The decision to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline has been met with a lot of criticism from both sides of the aisle, suggesting he has endangered U.S. energy security.
The backlash came as Biden tapped the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve released 50 million barrels of gas in response to rising gas prices. Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., said the policy was a band-aid and accused Biden of creating a self-inflicted wound.
He said today's release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is an important policy band-Aid for rising gas prices but does not solve the self-inflicted wound that shortsighted energy policy is having on our nation.
With an energy transition underway across the country, it is critical that Washington does not jeopardize America's energy security in the near term and leave consumers vulnerable to rising prices. Historic inflation taxes and the lack of a comprehensive energy policy are a current threat to American economic and energy security that can no longer be ignored. I want to call on President Biden to increase energy production here at home and reverse course to allow the Keystone XL pipeline to be built. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. Biden was accused of being delusional for blaming energy companies.
Cotton said Joe Biden canceled the Keystone pipeline. He put anti-energy extremists in his cabinet. He blames energy companies for the high price of gas? Replacing House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, attacked Biden's energy policy, saying: Dear Mr. President, let us produce our own energy and create jobs right here at home. Biden asked the Federal Trade Commission FTC to investigate oil companies last week, indicating they could be engaged in illegal conduct.
The administration touted its infrastructure initiatives and decision to tap oil reserves as avenues to energy independence in a statement earlier this week.
Today s announcement shows the President's commitment to do everything in his power to bring down costs for the American people and continue our strong economic recovery, read a White House statement.
The Administration remains committed to the President's ambitious clean energy goals, reflected in the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed last week and the House-passed Build Back Better Act that together represent the largest investment in combatting climate change in American history and is a critical step towards reaching a net-zero emissions economy by 2050 and reducing our dependence on foreign fossil fuels.