As Energy Prices Soar, Biden Keeps Trying To Make Energy More Expensive

‘Fuel To Power Your Car, Heat Your Home Or Cook Your Food Is All More Expensive And Driving Inflation’

“A main driver of the wave of inflation besetting the country is the price of energy — all forms of energy. Gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, natural gas, electricity and coal all cost more — in some cases much more — than they did a year ago. Or a month ago. The national average for gasoline is $3.40 a gallon, up by more than a dollar from last November and the priciest it has been in seven years.” (“Fuel To Power Your Car, Heat Your Home Or Cook Your Food Is All More Expensive And Driving Inflation,” The Washington Post, 11/10/2021)

• “If this winter’s weather conforms to seasonal averages, the Energy Information Administration predicted last month, home heating oil bills will be up 39 percent over last year. Natural gas bills should be 26 percent higher than a year ago, and electricity 6 percent. But the pain will vary from region to region, with the increase in natural gas prices highest in the Midwest, and that of electricity highest in the Northeast. And a cold winter would hike those bills considerably higher.” (“Fuel To Power Your Car, Heat Your Home Or Cook Your Food Is All More Expensive And Driving Inflation,” The Washington Post, 11/10/2021)

“[A]ny factors that could exert serious downward pressure on prices are nowhere in sight. And the winter heating season is just getting started. Also, the increased cost of energy spreads throughout the economy, so anything that has to be manufactured or shipped becomes more expensive.” (“Fuel To Power Your Car, Heat Your Home Or Cook Your Food Is All More Expensive And Driving Inflation,” The Washington Post, 11/10/2021)

In California, Gasoline Prices Hit An All-Time High Two Days In A Row

“California gas prices hit $4.682 per gallon on Monday, setting a new record for the state for a second day in a row, according to the American Automobile Association. Monday's price for regular unleaded was six-tenths of a cent higher than the Sunday average reported by AAA, which broke the all-time record of $4.671 previously set in October 2012. America's largest state by population has the highest gas prices in the country.” (“California Sets Gas Price Record For Second Day Running,” CNN Business, 11/15/2021)

• “Prices are pushing $5 in some areas, including Northern California's Humboldt County, where the average price was $4.97 Monday. The Bay Area has surged to more than $4.85. Doug Shupe, a spokesperson for AAA, said that although Californians are used to paying more for gas, the price has been much higher lately. ‘Drivers are paying $1.50 more per gallon than a year ago,’ Shupe told CNN. ‘It means the person who has the typical midsize sedan with a 14 gallon size fuel tank, they're paying $21 more to fill up that tank today than last year.’” (“California Sets Gas Price Record For Second Day Running,” CNN Business, 11/15/2021)

‘For Consumers It’s Like A Tax’

“‘For consumers it’s like a tax,’ economist Kathy Bostjancic of Oxford Economics said of the price increase.” (“Soaring Energy Prices Raise Concerns About U.S. Inflation, Economy,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/10/2021)

• “Energy represents a sizable chunk of consumer budgets. In August, about 7% of consumer spending went toward energy, according to the Labor Department. Historically, high energy prices have often preceded recessions. Consumers can’t easily cut consumption on short notice, as they can with discretionary purchases, so higher prices act as a tax, draining the money they have available to spend on other goods and services.” (“Soaring Energy Prices Raise Concerns About U.S. Inflation, Economy,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/10/2021)

In The Midst Of These Surges In Energy Prices, The Biden Administration Is Rewinding U.S. Energy Policy To Resume The War On Coal

John Kerry Lauded The Biden Administration-Endorsed COP26 Deal, Boasting That ‘The Phase-Down Of Coal’ Is ‘Part Of The Decision’ And ‘In The United States, We Won’t Have Coal’

JOHN KERRY, U.S. Special Envoy For Climate: “By 2030 in the United States, we won’t have coal…. We will not have coal plants.” (“U.S. ‘Won’t Have Coal’ by 2030, John Kerry Predicts in Glasgow,” Bloomberg Government, 11/09/2021)

KERRY: “Coal and the phase-down of coal is on the books. It’s part of the decision. And you have to phase down coal before you can end coal. So this is the beginning of something.” (The Washington Post, 11/13/2021)

• GLASGOW CLIMATE PACT: “The Conference of the Parties … Calls upon Parties to accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems, including by rapidly scaling up the deployment of clean power generation and energy efficiency measures, including accelerating efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies …” (Glasgow Climate Pact, Decision -/CP.26, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 11/13/2021)

FLASHBACK: In 2008, President Biden Signaled His Allegiance To A War On Coal Agenda, Saying, ‘No Coal Plants Here In America’

THEN-SEN. JOE BIDEN (D-DE): “No coal plants here in America…. We’re not supporting clean coal.” (“Biden: ‘No Coal Plants Here In America,’” Politico, 9/23/2008)

Biden Administration Officials Have Pledged To ‘Aggressively’ Resume The War On Coal By Restructuring And Then Reissuing Regulations Based On President Obama’s So-Called ‘Clean Power Plan’

“Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan says he’s willing to wield broad regulatory power to enact President Biden’s climate agenda if Congress fails to pass meaningful climate legislation. Regan says his agency will issue a robust greenhouse gas rule for power plants, a stringent methane rule for oil and gas infrastructure, and sweeping emissions standards for new cars, regardless of Congress’s actions.” (“EPA Head Says He’ll Act On Climate Even If Congress Doesn’t,” The Washington Post’s Climate 202, 10/12/2021)

• “In particular, Regan said the agency is striving to develop a rule that can survive legal challenges after the Supreme Court froze implementation of President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan… ‘We have some lessons learned from past attempts,’ Regan said. ‘We have looked very closely at what has worked and what the courts would not accept.’” (“EPA Head Says He’ll Act On Climate Even If Congress Doesn’t,” The Washington Post’s Climate 202, 10/12/2021)

EPA ADMINISTRATOR MICHAEL REGAN: “I have been very clear since day one that … this country will move forward on climate change and combatting climate change and looking at ways to build jobs and increase our global competitiveness. And so, I will push the envelope. I will move forward as quickly as possible, as aggressively as possible, using the authorities that Congress has given us.” (Washington Post Live, 10/28/2021)

THE WASHINGTON POST’s BRADY DENNIS: “I wonder for you what you’re hoping to take care of or finalize before the end of this presidential term. I mean, what are the--in your eyes, the priorities when it comes to the environment and climate change that absolutely have to get done, and what are the hurdles to that?” (Washington Post Live, 10/28/2021)

…

REGAN: “We really have to have a very strong methane regulation that is durable and will withstand a lot of the legal challenges. And we will revisit our carbon reduction strategy for coal plants…. And so, before the end of this term, I’d like to have durable regulations in place that can withstand the test of time and withstand litigation, and I believe we can do that.” (Washington Post Live, 10/28/2021)

And President Biden’s Nominee To Be A Key Banking Regulator Has Declared That When It Comes To The Coal, Oil, And Gas Industries, ‘We Want Them To Go Bankrupt’

“President Biden’s nominee to lead a branch of the Treasury Department, Saule Omarova, said in a recently resurfaced video that she supports the idea of energy industries going ‘bankrupt’ to combat climate change. … Naming the coal, oil and gas industries, specifically, Omarova said ‘a lot’ of the ‘small players’ in those industries ‘are going to probably go bankrupt in short order,’ adding: ‘At least we want them to go bankrupt if we want to tackle climate change, right?’” (“Biden Treasury Nominee Saule Omarova Says Energy Industries Going ‘Bankrupt’ Will Help ‘Tackle Climate Change,’” Fox News, 11/11/2021)

At The Same Time, The Administration And Democrats In Congress Continue To Block Domestic Oil And Gas Production And Stymie Policies That Could Help Lower Gas Prices

On Monday, The Biden Administration Announced A New 20 Year Ban On Oil And Gas Leasing In Part Of New Mexico

“President Biden will announce on Monday that his administration is moving to block new federal oil and gas leasing within a 10-mile radius around Chaco Canyon in New Mexico …” (The New York Times, 11/15/2021)

• “In the coming weeks, administration officials said, the Bureau of Land Management, which is part of the Interior Department, will publish a notice in the Federal Register that will initiate the process of banning new oil and gas leases on federal land in the 10-mile radius around Chaco Culture National Historical Park for a period of 20 years.” (The New York Times, 11/15/2021)

• “Enacting the new plan to protect the area around Chaco Canyon will be Interior Secretary Deb Haaland … a former environmental activist …” (The New York Times, 11/15/2021)

ROBERT McENTYRE, New Mexico Oil & Gas Association spokesman: “There doesn’t appear to be a scientific or environmental rationale for that 10-mile radius…. And given the role that oil and gas plays in the economy of that area, we shouldn’t have an arbitrary number that would limit economic opportunities, perhaps the only economic opportunities, in that part of the state…. No one is saying that we want to develop inside the park or that we need to be directly inside its boundaries…. But the 10-mile number appears to be arbitrary. Especially over such a long period that could have generational consequences.” (The New York Times, 11/15/2021)

As Gas Prices Continue To Go Up, Sen. Schumer Is Demanding ‘Immediate Relief At The Gas Pump’ Via The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, But Last Year, Schumer Boasted Of Blocking Efforts To Fill The Reserve When Oil Was Significantly Cheaper, Decrying A ‘Bailout For Big Oil’

Schumer Today: ‘We’re Here Today Because We Need Immediate Relief At The Gas Pump And The Place To Look Is The Strategic Petroleum Reserve’

“President Joe Biden’s administration should tap into emergency petroleum reserves to lower rising gasoline prices as Americans go into the holiday season, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Sunday. ‘We’re here today because we need immediate relief at the gas pump and the place to look is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve,’ Schumer, a Democrat, said at a news conference in New York…. ‘No industry is spared. But fuel gasoline is the worst of all,’ Schumer said. ‘Let’s get the price of gas down right now. And this will do it.’” (“Biden Must Tap Oil Reserves To Lower Gasoline Prices, Schumer Says,” Reuters, 11/14/2021)

November 15, 2021: According to Bloomberg, the price of WTI Crude was $80.97 per barrel and the price of Brent Crude was $82.13 per barrel. (Bloomberg, Accessed 11/15/2021)

• National average price for a gallon of gasoline, November 15, 2021: $3.41. (AAA Gas Prices, 11/15/2021)

March 2020: ‘Schumer, D-N.Y., Wrote In A March 25 Letter To His Colleagues That Democrats Had “Eliminated $3 Billion Bailout For Big Oil” From The’ CARES Act

“The U.S. Department of Energy is suspending its plans to buy crude for the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve after the requested $3 billion in funding for the project was left out of the $2 trillion stimulus package.” (“US Suspends Plans To Buy Oil After Funding Is Left Out Of $2 Trillion Stimulus Package,” CNBC, 3/26/2020)

“The U.S. Senate’s $2 trillion deal to respond to the coronavirus outbreak does not include $3 billion to fill up the nation’s oil reserve, according to a letter from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to his colleagues. The Trump administration requested $3 billion from Congress to purchase 77 million barrels of domestically produced crude oil to fill up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or SPR, which serves as the nation’s emergency stash of oil. A version of the coronavirus bill from Senate Republicans included the funding, but Democrats said they have since removed that provision. Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote in a March 25 letter to his colleagues that Democrats had ‘eliminated $3 billion bailout for big oil’ from the final bill.” (“Senate Drops $3B Oil Reserve Funding From Final Coronavirus Bill, Senator Says,” S&P Global Market Intelligence, 3/25/2020)

March 25, 2020: “West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures settled at $22.60 a barrel, falling $1.89, or 7.7%. Brent crude LCOc1 futures settled at $26.34 a barrel, shedding $1.05, or 3.8%.” (“Oil Sheds More Than $1 As Weakening Demand Outweighs Stimulus Hopes,” Reuters, 3/25/2020)

• National average price for a gallon of gasoline, March 26, 2020: $2.06. (AAA Gas Prices, 3/26/2020)