by Casey Harper
Lawmakers will question President Joe Biden’s Energy Secretary during a newly announced oversight hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is expected to take questions from lawmakers on rising gas prices, the depletion of strategic petroleum reserves and continued criticism of Biden’s energy policies.
According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of unleaded gas is $3.60 per gallon, down slightly in recent weeks but up from the same time last year. The average price of a gallon of gas when Biden took office was about $2.40 nationwide.
“Under Secretary Granholm’s leadership, the Department of Energy has implemented radical policies and unchecked regulations in an attempt to wage war on America’s energy production and entrench the priorities of the far-left Green New Deal,” said U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who chairs the committee holding the hearing, reported in statement.
International conflicts during Biden’s term have exacerbated the problem. Russia is a major energy exporter, but its invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions have complicated global energy markets.
At the same time, the potential expansion of the Israel-Hamas war into a broader conflict in the Middle East could significantly affect gas prices.
Although gas prices are elevated, they are below the all-time record average of more than $5 per gallon of unleaded previously seen during the Biden administration. To respond to these prices, Biden has released a gigantic portion of America’s strategic oil reserves, set aside for emergencies such as war or national disaster.
Currently, reserves are at their lowest level in decades.
“It is clear that the Department of Energy has operated behind closed doors for far too long and has left Americans in the dark about the Department’s misuse of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, halted liquefied natural gas exports, and increased spending levels,” Comer said. . “The Oversight Committee stands ready to shed light on the Biden Administration’s disastrous policies and will continue to work to hold Secretary Granholm accountable.”
Overall, energy prices have risen significantly since Biden took office, contributing to a pointed rise in inflation during his term.
Last week, the Biden administration proposed blocking novel coal mines on federally owned land in the Powder River Basin, a major coal-producing region in the U.S.
Biden immediately blasted the proposal, the latest attempt to limit domestic energy production as the White House cites climate change concerns.
“The Biden administration continues to attack domestic energy production, making America weaker and more dependent on foreign energy sources,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw, D-Texas, wrote in response to the X show announcement. “Electricity prices have increased 30 percent since Biden took office. So why is he reversing Trump’s land utilize decision? Because this administration is more focused on appeasing radical environmentalists than creating pragmatic policy.
“We desperately need a change in administration and a return to the Trump policies that ensured Americans had access to clean, reliable and affordable energy,” he added.
All of these concerns are likely to come up during a congressional hearing.
Biden also sharply criticized the halt earlier this year in issuing permits for novel natural gas export sites. A coalition of twenty states sent a letter to the Biden administration condemning his decision and calling it illegal. A group of about 150 Republicans expressed their views similar concerns.
The committee’s announcement of the hearing suggested that this topic would also be in the spotlight.
“The Committee is investigating the Biden Administration’s withholding of new liquefied natural gas export permits, Secretary Granholm’s electric vehicle travel in the summer of 2023, the Special Climate Envoy’s actions in positioning jets, the creation of the U.S. Climate Corps, the historic depletion of SPR resources, and burdensome and costly EPA regulations,” the Republican-led committee said in its announcement.
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Casey Harper DC Bureau Reporter w Central Square.
“Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm” photo by Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
