Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) announced a new bill in February to strengthen U.S. energy independence and help U.S. allies wean themselves from Russian oil and gas.
Pluger says the “Midland Over Moscow” act, offered as Russian troops were massing on Ukraine’s border, but weeks before the invasion, has three goals: Force the Biden administration to develop an energy strategy to counter Russia and strengthen U.S. energy security; impose strong sanctions on the Nord Stream II pipeline; and expand markets for U.S. energy, specifically liquefied natural gas exports.
Pfluger, a San Angelo Republican representing Midland, the heart of Texas oil and gas production, compared energy security to national security in a statement.
“The reason this [bill] is so important is, from 2021 into 2022, the nation is facing threats everywhere that are the highest since World War II: Cyber threats, terrorism, Russia-Ukraine tensions, China-Taiwan tensions,” he said. “It requires we face them with strength and vigilance.”
Bill Details Emerge
Within 10 days of the bill’s enactment, it requires the President to impose sanctions on any entity involved in the planning, construction, maintenance, financing, or operation of Nord Stream 2, as well as any corporate officer or principal shareholder with a controlling interest in such an entity. The bill also revokes the President’s authority to waive certain sanctions related both Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream, another Russian natural gas pipeline project.
To help allies struggling with energy needs and avoid having them go to Russia or China for help, the bill also allows any nation, with certain exceptions, to engage in an expedited approval process to receive Liquefied Natural Gas or natural gas from the United States, or to export those resources to the United States.
Risky Foreign Reliance
Pfluger’s bill focuses attention on the need to produce domestic oil and to eliminate foreign imports, says Gary L. Stone, vice president of Engineering with Five States Energy.
“As any student of business knows, reliance on foreign supplies always carries some degree of risk,” Stone said. “Imports from Canada or Mexico have small geopolitical risk, while imports from Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela, or Iran carry huge geopolitical risk.”
The “tap” can be turned off at any minute, for any reason, as the current war in Ukraine and ongoing issues with Russia demonstrate, says Stone.
“Apprehension over supplies, far more than actual supplies, have driven the price of oil and refined gasoline to very high values,” said Stone. “In late 2020 prices were under $2 per gallon, less than half the current national average, thanks to a strong domestic energy industry encouraged by the Trump administration.
“We were exporting oil and natural gas and held a commanding position in international markets, and with limited dependence on foreign oil our national security and our economy were in much better shape,” said Stone. “A commanding domestic oil and gas industry promotes lower prices at the pump, stronger domestic security, and abundant jobs in the oilfield.”
Americans deserve better than the current administration’s leadership on energy, says Stone.
“Those opposed to U.S. fossil fuel production and the energy dominance it brings, for instance, the current administration blathering on about unreliable green energy and harming domestic energy while making back-room deals to import foreign supplies, deserve to suffer the consequences,” said Stone. “The majority of the American people don’t deserve it.
“The U.S. could make up the loss of Russian oil and gas to Europe if only the Biden administration would unleash the domestic industry,” said Stone.
‘Americans Deserve Better’
It’s sad President Biden will have to be forced into signing any bill like Pfluger’s that promotes vital domestic oil and gas production, says Dan Kish, a senior vice president for policy at the American Energy Alliance.
“President Biden’s administration is the most anti-American energy security administration in history, and Americans deserve better,” said Kish. “Instead of working to bolster that security, Biden is running around the world begging Iran and Venezuela for more oil.
“He’d rather do business with sworn enemies of the United States than allow Americans and Canadians to make North America the Arsenal of Energy and Democracy,” said Kish. “We could also work Mexico by helping them adopt modern oilfield technology which will also enhance environmental performance; between us we have centuries of oil and gas, which could be produced in the most environmentally advanced way.”
Stop Anti-Energy Agenda
Around the world, we’re seeing firsthand the high costs, in terms of lost lives and wasted resources, of energy dependence, says Jason Isaac is Director of Life Powered, a national initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
“It’s a shame for the American people that it took less than a year for the Biden administration to destroy America’s newfound energy independence — a trend that started long before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but will only worsen as tensions continue to rise,” Isaac said. “Congress and state legislatures across the country should take action to stop Biden’s anti-energy agenda that threatens our livelihoods, economy, and national security.”
So-called green energy can’t solve the country’s problems, says Robert L. Bradley Jr., Ph.D., CEO and founder of the Institute for Energy Research.
“It’s time for a quick reset to oil and gas from wind, solar, and batteries,” said Bradley. “Time to call the bluff of the other side and side with dense mineral energies over dilute, intermittent, inferior substitutes.
“Midland, Texas and the other hydrocarbon centers of the country deserve the federal government encouragement and support,” said Bradley.
Kenneth Artz (KApublishing@gmx.com) writes from Dallas, Texas.