President Joe Biden has responded to elevated gas prices by repeatedly dipping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). However, that strategy appears to have run its course.
SPR at its lowest level in 40 years
The Washington Free Beacon reported last week that the U.S. Department of Energy announced it had sold its last planned batch of oil from the SPR, amounting to 15 million dollars.
The Beacon noted that Biden’s reliance on the SPR has been controversial as the emergency store is now at its lowest level in four decades.
Rather than attempting to increase oil production, Biden seems intent on reducing it as much as possible. The Daily Mail reported that he promised there would be “no more drilling” while speaking at a campaign event on Sunday alongside New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Biden’s new energy policy: “No more drilling. There is no more drilling.” pic.twitter.com/9NG9cjkExD
— Ellis County Kansas GOP (@ellis_gop) November 7, 2022
That pledge came days after Biden said at an event in California that coal-fired power generating stations will be shut down.
BREAKING: Biden just went to California and announced he will shut down coal plants all across America
You hear that, PA? pic.twitter.com/8IqX3bkQ7x
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) November 4, 2022
“And all they’re doing is, they’re going to save them a hell of a lot of money and they’re using the same transmission line that transmitted the coal-fired, uh, electric on,” the president declared. “We’re going to be shutting these plants down all across America.”
Joe Manchin says Biden’s energy stance is “divorced from reality”
Fox News reported that those remarks did not go over well with West Virginia’s moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.
“President Biden’s comments are not only outrageous and divorced from reality, they ignore the severe economic pain the American people are feeling because of rising energy costs,” he said on Saturday.
“Comments like these are the reason the American people are losing trust in President Biden and instead believe he does not understand the need to have an all in energy policy that would keep our nation totally energy independent and secure,” Manchin continued.
“It seems his positions change depending on the audience and the politics of the day,” the senator complained. “Politicizing our nation’s energy policies would only bring higher prices and more pain for the American people.”