon Russian oil. This letter to President Biden is yet another request to abandon his administration’s anti-American energy policy,” said Rep. Upton. “To continue to purchase oil from Russia after what we’ve all seen and heard is unconscionable. It is my hope that this request, unlike our many previous attempts to sway the President, does not fall on deaf ears. This is a clear and urgent request to revitalize American energy production that must be met for the sake of our ally Ukraine. It’s inconceivable that the US is still importing oil from notorious human rights violators when we have the means to achieve energy production and independence right here at home.”
Key excerpts from their letter:
On President Biden’s anti-American energy policies that raise prices: “Since the beginning of your Administration, the price of crude oil has increased to exceed $90 per barrel, a seven-year high, and today has surpassed $115 per barrel. At the same time, U.S. energy production has fallen to approximately 11.6 million barrels per day—far short of our peak production of 12.8 million barrels per day in 2020, even as domestic energy demand and prices have been increasing.”
On President Biden’s anti-American energy hurting our security: “As your Administration’s policies have put the brakes on American energy dominance, the United States has become increasingly reliant on foreign oil and petroleum products from Russia, which is now our third leading source of such imports behind Canada and Mexico. America would be in a much better position today if we were getting 800,000 barrels of oil from our neighbor to the North through the Keystone XL pipeline, in addition to increasing our domestic production. Russian imports to the United States reached an 11-year high last year, averaging about 700,000 barrels per day. As a result, Americans sent $17.5 billion to the Russian regime last year. This must stop.”
On calling the administration to ban Russian imports: “We urge you to take the actions necessary to end the importation of Russian crude oil and petroleum products to the United States. You should implement such actions in an orderly manner, to avoid disruptions to American businesses, and to reduce the impact on consumers. The United States should utilize alternatives to Russian supplies, just as we did after we imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s state-run oil company, which also funded a murderous regime.
“American energy resources are a powerful national security tool that we must use to counter Russia’s energy dominance of Europe, and to ensure our own energy security for American consumers. This should be a top priority so that Americans are not funding Russia’s murderous attacks.”
CLICK HERE to read the letter to President Biden.
