Sen Josh Hawley (U.S. Senate communications)
Missouri’s U.S. Senator Josh Hawley says the U.S. can reduce Russia’s regional power, by increasing U.S. energy production. He has introduced a bill with Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa Bill Hagerty, R-Tennessee; and Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, to boost or restart production from American pipelines, drilling, mining, and biofuels.
Missourinet’s Ashley Byrd spoke to him after he filed the bill. (Listen 4:45)
The bill would include opening the Keystone Pipeline and promoting the leasing of federal land for oil and natural gas production. It would also nullify President Biden’s Climate Crisis Executive Order.
Hawley says would bring down gas prices.
“We will produce more and more and more over the years but we could turn back on production right now and you would see an effect in price, you would see an effect on Russia and their market share. Our policy should be pretty simple. We want to drive down the Russian energy sector. We want to drive down their market share. We want to drive hours up.” Hawley said.
Hawley’s bill does not address oil imports, but he’s for sanctioning the Russian energy sector.
“I do not think we should be importing 670,000 barrels of Russian oil every single day. I don’t think we should be begging the Iranians as apparently we’re now doing Biden is now doing to produce more oil and sell it to us. We ought to be producing our own oil, natural gas biofuels and we ought to be selling that to the world,” he told Missourinet.
Friday, senators held a virtual meeting with Ukraine’s president. He tweeted:
Just finished a briefing with President Zelensky of #Ukraine, whose courage on behalf of his people is inspiring. Zelensky urgently asked the US to stop imports of Russian gas and oil. More important than almost any other sanction, he said. When will Joe Biden listen?
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) March 5, 2022
Hawley’s bill is now in the U-S Senate Energy Committee.
