Adrian Daily Telegram: President Biden, flip the switch on energy

For the first time in history, average gas prices across the country surpassed $5 per gallon. It marks another dismal milestone for the Biden administration. In Michigan, the sticker shock is even steeper with a statewide average hovering around $5.22.

It is estimated that Americans will spend $5,000 this year to fill up their tanks, a 78% increase from last year. These eye-popping prices are forcing families to stretch their monthly budget or change their driving habits altogether just to make ends meet.

I recently heard from a constituent in Tecumseh that he, along with many other seniors on a fixed income, are simply unable to use their cars because of the price of gas.

Another constituent from Grass Lake wrote to me that someone drilled a hole in their truck’s gas tank and stole their gas.

This is the environment that President Biden’s anti-energy policies have created. How did it get to such an incredibly painful point?

During his campaign, Joe Biden telegraphed his hostility to American energy. In 2019, he promised: 'I guarantee you we’re going to end fossil fuel.' In 2020, he said: 'I would transition from the oil industry, yes.'

In January 2021, when President Biden took office, the national average for a gallon of gas was $2.39, and America was energy independent.

Yet from the moment he set foot in the Oval Office, the President lived up to his campaign promises and hampered domestic energy production in favor of a radical rush to green policies.

On day one, his first action was terminating the Keystone XL pipeline. However, this was far from the only executive measure he took.

President Biden has opposed domestic production in the Gulf of Mexico and onshore, including federal lands. His administration has slow walked liquified natural gas (LNG) exports. His budget opposed construction and maintenance of projects derived from fossil fuels.

While the President has done everything possible to undermine American energy, at the same time, he is pleading with Saudi Arabia and other foreign countries to boost their oil supply.

As prices spiraled out of control, the Biden administration resorted to political Band-Aids that have proven ineffective and damaging to our nation’s energy security. Namely, depleting our Strategic Petroleum Reserves – meant for national emergencies – to its lowest level since 1987.

Publicly, the White House claims they are taking steps to increase domestic production, but in reality the Biden administration quietly continues to implement rules and regulations that discourage investment in fossil fuels and further harm our energy independence.

In Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has followed the same anti-energy playbook, attempting to shut down the Line 5 pipeline. A recent study shows this would cost Michiganders over $2 billion annually.

To correct course, it must be a top priority in Congress to restore our nation’s energy independence. A great place to start is passing the American Energy Independence from Russia Act, which I cosponsored.

It takes important steps to unlock our full energy potential by immediately approving the Keystone XL pipeline, releasing U.S. liquid natural gas exports to protect our allies from Russian dependency, and directing the administration to increase oil and gas production on federal lands.

Sadly, President Biden’s energy crisis appears to have no end in sight.

In a recent interview, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said 'this summer is going to be rough' for motorists faced with record-breaking gasoline prices. That is little comfort to my constituents struggling to put gas in the tank and food on the table.

Memo to President Biden: It is time to start putting the needs of the American people first. It is time to flip the switch on American energy.

U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, represents Michigan’s 7th District, which includes Monroe and Lenawee counties, and is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. This op-ed originally appeared in the June 18 edition of the Adrian Daily Telegram.