Energy Insecurity
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
October 28, 2022
It’s Halloween weekend—we see jack-o-lanterns, bats, skeletons, and zombies in many front yards of our streets. It gets us in the spooky spirit of Halloween, but there’s one thing that spooks me year-round—American energy insecurity.
Our president’s actions continue to make America reliant on other countries, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and OPEC for energy—putting our energy supply in their control. We saw the risks of this when OPEC recently decided to significantly cut oil production to keep prices high. While OPEC benefits from higher profits, Americans are feeling the strain on their wallet from these record high prices. On average, monthly energy costs are up $159 per household in South Dakota, and most Americans are experiencing the same high prices.
This week, the Congressional Western Caucus released their priorities for an economy that’s strong. Through American energy dominance, an all-of-the-above energy portfolio, permitting reform, and responsible American mining, we can have cleaner energy, a stronger and more secure energy supply, and a stronger economy.
As our energy demand increases, we should be producing more to meet the needs of Americans. States like California and parts of the Midwest have been preparing for rolling blackouts and President Biden still refuses to increase American oil production. Two steps to increase our energy security are maximizing production of reliable, American-made energy, and cutting the permitting process time in half to reduce our reliance on foreign countries.
I sent a letter to President Biden with over 120 of my Republican colleagues urging him to address the energy crisis he is worsening by his policy decisions. We strongly requested that he issues a five-year offshore leasing plan to unleash American energy. We need to tap into America’s vast energy resources. It’ll be for the better for our energy security, the climate, and the world.
There’s not much that’s spookier than an America that goes dark.
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According to the Energy Information Administration US oil production is on track to set a record in 2022. However, young Dusty still carries the Repub Big Oil line that that government is in the way. Oil companies have more permits than they know what to do with, and the Bakken and Permian are overflowing. It’s the oil companies that control refineries, and there’s unused capacity there galore.
The big jump in price for oil is due to GLOBAL DEMAND and unilateral actions by Russia and the Middle Ease, not President Biden’s policies.