America’s dependence on international energy sources is a threat to national security, one advocacy group says.
For a short period of time this week, oil prices topped $105 per barrel amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the highest since 2014.
The increase in oil prices shed light on what some energy advocates see as a greater need for energy independence in America.
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Tyler Duvelius, director of external affairs at the Conservative Energy Network, told FOX Business that energy independence can be used as a “geopolitical weapon” that can be used to promote capitalism around the world, but he feels that President Biden isn’t promoting it.
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Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Lubmin, northern Germany, Feb. 15, 2022. Stream 2 is a 1,230-kilometer (764-mile) natural gas pipeline below the Baltic Sea, running from Russia to Germany’s Baltic coast. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File / AP Newsroom)
Duvelius says the “pipeline diplomacy” pursued by the Biden administration has failed and that America’s dependence on international energy is a national security issue.
“Part of this is the so-called pipeline diplomacy, if you will, pursued by the Biden administration. It’s failed in spectacular fashion,” Duvelius said. “The Biden administration should never allow the Russians to build the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.”
Duvelius said if America invests in energy resources and takes steps to limit dependence on other countries, Americans will face less uncertainty in energy costs.
Russia is the producer of one out of every 10 barrels of oil consumed by the world, according to the New York Times, making it the third-largest oil producer in the world.
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President Biden delivers remarks on developments in Ukraine and Russia and announces sanctions against Russia from the East Room of the White House Feb. 22, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Duvelius says America must stop allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to “line his pockets” through energy production.
Quill Robinson, government affairs vice president at the American Conservation Coalition, told FOX Business Friday that Biden needs to take steps to maximize American energy production.
“President Biden started off his administration by kneecapping America’s ability to produce energy, and I think that that’s a huge problem. And we’re seeing the consequences of that now,” Robinson said.
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Pipes for the Keystone XL pipeline stacked in a yard near Oyen, Alberta, Canada, Jan. 26, 2021. (Jason Franson/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
One action that President Biden could take to bolster America’s energy production is to reinstate the Keystone XL Pipeline permit, Duvelius said.
It’s also a move that several lawmakers, including Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., are calling on President Biden to make.
“President Biden set us on a dangerous path when he decided to kill the Keystone XL pipeline on day one in office,” Daines said. “What’s happening in Russia and Europe is a stark reminder of the need to support American energy development, not hinder it. Energy security is national security, and a global energy dominant America is a safer world. Biden must restart the Keystone XL pipeline now.”
FOX Business’ Megan Henney contributed to this report