Four Democratic U.S. Representatives penned a letter to President Joe Biden and his administration calling for increased production of domestic energy.
U.S. Reps Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, signed the letter in response to Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine and the resulting increase in gas prices.
In their correspondence, the U.S representatives commended the Biden Administration’s decision to join “energy leaders in rejecting Russian crude oil imports.”
The letter indicates the U.S. imported an average of 209,000 barrels of crude oil per day and 500,000 barrels of petroleum per day from Russia in 2021, for a total of $17.5 billion.
“The U.S. is the largest producer of oil and natural gas, and recently became the world’s top exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG),” the letter said. “We have the resources and expertise to strengthen our economy and reduce the world’s reliance on Russian energy.”
They noted that Americans are paying an average of more than $4 per gallon at the pump for the first time since 2008 “largely due to our dependence on foreign oil and restrictions on domestic production.”
“While we understand and applaud your administration’s commitment to address climate change, the U.S. abides by the most stringent regulations making our oil and natural gas the cleanest in the world,” the letter continued.
The representatives also called upon the Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other agencies to adopt policies that ensure “consistency, transparency, and timeliness for American energy investments.”
“We cannot wait for tomorrow to do what needs to be done today,” the elected officials wrote. “We must unleash responsible domestic production to counter reliance on Russian oil and gas, while simultaneously cutting off Russia’s largest source of revenue. Now is the time to regain our energy independence and support our allies around the globe.”
