As Gas Prices Skyrocket, Will President Biden Shutdown Another Pipeline?

By 

Logan Sekulow

|
November 10, 2021

5 min read

Public Policy

A

A

Have you gotten gas lately? If you have, you’ve probably noticed that gas prices have skyrocketed throughout the country. We are in the midst of inflation exploding and an energy crisis. Yet, the Biden Administration is debating shutting down more pipelines at a time like this.

The Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked if this Administration will be going forward on shutting down the Line 5 pipeline in Michigan, to which she responded:

So, Peter, that is inaccurate. That is not right. So, any reporting indicating that some decision has been made, again, is not accurate. But what I’ll say is . . . where we are with this is that Canada has decided to invoke, dispute resolution provisions of the 1977 Transit Pipelines treaty. We expect that both the U.S. and Canada will engage constructively in those negotiations. In addition to being one of the closest allies, Canada remains a key U.S. partner in energy trade, as well as efforts to address climate change and protect the environment. I will also add this, too: is that the current – the current Line 5 pipeline is subject to litigation between Enbridge and the State of Michigan.

ACLJ Director of Government Affairs Thann Bennett pointed out what Deputy Secretary Jean-Pierre is really saying as she avoided the real question:

Let’s just say hypothetically this Administration was going to shut down this pipeline. How would they go about doing that? They would have to comply with a process. That process would start with the Army Corps of Engineers doing a study to assess the economic impact of that. Well, what are they doing? They are doing that study right now. So, they are engaging in the first step of the process that if carried to its completion . . . would shut down the pipeline.

ACLJ Director of Policy Harry Hutchison explained the economic impact this would have on everyday Americans:

I think it will have a massive impact on Americans. So, we should keep in mind the Biden Administration first decided to shut down the Keystone pipeline. They then gave permission to Russia for its Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Meanwhile in the United States inflation is exploding, energy costs are rising, and energy costs are a substantial component of inflation. . . . This is so because climate change has become little more than a secular religion on steroids for billionaires and the organizations they control. Meanwhile, guess what? The common folk – they have to pick up the cost. So, the Biden Administration, I believe, is prepared to see an acceleration of fuel costs. That will cost jobs. That will drive up the prices of goods. Keep in mind we have tanker ships off the coast of California; they are burning fossil fuel. Also, we should keep in mind that 60 percent of electricity generated in the U.S. comes from fossil fuel. So, at the end of the day the Biden Administration is confused and incompetent and they demonstrate that on a daily basis.

There was a time just last year when the U.S. was energy independent. Now, we are relying on OPEC. When President Biden’s Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was asked what the plan is currently to increase oil production in America, she responded:

That’s hilarious. Would that I had a magic wand! As you know, oil is a global market, it is controlled by a cartel called OPEC, and they made the decision yesterday they were not going to increase beyond what they were already planning.

These kinds of situations remind us that elections have consequences. That is what the American people realized last week. They didn’t like the policies they were seeing, so they went to the ballot box to change it. ACLJ Senior Counsel for Global Affairs Mike Pompeo discussed in his new article the impact of the wins we saw on Election Day last week:

It was good news for kids across America, parents who are beginning to reclaim their central understanding of what it is their children ought to be taught in schools. . . . It was around the country, people walking away from this woke ideology that indoctrinates and divides us, protesting the rising cost of living and higher taxes and defending our police. This was a good day for the United States of America and the people all across it.

Mike Pompeo served as Secretary of State under the Trump Administration. He has seen firsthand the needs of our country. He summed up what shutting down the pipeline will ultimately do for America:

It is really dangerous. It is even dangerous to talk about it. Because markets respond to that. Gas prices reflect the anticipated cost for the product. . . . To shut down a pipeline, to not be able to transport good American energy that creates American jobs and provides affordable natural gas for people to heat their homes this winter. This is crazy stuff. I hope common sense will prevail in the Biden Administration. So far on energy policy, we have seen none of that.

Today’s full Sekulow broadcast is complete with even more analysis of the Biden Administration’s mishandling of the energy crisis.

Watch the full broadcast below.

Support the work of the ACLJ as we continue to bring you expert analysis on the issues that matter most. Have your Tax-Deductible gift DOUBLED through our Matching Challenge.