House Democrats will continue to vilify oil producers next week in an effort to cast blame on the industry for high energy prices after congressional lawmakers held a series of hearings complaining corporations were engaged in producing any oil and gas at all. Tax revenues from the nations lucrative resources, however, fund the same conservation programs Democrats proudly claim to protect.
Earlier this month, Arizona Democrat Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee Ral M. Grijalva asked executives from EOG Resources, Devon Energy Corporation, and Occidental Petroleum to appear before lawmakers to examine the fossil fuel industrys failure to help stabilize American gasoline prices. Gas prices eclipsed their 2008 peak in the first half of March, reaching a nationwide average of $4.33 per gallon, and remained within 10 cents of the new high Monday afternoon at $4.25 per gallon, according to a AAA tracker.
In response to rising gas prices, the fossil fuel industry and its proponents have ramped up pleas for more oil and gas development on U.S. public lands and waters, Grijalvas office wrote in a press release. These demands contradict the fact that fossil fuel companies are currently sitting on millions of acres of non-producing leases and hold more than 9,000 approved, but unused permits for drilling on public lands and waters.
Those 9,000 permits, however, dont mean producers are sitting on rights to extract untapped reserves at the flip of a switch. Considering the profitability of oil in the current moment, such conduct would be corporate malpractice.
Rights of Way (ROW) permitting, which can take years to approve, is still required, along with the capital needed to drill. And uncertainty about operations on federal lands, prompted by the White House, has held back the investment needed to ramp up operations. Meanwhile, another 4,600 permits to drill are awaiting approval from the Interior Departments Bureau of Land Management run by an ecoterrorist.
The hearing scheduled for April 5 follows the quiet cancellation of the House Oversight Committee Democrats March 8 hearing with oil executives as domestic energy production was unable to counter the overseas turmoil interrupting the global oil market after being suppressed by the Biden administration.
In February, Democrats held their second in a series of hearings to indict big oil as big tobacco, where industry executives are dragged before Congress and made villains over the consequences of their products.
Despite the parallel lacking nuance considering that oil and gas production has opened the door to unprecedented flourishing and with it, the ability to navigate global unrest and adapt to a changing planet Democrats pushed onward in their crusade to demonize the industry even as power prices continued to skyrocket.
Twenty-seven years ago, seven tobacco executives appeared in this room before Congress. Rather than admitting the truth about their product, the executives lied, Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney of New York said in her opening statement at the first hearing in October. This was a watershed moment in the publics understanding of big tobacco. I hope that todays hearing represents a turning point for big oil.
The committee featured a panel of experts on energy and the environment in its second meeting, and will reconvene a third hearing in March bringing back industry representatives.
The day after Democrat lawmakers railed against the industry in the February hearing, officials from the Biden administration celebrated game-changing and historic financial commitments to conservation programs from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) signed by President Donald Trump in 2020. The funding came from oil and gas profits, but officials testifying before the National Parks Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee made no mention of the donors.
The GAOA enhanced two endowments for the preservation of public lands. The National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF), established by the GAOA, provides up to $1.9 billion a year to meet the needs of a $20 billion maintenance backlog. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which previously relied on variable appropriations, was given permanent funding of $900 million on an annual basis paid from oil and gas revenues. The same industry provides at least half the funding of the LRF established by the GAOA.
While the Interior Department has not released exact numbers on industry donations to the LRF, data from the Office of Natural Resources Revenue shows the federal government raked in more than $4 billion in oil and gas revenues, half of which is stipulated by the GAOA to be deposited in the LRF until the $1.9 billion dollar cap is reached.
Congress has historically appropriated approximately a billion in additional funding to maintenance projects on federal lands, making contributions from the energy industry double what lawmakers typically provide.
Generally speaking, theres not much awareness that energy revenues are contributing to these conservation programs, Scott Cameron, who served as the Interior Departments acting assistant secretary for policy, management, and budget under President Donald Trump, told The Federalist.
The industry, however, is at the center of environmental rage from Democrats, outdoor corporate retailers, and left-wing activists who place blame for land degradation entirely on oil and gas producers despite improper management by government officials and overcrowded parks bringing their own impacts.
Kathleen Sgamma, the president of the Denver-based Western Energy Alliance, chalked up the hostility as really just a theme of those who dont want oil and gas development on federal lands.
They know that if they keep raising costs, eventually theyll make it so expensive that it goes away, Sgamma told The Federalist, as the Biden administration continues to unleash a cascade of taxes and regulations on production in the pipeline contributing to record energy prices.
Last year, Colorado received more than $38 millionfor maintenance and repairs, including nearly $32 million for Rocky Mountain National Park. In 2022, the state is expected to get $29 million based on the Interior Departments project list, nearly $23 million of which is slated for Mesa Verde National Park.
Colorados two Democrat senators, however, have joined their party in vilifying the oil and gas industry as demon actors in the fight against climate change. Both championed Bidens industry-hostile Build Back Better legislation and John Hickenlooper, who sits on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has similarly compared oil executives to the big tobacco giants of 1994. Absent aggressive action on climate beyond the commitments already made, Hickenlooper told E&E News in November, oil giants will end up like tobacco companies and to a certain extent vilified.
I think for many Americans, theyre getting close to the point of no return, Hickenlooper told the paper.
Hickenloopers senior colleague Sen. Michael Bennet, who is up for re-election in November, has also called for more aggressive regulations that specifically target the oil and gas industry.
Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com.
See the article here:
Democrats Vilify Groups That Fund Billions In Land Conservation - The Federalist
- Court: Trump Can Appeal Attempt To Disqualify Fani Willis - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Media Give Blasey Ford Another Chance To Smear Kavanaugh - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Exclusive: Jordan Demands Docs From CISA About PA Election 'Task Force' - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- The Columns Spotlight: The Federalist Society Washington and Lee University - The Columns - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Democracy Under Pressure at the EU Level - The New Federalist - Le Taurillon - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Justice Jackson's 'Hamstringing' Comment Wasn't Her Worst - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Andrei Illarionov and Morgan Wirthlin, Author at The Federalist - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Democracy Under Pressure in Hungary - The New Federalist - Le Taurillon - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Mike Johnson Needs To Grow A Spine And Fight Biden's Border Invasion - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- High Gas Prices Don't Bother Biden Because They Cut Car Use - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Hemingway: All Of Biden's Interactions With The Press Are Coordinated And Protected - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Zuckbucks Group Teaches Election Offices How To Target Speech - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Gov't Says 'Once-In-A-Lifetime Pandemic' Excuses First Amendment Violations - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Speaking Openly About Isolation Can Help Us Resist Tyranny - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Trans Zealots Revolt Against Reality Rather Than Admit They're Wrong - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Trump's 'Bloodbath' Is The Fake Media's New 'Guy' And 'Sir' - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- It's Time For Georgia's AG To Indict Fani Willis For Perjury - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- What's New In Bragg's 'Get Trump' Hush Money Lawfare In NY - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Clutch Your Pearls, This Isn't The Last Trump 'Bloodbath' - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- DC Doesn't Just Spend Too Much, It Spends On The Wrong Things - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- CNN Analyst Asks Feds To Meddle In Elections To Defeat Trump - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- NYC Subway Shooting Is A Result Of 'Tolerance And Diversity' - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Keeping Trump In Court While Biden Campaigns Is Election Interference - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Disenchanted Democrats Should Be Asking Deeper Questions - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Olivia Rodrigo Hands Out Free Morning-After Pills To Teen Fans - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Poll Shows Biden Bombed State Of The Union Address - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- GA Election Board Member Voted On Cases Involving His Clients - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- GOPers Pass Bill To Keep OK Free Of Ranked-Choice Voting Chaos - The Federalist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- CISA Admitted 'Risks' Of Vote-By-Mail In Internal Docs From 2020 - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Democrat Bill Aims To Stifle Regulation Of Big Fertility Market - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Group Behind 'Zuckbucks' Is Now Meddling In The 2024 Election - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- California Democrats Work To Make Discrimination Legal (Again) - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- A Haley Win In New Hampshire Will Not Be The Victory She Thinks - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Votes Without Citizenship Proof 'Exploded' In AZ After Dem Lawfare - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Congressional Republicans Need To Start Fighting Abortion - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Matthew Malec, Author at The Federalist - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Larry Taunton, Author at The Federalist - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Congress's $1.7 Trillion Spending Bill Goes On Trial In Texas - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Chicago Abortionists Advertise Possibly Illegal Late-Term Abortions - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- How DeSantis's Disappointed Supporters Can Move On From Ron - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Thousands Attend March For Life Hoping To Make Abortion 'Unthinkable' - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Putting An End To Race-Based Hiring Is 30 Years Past Due - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Ever-Closer Union: Brussels Plots Federalist Reforms The European Conservative - The European Conservative - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- 4 Years Too Late, DOJ Admits Biden 'Laptop From Hell' Is Real - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Heritage Foundation President Slams Davos Elites To Their Faces - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- TSA Sign Says Migrants Without ID May Opt Out Of Photos - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Two-Thirds Of Elites Say There's Too Much Freedom In America - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- How Disgruntled Fishermen Could Prompt SCOTUS To Capsize The Administrative State - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- No Testing Needed To Prove Hailey Davidson Isn't A Woman - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Democrats Promise To Save 'Democracy' By Destroying It - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- 7 Takeaways From SCOTUS Case That Could Slay The Bureaucracy - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Haley Woos Her Real Constituents In New Hampshire: Democrats - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Men, Ignore The Bad Advice To Seek A 'Low-IQ' Wife - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- By 'Protecting Election Workers,' Democrats Mean Protecting Control Over Election Administration - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Harbaugh Champions Right To Life After Football Championship - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Oppressor Matrix Gives Leftists Like Hasan Piker Brain Worms - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- How And Why The Ivy League Will Die - The Federalist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Gorsuch Gleefully Leads Right-Wing Cohort In Fulfilling Their Federalist Society Quest - TPM - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Only 6% Of Americans Approve Of GOP Leader Mitch McConnell - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Knowing Of Hunter's Plan To Defy Subpoena Puts Biden In Legal Jeopardy - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- PA School Board President Sworn In With Pornographic Books - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- The 'Ukraine War Is Good For Business' Argument Is Vile And Also A Lie - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Data: Banning Therapy For LGBT People Increases Suicide Risks - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- John Yoo and Jeremy Rabkin, Author at The Federalist - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- From Woke Walkouts To 'Equity,' Illinois Schools Are Melting Down - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Hunter Biden Invokes Gun Rights Ruling That Joe Called Unconstitutional - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- China's Cyber Warfare Surges With Hacking Of U.S. Infrastructure - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Every Biden 2024 Scenario Is Deadly Dangerous - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Study Finds NewsGuard Overtly Biased Against Conservatives - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Republicans Need To Learn How To Go After The Left - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Biden Overdrew America's Account With Blank Checks To Ukraine - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Meet Michael Dreeben, The Man Behind Major Anti-Trump Ops - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Senate Dems Block Bill To Allow Whole Milk In School Lunch Programs - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- 'Experts' Who Discredited Biden Laptop Call To Extend Warrantless Spying - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Ranked-Choice Voting Proponents Are Lying To WI Voters To Hide The System's Flaws - The Federalist - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- The Case for an AUMF Against Iran and Its Proxies - The Federalist Society - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Bari Weiss's Olson Lecture: You Are the Last Line of Defense - Reason - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Book Review: The People's Justice - The Federalist Society - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- Farewell to the Mayflower - Reason - November 18th, 2023 [November 18th, 2023]
- FBI Targets Trump Voters Ahead Of 2024 Election - The Federalist - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]