'That accusation is a complete red herring,' one energy industry representative said of Psaki's comment
HOUSTON - Energy industry representatives lashed out at White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki's remarks Monday about unused oil and gas leases, accusing a Biden administration spokesperson of misleading Americans with a "red herring" .
Fox News asked Psaki on Monday why President Biden would not resume new oil and gas leases on federal land. She responded that the United States was already producing "record numbers" of oil and said "there are 9,000 approved drilling permits that are not being used."
"Therefore, the suggestion that we are not allowing companies to drill is wrong," he said. "I would suggest that you ask the oil companies why they are not using them if they wish to drill more."
But industry representatives Monday at the CERAWeek energy conference, sponsored by S&P Global, said the answer is not as simple as Saki suggested.
But industry representatives Monday at the CERAWeek energy conference, sponsored by S&P Global, said the answer is not as simple as Saki suggested.
Somers said: "Right now we're actually developing more leases than we've had in two decades, so the White House certainly doesn't put its facts directly on this."
"Some permits are viable and some are not," said Energy Workforce and Technology Council CEO Leslie Baer, as a reason many are sitting unused. He said the federal leasing moratorium is also not helpful in the current energy environment.
“The leasing certainly adds an additional … block to US energy production, so it is the opposite of what we need to do now,” she said. "We need to stop the anti-fossil fuel rhetoric and we need some clarity in the regulatory sense that this administration is behind domestic energy production."
Energy industry representatives told Fox Business at CERAWick on Monday that the US is effectively at its capacity for oil and gas production under the current regulatory framework. He said investments in extraction and infrastructure would take at least months or years to significantly increase production and potentially meet Europe's energy needs, which are currently met by Russia.
But the administration needs to create a proper regulatory environment for this to happen, he said.
"There is a lack of investment," Bayer said. “We need capital to be able to develop these assets. And of course it is the choice of the investors, the rhetoric coming from the administration and whatever anti-fossil fuel is that informs those choices. "
Many Republicans - and even some Democrats - are pushing the Biden administration to allow more energy production in the US amid Russia's war with Ukraine. Much of Europe is dependent on Russia for its energy, and he suggests that if the US increases its production and export capacity it could help Europe rid itself of Russian energy that could be used to fuel the war against Ukraine. Funding is being done.