BOOM: DeSantis Blasts Biden Over Gas Price Crisis

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took a wrecking ball to Brandon’s infernal insouciance in the face of the gas price crisis in a recent tweet, saying:

Americans are struggling with record gas prices – up over 50% since Biden took office – but he doesn’t care. Rather than expand domestic energy production, he continues to reduce U.S. production capacity (increasing our reliance on foreign oil) by canceling our oil & gas leases.

Americans are struggling with record gas prices – up over 50% since Biden took office – but he doesn’t care. Rather than expand domestic energy production, he continues to reduce U.S. production capacity (increasing our reliance on foreign oil) by canceling our oil & gas leases.

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 12, 2022

That tweet came on the heels of news that Biden had decided to shut down drilling for gas and oil in numerous areas, particularly in a 1 million acre spot in Alaska’s Cook Inlet and two leases in the Gulf of Mexico, all three areas of which could have produced a tremendous amount of energy. Even if not enough to get us out of the crisis, it sure would have helped.

But now the areas can’t be drilled thanks to Team Biden’s hostile stance toward the energy industry. A DOI spokesperson, speaking to Fox News on the matter, said:

“Due to lack of industry interest in leasing in the area, the Department will not move forward with the proposed Cook Inlet OCS oil and gas lease sale 258.”

That same spokesperson added that “The Department also will not move forward with lease sales 259 and 261 in the Gulf of Mexico region, as a result of delays due to factors including conflicting court rulings that impacted work on these proposed lease sales.”

Speaking on that to Fox News, Frank Macchiarola, senior vice president of policy, economics and regulatory affairs at the American Petroleum Institute, said:

“Unfortunately, this is becoming a pattern – the administration talks about the need for more supply and acts to restrict it. As geopolitical volatility and global energy prices continue to rise, we again urge the administration to end the uncertainty and immediately act on a new five-year program for federal offshore leasing.”

Psaki was asked about that during the Thursday press briefing, with a reporter asking her “AAA is saying, you know, record-high nominal gasoline prices again today, but Americans are also seeing news about oil leases and auctions not going forward.  What was the administration’s thinking on not having those auctions?”

Responding, Psaki gave a long-winded but ultimately meaningless and unhelpful response that proved DeSantis’ point to be true, saying:

Well, the Department of Interior, who — they have put out some comments on this.  And what they have made quite clear is that the Cook Inlet cancellation, which you’re referring to, was due to a lack of industry interest.  And the Gulf sales were as a result of delays due to a number of factors, including conflicting court rulings.  So those were the two areas where you’ve seen the pause.  But there was not interest.

I would note that if we take a step back and look at what is available out there and look at the supply needed, as you noted at the top of — as part of your question, leasing and production offshore is a lengthier process.  It can take up to 10 years to create supply.  So, let’s start there.

Secondly, of the more than 10.9 million offshore acres currently under lease, industry is not producing on 8.26 million acres.  That’s about seven point — 75 — more than 75 percent that is non-producing.  Of the 24.9 million onshore acres under lease, industry is not producing on 12.3 million acres.  That’s almost 50 percent.  And there are also over 9,000 onshore permits that have been approved and are waiting to be used onshore. 

So, just to reiterate what we expect: U.S. production is expected to increase by over 1 million barrels a day this year and hit a new record — record next year.  This — these specific actions were as a result of lack of industry interest and a — and conflicting court rulings.

By: Gen Z Conservative, editor of GenZConservative.com. Follow me on Parler and Gettr.