Cheney Voices Support for Biden’s Ban on Russian Oil
Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney issued a statement after President Joe Biden announced that the United States will ban the import of Russian oil.
Cheney said it was good that Biden banned Russian imports, but that he should also reverse his energies policies that have hurt oil and gas production in the U.S.
“President Biden has made the right decision to ban the import of Russian oil, coal, and LNG as Russian President Putin wages a violent assault on the people of Ukraine," Cheney said. "After banning the import of Russian energy, the United States should unleash domestic production so that we can be the world's energy arsenal, instead of allowing our adversaries like Iran or Venezuela to step into this void. We should authorize new leases and permits for oil and gas drilling on federal land and cease the development of new regulations that limit energy production. In Wyoming and across the country, we have the resources and capabilities to increase production so we can return to American energy independence, provide crucial resources for our allies around the world, and mitigate the higher gas prices and energy costs that hardworking families are facing. This is an economic and national security imperative."
On Feb. 27, during an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation," Cheney said the U.S. should stop importing Russian oil, and that there are more sanctions the U.S. and EU could impose on Russia.
On March 1, Cheney, along with 110 other representatives, co-sponsored H.R. 6858, the American Energy Independence from Russia Act, which would require Biden to develop an energy security plan within 30 days and take specific actions to increase America’s oil and natural gas production to offset Russian imports.
On March 3, Cheney and 82 other Republicans signed a letter urging Biden to reverse several of his energy policies that they claim have hurt American energy production, such as canceling the Keystone XL pipeline and instituting an oil and gas lease moratorium, as well as pause new regulations that might negatively impact the oil industry.
Oil production in the U.S. is still recovering from the halt in pumping due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in Dec. 2021 the U.S. produced 11,567,000 barrels per day, an increase from the 9,711,000 barrels in May 2020, but still lower than the height of production of 12,966,000 in Nov. 2019.
Natural gas production on the other hand is at its highest levels ever, with 3,270,384 million cubic feet produced in Dec. 2021, up 3,234,746 million cubic feet in Dec. 2019.