President Joe Biden does not plan on changing his position on the Keystone XL Pipeline or other anti-oil and gas policies despite concerns about fuel shortages, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.
While drivers along the East Coast struggle with shortages and rising gas prices due to the cyberattack that shut down the Colonial Pipeline, Psaki brushed off concerns that the Biden administration’s opposition to new gas projects could also cause shortages and price hikes.
“Is the White House rethinking their opposition to new pipeline projects since one really important one goes offline and gas stations start running dry?” one reporter asked during Tuesday’s press briefing.
“I wouldn’t say we look at it through that prism,” Psaki said. “We look at it, we analyze both the impact, the economic impact, as well as the environmental impact, and that will certainly remain the case but we look at different, each pipeline project individually.”
Jen Psaki says Biden won’t change his position on canceling existing pipelines notwithstanding the current fuel shortages. pic.twitter.com/ioF1qnaRtu
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) May 11, 2021
While thousands of people struggle to come to terms with the Colonial Pipeline shutdown, gas prices are at their highest national average since late 2014 and may continue to rise. The current national average price for just one gallon of gas is $2.99 which is nearly a 9 cent jump since last week when fuel prices averaged around $2.91.
During his first few days in office, Biden rescinded the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, which was planned to stretch from Alberta, Canada to Nebraska. He also supported the Interior Department’s 60-day pause on new drilling permits and leasing on federal land.
Source: The Federalist
