President Joe Biden‘s Secretary of Energy lamented on Wednesday that high gas prices will be here throughout the summer, blaming forces beyond her control. Critics, however, say that the Biden administration is to blame for the rising cost of energy and that Democrats are driving up the cost of fuel on purpose.
CBS News’ Major Garrett asked Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm if she had any “calming or reassuring words” for Americans concerned about paying for gasoline. The secretary only reassured Americans that the cost of gas won’t be coming down anytime soon.
“Yeah, this summer is going to be rough,” Granholm responded when asked about gas prices. “I’ll just be honest with you. The Energy Information [Administration] which is the entity that projects forward the price of gas, the price of oil, has said that by the fall, it should be down to $4.27 a gallon, and by late this year, early next year, it’ll be down to four maybe under four, maybe high $3 a gallon.”
“So there will be some relief on the horizon, but during the summer driving season, it is going to be rough, no doubt about it because we have such a demand and supply mismatch on the global market for oil,” she added.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on gas prices: "This summer is going to be rough" pic.twitter.com/9Ebqh4hbUM
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 9, 2022
Experts like Katie Tubb, a Heritage Foundation research fellow at the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment, told The Daily Wire in an e-mail that the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) predictions for this summer were wildly misinformed. Furthermore, progressive states are continuing to see the high cost of gasoline, she argued.
“The national average for gasoline prices are up over $1.80 per gallon compared to last year, and diesel is up over $2.40 per gallon,” Tubbs explained. “Americans in some states, like California, are paying far higher prices because of state taxes and climate policies.”
On Friday, AAA reported that the national average price for a gallon of gasoline cost $4.986. A year ago, it cost $3.073.
“Looking into the summer, the EIA anticipated in its Summer Fuel Outlook that gasoline would average $3.84 a gallon this summer and that Americans will spend 18% more on gasoline this year than they did last year,” Tubbs added. “That’s looking to be a pretty sizeable underestimate.”
Tubbs also explained that high gas prices should not only have been expected under the Biden administration, but that he welcomes them as part of his energy policy.
“Secretary Granholm had no ‘calming or reassuring words’ for American consumers because the administration persists in pursuing policies whose purpose is to severely restrict new supply from coming online in the United States in the long term,” Tubbs noted.
“This has been the clear and consistent message of President Biden from the campaign trail through to just last month when he stated that high gasoline prices are just part of his ‘incredible transition’ away from the fuel that supplies 90% of Americans’ transportation needs,” she explained.
Daniel Turner, founder and executive director of Power the Future, also told The Daily Wire that the Biden administration has been actively discouraging investment in the oil and gas industry, which has led to an increase in prices.
“The [Biden administration] has created a regulatory and financial climate which punishes the fossil fuel industry,” Turner claimed. “From the [the Department of Interior], to [the Environmental Protection Agency], to [the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission], every agency is sending signals that fossil fuels are not welcome.”
Turner explained that inflation is simply a byproduct of those policies as they impact the economy.
“The markets are responding in kind,” Turner said. “Sadly, fossil fuels are much more than the Biden admin. is willing to admit, and pushing wind and solar and [electric vehicles] does nothing to alleviate rising inflation, food prices, and consumer food prices.”
The Biden administration has also blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February for the increase in prices across the board — dubbed the “Putin Price Hike” — but Tubbs pointed out that the cost of gas was rising prior to the military conflict.
“Certainly Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is also being priced into oil markets, as is higher summertime demand for gasoline during vacation season,” Tubbs told The Daily Wire. “But to stop there is to totally ignore the policy choices being made by the Biden administration that had already led to a 48% increase in gasoline prices before Russia invaded Ukraine.”
Indeed, in November 2021, Granholm was asked point blank by a Bloomberg Politics host what her plan would be to increase oil production. She laughed out loud at the idea and said, “That is hilarious.”
GOP spokesperson Will O’Grady also blasted Granholm for her tenure as energy secretary.
“Democrat Jennifer Granholm, much like Joe Biden, has done absolutely nothing to bring down gas prices,” O’Grady said in a statement provided to The Daily Wire.
“Granholm, laughing off responsibility, would lead one to question why she still has a job as gas prices continue to rise with no end in sight,” he added. “The pain is the point for Joe Biden and Democrats, and Granholm laughing in the face of struggling Americans only proves it.
It seems that the secretary’s amusement over the cost of gas has stuck with commentators, as Tubbs also remarked on Granholm’s laughing to The Daily Wire.
In reaction to Granholm’s latest comments, Tubbs said, “At least she didn’t laugh this time or tell people to go buy an electric vehicle,” in reference to the Biden administration’s belief that electric vehicles can help Americans avoid pain at the pump.
Source: Dailywire
