Senator Cynthia Lummis has released a statement regarding the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. In the statement, Lummis used the attack as a segue to urge President Biden to "unleash America's energy production."

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"Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is wholly unacceptable, and Vladimir Putin must pay for the loss of life and harm he is inflicting on the Ukrainian people," Lummis wrote in a statement shared to her social media pages. "We stand with the people of Ukraine, and must work with our allies in NATO and Europe to support them in this time of war."

Lummis continued, stating that she is "proud to support FE Warren's nuclear mission, and [has] long opposed the New START Treaty with Russia that surrendered our nuclear advantage by forcing us to disarm while allowing Putin to gain ground. I hope we learn from this gross strategic error in the future."

The New START Treaty, according to the U.S. Department of State, is an agreement between the U.S. and the Russian Federation regarding 'Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms.' It "enhances U.S. national security by placing verifiable limits on all Russian deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons."

The New START Treaty was entered into force on February 5, 2011 and it was agreed upon by the U.S. and the Russian Federation to extend through February 4, 2026.

Lummis then referenced the Biden Administration's ban on oil and gas leasing on federal lands.

"President Biden must now set aside politics and unleash America's energy production," she wrote. "Our European allies will need new sources of oil and natural gas, and we must address skyrocketing gas prices at home. Wyoming is ready to lead the way."

Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy spoke with Dalia Perez of 11Alive on Thursday and stated that after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, oil prices went up 8% and gas prices went up about 16 cents a gallon.

"The risk is that Russia could potentially limit oil exports. If they stop exporting oil, then as the second largest oil producer, that would certainly not be a good thing," De Haan said. "The risk is that if the U.S. issues harsh sanctions, if other countries issue harsh sanctions, that Russia could essentially feel like it's backed into a corner, and it could use that to inflict tremendous damage on the global economy."

GasBuddy will be offering a live press conference at 1 p.m. to address the impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on gas prices. You can view the press conference here.

 

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