White House nixes idea of upping domestic oil production amid energy crisis



The White House on Sunday outright rejected the possibility of increasing domestic oil production to combat the ongoing energy crisis.

At the time of this reporting, crude oil prices have risen as high as $130 per barrel.

What are the details?

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Sunday argued against the idea of increasing domestic oil production.

“It’s a reminder that real energy security comes from reducing our dependence on fossil fuels,” Psaki said and then hit out at those pushing to increase domestic output.

She continued, "[D]omestic production has not insulated us from the price volatility of fossil fuels or the whims of those who control them, such as President Putin. Americans know that.”

She added that the only way to avoid spiking oil prices was to become dependent on other sources of energy, including wind and solar panels.

“The only way to protect U.S. over the long term is to become energy independent,” she insisted.

What else?

Last week, Psaki said that calls to enhance domestic oil production are a "misdiagnosis."

"The way that the president, President Biden, has approached sanctions is we want to take every step to maximize the impact and the consequences on President Putin while minimizing the impact on the American people and the global community," Psaki said.

She added that calls to lift restrictions on oil drilling on federal land and demands to reopen the Keystone Pipeline were nothing more than a "misdiagnosis" of a solution.

"The Keystone Pipeline was not processing oil through the system. That does not solve any problems," she insisted. "That's a misdiagnosis or maybe a misdiagnosis of what needs to happen. I would also note that on oil leases, what this actually justifies in President Biden's view is the fact that we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, on oil in general ... and we need to look at other ways of having energy in our country and others."

Sen. Ted Cruz aligns himself with Elon Musk's demand to increase American oil and gas output: 'Unleash American energy now!'



Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) announced his support for Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's viral social media post calling for America to immediately increase its domestic energy source output.

What's a brief history here?

Musk on Friday took to Twitter to speak out about the necessity of increasing domestic oil and gas output to combat the dramatically surging energy prices under the Biden administration and as Russia continues to invade Ukraine.

Musk wrote, "Hate to say it, but we need to increase oil & gas output immediately. Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures. Obviously, this would negatively affect Tesla, but sustainable energy solutions simply cannot react instantaneously to make up for Russian oil & gas exports.”

At the time of this reporting, Musk's tweet has been liked more than 197,000 times.

Obviously, this would negatively affect Tesla, but sustainable energy solutions simply cannot react instantaneously to make up for Russian oil & gas exports.
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1646441339

What's happening now?

Cruz took to Twitter on Saturday to support Musk’s statement, saying, “Couldn’t agree more! Unleash American energy NOW!”

"Couldn't agree more! Unleash American energy NOW!" he tweeted.

Couldn't agree more! Unleash American energy NOW!https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1499907549746937860\u00a0\u2026
— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1646487978

What else?

Cruz on Friday issued a statement regarding the Energy Freedom Act, which would effectively release the U.S. from reliance on foreign energy sources.

“I’m introducing the Energy Freedom Act to reverse Biden’s actions so we can restore American energy independence," he said in a statement on the proposed legislation. "This bill won’t cost taxpayers a dime, but it will provide the United States billions in revenue in the coming years by expediting permitting, leasing, safe new pipelines, and exports, and providing much needed regulatory certainty. It would create new jobs, lower energy costs, and because modern energy production in the United States is far cleaner than in any other country’s by every measure, it would help the environment."

He added, "The Energy Freedom Act would put a stop to the Biden administration’s sabotage of the American energy industry, and Congress should take it up without delay.”