Washington Examiner – by Paul Bedard
By the time America gets back to work, and traffic jams, gas prices under the Biden administration could be heading back to $4 thanks to new climate regulations, the president’s shutdown of energy mining on federal lands, and overseas production cuts.
Industry experts believe that as the coronavirus vaccine becomes widely available, offices will start to fill up, as will gas stations.
But the supply may not be there because of production cutbacks, Biden’s new rules, and moves overseas to slow production to match low usage.
The result could be an “oil price trap” for the new president, according to Steven Kopits, the managing director of Princeton Energy Advisors.
He told Secrets, “Biden has substantial political risk heading in the 2022 midterms. He would do well to articulate a more balanced energy package because we may well see gasoline prices above $4 a gallon, and Republicans will not hesitate to finger the moratorium on leasing as the cause.”
Since Election Day, gas and crude oil prices have jumped. In the United States, gas prices are up 18% and oil nearly 50%.
Said another industry expert, “In four years, we had made the U.S. energy independent and denied the bad guys the ability to control global oil prices. The Democrats undo it in two weeks. Just incredible.”
Many of Biden’s first moves were directed at radically cutting the chances for further global warming. Several will kill jobs.
Every department has been ordered to factor climate change into their moves. In addition, he suspended new drilling leases on federal lands, restricted U.S funds in worldwide carbon energy programs, eliminated “fossil fuel subsidies,” stopped the Keystone XL oil pipeline construction, and slapped a moratorium on federal leases in Arctic Wildlife Refuge.
OPEC and the Saudis have also cut production in hopes of raising prices to offset a year of losses.
The president’s plans have played well to his base, but consumers and energy industry representatives are starting to push back. The last time gas prices reached $4 was 10 years ago.
“The Biden administration’s plan to obliterate the jobs of American oil and gas explorers and producers has been on clear display with cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline, the initial announcement of a 60-day freeze on federal leasing and permitting,” said Dan Naatz, with the Petroleum Association of America.
I’ve been telling people gas will be $4.00 – $5.00+ per gallon this summer.