Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., told Newsmax on Wednesday that President Joe Biden ''declared war'' on U.S. energy production his first day in office, and we are now feeling the negative effects of those decisions.
''On the first day of his administration, the first day was sworn in, he declared war on made-in-America energy,'' Daines said on ''Spicer & Co.''
''He killed the Keystone XL pipeline, which, by the way, comes right through Montana. We needed that badly. He put an oil-and-gas-development ban on federal lands in Montana. Our families are paying at least 25% more this year to heat their homes. And the Democrats? They want to see higher energy prices.''
Daines said that higher fuel prices fit the Democrats' climate change and green energy narrative to support their agenda and massive spending legislation going through Congress.
''Because then it makes the Green New Deal fantasy a more feasible reality because they're driving gasoline prices up,'' he said. ''We cannot allow our country to go back to the 1970s. I remember those years.
''I remember we had the war of Yom Kippur, the Arab oil embargo. Oil prices quadrupled, and then we saw [rising] interest rates because of inflation starting to raise its ugly head. Interest rates hit 18% for [a] 30-year fixed mortgage.''
Daines said the country is importing twice as much oil from Russia as we were before Biden took office in January, and the United States may soon see the same energy cost spikes as are taking place now in Europe.
''Look no further than Europe,'' he said. ''They are seeing an escalation in natural gas, coal, or oil prices. That's what's going to happen here if we allow them to have their way.''
Reuters reported Wednesday that Biden wrote to Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan to investigate ''mounting evidence of anti-consumer behavior'' by the country’s oil and gas companies for the rising prices.
"The Federal Trade Commission has authority to consider whether illegal conduct is costing families at the pump. I believe you should do so immediately," Biden wrote in the letter as reported by Reuters. "I do not accept hard-working Americans paying more for gas because of anti-competitive or otherwise potentially illegal conduct.
''I therefore ask that the commission further examine what is happening with oil and gas markets, and that you bring all of the Commission's tools to bear if you uncover any wrongdoing."
The American Petroleum Institute lashed back at Biden’s letter and investigation request, issuing a statement Wednesday.
''This is a distraction from the fundamental market shift that is taking place and the ill-advised government decisions that are exacerbating this challenging situation. Demand has returned as the economy comes back and is outpacing supply,'' the statement said.
''Further impacting the imbalance is the continued decision from the administration to restrict access to America’s energy supply and cancel important infrastructure projects.
''Rather than launching investigations on markets that are regulated and closely monitored on a daily basis or pleading with OPEC to increase supply, we should be encouraging the safe and responsible development of American-made oil and natural gas.''
The institute represents all segments of the country’s natural gas and oil industries and has more than 600 members employing more than 11 million people, according to the organization.
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