The calls for domestic oil production have become more and more bipartisan, with moderate Democrats Joe Manchin and Jon Tester calling for domestic oil production, instead of having to import it from other countries.
The Need for Domestic Production
When contacted in the Capitol’s corridors by CNN’s Manu Raju, the two Democrats emphasized the necessity of domestic oil and gas production.
This comes as the Biden presidency turns to nations such as Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Iran to fill gaps in the oil supply caused by Russia’s incursion into Ukraine.
Tester, Dem from Montana, on talk of importing Venezuelan and Iranian energy to offset Russian ban: "We shouldn't be advancing other countries who don't share our values."
Manchin: "If we are asking the rest of the world to step up, let's show that we're going to step up." pic.twitter.com/KHYeNYqoGF
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 8, 2022
“We should refrain from promoting countries that do not share our principles,” Tester stated. “So I believe the potential here is to do it domestically.”
“We should essentially revert to the policies we had previously,” Manchin remarked.
“We have to conduct our licensing in the Gulf of Mexico, and since the Bureau of Land Management properties has been off-target, all of this needs to be reincorporated, brought back into production. That is all we are requesting.”
A Step Further
Manchin has carried it to the next level.
According to The Hill, the Democrat, who currently chairs the Senate Energy and Commerce Committee, was going to withhold a vote on President Biden’s candidate for assistant Interior Secretary for land and minerals planning, Laura Daniel-Davis.
This comes due to worries the Biden presidency was not doing enough to boost domestic production.
“As we continue to witness Vladimir Putin’s use of power generation as a weapon of war, the necessity for stronger American energy production is evident to guarantee domestic supplies and assist our allies,” Manchin spokesperson Sam Runyon informed The Hill.
“Ms. Daniel-Davis has been selected to supervise federal licensing programs. Senator Manchin wants to see more evidence from the department that it plans to resume leasing and extraction on federal lands and waterways robustly and sensibly.”
Manchin and Tester are the two most recent members of Congress to ask the United States to do more to make its gas so people in the United States can better deal with rising gas prices.
Gas prices hit a new high Monday, averaging $4.104 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.
Gas prices also increased by the most in seven days on record, jumping 49.1 cents a gallon. Congressional Republicans have been appealing to the Biden presidency to revitalize American oil production for days, but Biden has failed to reply.
Gas is expensive. Freedom is priceless.
— Ben Meiselas (@meiselasb) March 8, 2022
Rather than that, federal authorities have floated the notion of increasing oil purchases from countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Several officials allegedly met with Venezuelan administrators to urge the country to increase oil production. Biden, on the other hand, put a ban on Russian natural gas and oil in an effort to cut off Russia’s main source of income.
