Grand Canyon Times

Congresswoman Julia Letlow took to Twitter on Sept. 12 to protest President Joe Biden's ban on new oil and leases, saying it would only lead to high gas prices and that home-grown energy is the only solution.

“Because of this Administration's energy policies, our reserves are drastically depleted and offshore leasing has slowed to a halt,” she said on Sept. 12 in a Twitter post. “Increasing domestic production is the long-term solution that will keep Americans from paying outrageous prices at the pump.”

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Biden announced a moratorium on new federal oil leases shortly after taking office, citing the climate crisis and his plans to transition to green energy. However, the Journal reported that new leases are down just97% when compared to that during the Donald Trump Administration. While some still support Biden’s move, members of Congress like Arizona Democrat Kelly have shown support for Biden’s energy policies. Meanwhile, Arizona's average gas prices are up this year compared to 2021, the WSJ reported.

According to Senate.gov voting records, Kelly voted Aug. 10 against an amendment “to cancel the Biden Administration's ban on oil and gas leasing on Federal land to help lower gasoline prices and reduce energy dependence on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries”

The American Automobile Association’s latest gas price data shows that Arizona’s average gas prices are up in 2022 at $3.989 per gallon as of Sep. 12, up from $3.151per gallon a year ago.

Federal oil leases have produced the lowest amount of domestic oil since the end of World War II under Biden, the Journal reported. Between Jan. 20, 2021 and Aug. 20, 2022, Biden leased 126,228 acres of federal land for drilling, compared to previous administrations that have leased at least 4.4 million, the WSJ found. 

According to information from the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Biden has leased 0.13 million acres in his first 19 months, compared to President George W. Bush, who leased 12.74 acres, President Obama, leased 7.25 million, and President Trump, who leased 4.14.

Leases have “slowed to a trickle” and are down 97% under Biden, according to the Journal. Analysis has found the 203 federal oil and gas leases under the Biden Administration’s first 19 months are 3.2% of that of other presidents.

According to the White House Official site, Biden “fulfilled his campaign promise in his first week in office,” issuing a moratorium for new federal leases. The executive order was released on Jan. 27, 2020, citing the “climate crisis” as the reason.

“Climate considerations shall be an essential element of United States foreign policy and national security,” the release stated. The order laid out ways the Administration will prioritize the climate crisis including “pause new oil and natural gas leases on public lands or in offshore waters pending completion of a comprehensive review.”

Daniel Yergin, Vice Chair of S&P Global, said federal oil leases on American land have been a priority for previous administrations

“Whether Democrats or Republicans, presidents have wanted to embrace the idea of energy independence and production,” he told the Journal. The rising prices of gas and energy have led critics to question the Biden Administration’s slowing of these federal leases. “New leases are needed to maintain supply later, potentially helpful in averting future shortages and price surges, energy industry leaders say,” the WSJ story said. 

The Inflation Reduction Act demands that “at least 2 million acres of federal land and 60 million offshore acres to oil and gas producers every year for the next decade,” and the U.S. Interior Department has said it will accept these terms. 

Federal leases on gas and oil are “potentially helpful in averting future shortages and price surges.” Environmentalists cheer Biden’s decision to steer away from fossil fuel production long term while some criticize the Administration for slowing the leases during an unstable time of high gas and energy costs,” the Journal wrote.

U.S. Federal District Judge Terry Doughty issued a ruling on Aug. 19 against the moratorium, saying the policy violated the Miners Leasing Act (MLA) and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said, “President Biden’s executive order to choke off energy development didn’t just increase prices and hurt American families—it was flatly illegal.”

The ruling applies to 13 states, including Montana, according to Bloomberg.

Biden’s moratorium on federal oil leases has contributed to rising gas prices. “Canceling oil and gas leases is part of Biden’s ongoing punishing of the industry including threatening banks for lending and investment,” Daniel Turner, executive director of the energy workers advocacy group, Power the Future, said in a story by CenterSquare. “We are all living the consequence: outrageously high prices and growing shortages.”