The rise in gas prices in the last few weeks has been astronomical. On average, gasoline is over $4 a gallon all across Minnesota. We have not seen prices this high since 2008 in the midst of the Great Recession. For months, the cost of a tank of gasoline has risen as inflation and supply chain issues have mounted over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting turmoil have significantly accelerated the energy problem.
This is an alarming change from where we were just a few short years ago. During the presidency of Donald Trump, the United States became a net exporter of oil, and by 2020 we were producing more petroleum than we consumed. For the first time in decades, the United States was energy independent. Additionally, gas prices remained steadily around $2.50. This begs the question: how did everything get so screwed up?
Well, the answer is quite simple. In January of 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order that banned all new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and waters. Furthermore, the Biden Administration embarked on many anti-oil and gas policies such as blocking the Keystone XL pipeline from being built. In short, Joe Biden chose to declare war on American oil and gas.
As a result, we find ourselves at the mercy of an international oil market that is derailing before our eyes. This dependence and instability caused the current energy tailspin that we are experiencing here at home. Of course, the devastating inflation that our spend-happy federal government has forced on us only adds to this crisis.
This is all a part of the progressive “Green New Deal” agenda. President Biden set out to crush American oil and gas and replace it with the Green New Deal’s unsustainable energy policies. Now, our families are suffering the consequences of his decisions. Every time we go to the gas pump and watch our hard-earned dollars disappear; we see the results of Biden’s anti-American energy policies.
Tim Miller