Congresswoman Tenney’s Statement on Restoring U.S. Energy Independence in the Face of Russian Aggression and Skyrocketing Prices

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) today released the following statement on her fight to restore American energy independence and end reliance on oil and gas from tyrannical regimes in the face of Russian aggression. The average price of a gallon of gas nationally has reached $3.83, and in New York, the average price is up to $4.05.

“Energy independence is a national security imperative for the United States. President Trump understood this basic principle, which is why in 2019, the United States became a net total energy exporter for the first time since the 1950s. Unfortunately, since taking office last year, the Biden Administration instead pushed a Green New Deal agenda, which is exactly what Vladimir Putin hoped would happen. This has destroyed our energy independence, eradicated well-paying American jobs, and forced American consumers to rely on tyrannical regimes like those in Russia and Iran for vital supplies of oil and natural gas.

“Not only does American energy independence protect our national security, it creates high-quality American jobs and supports domestic industry production that is cleaner than energy produced elsewhere. Anti-energy policies from Democrats in Washington and Albany have hamstrung our communities, and now we are paying the dire price.

“Democrats and green activists have played right into Putin’s hand. Here in upstate New York, the Utica Shale remains inaccessible due to self-defeating Democrat policies. Now, amidst the unprecedented backdrop of Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war on a sovereign nation, we can, and should, pursue safe natural gas exploration in upstate New York. In addition, the Biden Administration must restart construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and re-open federal lands to oil and gas exploration to drive down prices at the pump,” said Tenney.

Tenney supports robust legislative efforts in Congress to restore American energy independence. She is a cosponsor of the Keystone XL Pipeline Construction and Jobs Preservation Act to restart construction of the pipeline. She is also a cosponsor of the American Energy Independence From Russia Act to require the Biden Administration to submit an energy security plan evaluating energy imports posing a security risk, restart construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, and unleash U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG) exports to boost natural gas production.

Last week, Tenney joined a group of her colleagues in a letter to President Biden demanding he commit to rebuilding U.S. energy independence in his State of the Union address. And more recently, Tenney cosponsored the Prohibition on Imports of Russian Oil Act to ban Russian petroleum imports to the United States.

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