Energy crisis worsens, cost of living skyrockets

A year and a half ago, when President Biden was sworn into office, gas prices were $2.39 a gallon. Today, gas prices have more than doubled, averaging $5.01 per gallon.

The Labor Department reported Friday that inflation rose to 8.6% in the 12 months ending in May, its highest level since December 1981. Virtually no sector of the economy was left untouched. Electricity is up 12% from a year ago, groceries 11.9%, and rent 5.9%.

It’s not rocket science; the policy decisions being made by this Administration have directly impacted the state of our economy today. When running for President in 2020, Mr. Biden stated, “No more drilling offshore. No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill, period. It ends.”

Sure enough, on day one of his presidency, President Biden unilaterally decimated our domestic oil and gas production with the stroke of a pen. He cancelled the Keystone XL Pipeline, a first-of-its-kind net-zero emissions pipeline that would have safely transported crude oil throughout the United States. Next, President Biden put a moratorium on all oil and gas leasing, drilling permits, and lease extensions on federal land. Since then, he’s cancelled lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska and turned to other countries to account for our diminished supply.

Now, families and farmers in Central Washington and across the country are facing all-time-high gas prices which are directly contributing to a skyrocketing cost of living. To make matters worse, President Biden just last week declared an electricity emergency. Thanks to a Green New Deal agenda, our nation’s electric grid is at risk.

The Biden Administration has no plan to alleviate the energy crisis or combat inflation. Just last week, Treasury Secretary Yellen was on Capitol Hill testifying, and she conceded that she failed to anticipate just how long high inflation would continue. This Administration continues to ignore the crisis and the lasting effects that it is having on our economy.

The question most Americans are asking these days is, where does it end?

Fortunately, Central Washington serves as a prime example of how to address the energy crisis facing our nation: utilizing an all-of-the-above energy approach.

Renewable energy plays a critically important role in our nation’s energy portfolio and is a key source of energy in Central Washington. We are blessed to have a diverse mix of renewable energy sources in the region—from hydropower and nuclear energy to natural gas, biomass, wind, solar, and even researching hydrogen power! But Central Washington also understands the importance of American oil and natural gas, which are produced more responsibly and environmentally friendly in our country than anywhere else in the world.

If President Biden wants to foster a “recovery that benefits all Americans” then I urge him to take a page out of Central Washington’s book and work to restore American energy independence while fostering an “all-of-the-above” approach. Doing so will alleviate the energy and inflationary crises facing the American people and enable us to thrive once more.