08.17.22

Hoeven: Biden Oil and Gas Moratorium Hurts U.S. Energy Security, Raises Prices for Consumers

BISMARCK, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after a U.S. circuit court reinstated the Biden administration’s moratorium on oil and gas leasing for federal lands and waters.

“President Biden’s policies have led to skyrocketing energy prices and record-high inflation, and locking away our abundant taxpayer-owned oil and gas resources has been a key contributor to these problems,” said Hoeven. “When federal courts ordered the Biden administration to resume oil and gas lease sales earlier this year, they slow-walked the process, blocked development on the vast majority of federal acres and imposed significantly higher royalty rates. Today’s circuit court decision just makes matters worse. We should instead empower our energy producers to utilize all of our vast energy resources, including our oil, gas and coal reserves, and to do so with the best environmental stewardship in the world. That’s how we fight inflation and make our nation energy secure.” 

Hoeven continues to push back on the Biden administration’s burdensome regulations on energy development and is working to advance legislation like his American Energy Independence from Russia Act, which would take immediate action to increase U.S. energy production, including:   

  • Prohibiting any presidential moratoria on new energy leases.
  • Requiring the U.S. Department of the Interior to hold a minimum of four oil and natural gas lease sales in each state with land available for leasing in fiscal year 2022.
  • Prohibiting the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy from drawdowns of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) until the Secretary of the Interior issues a plan to increase oil and gas production on federal lands and waters.
  • Authorizing the construction and operation of the Keystone XL pipeline.
  • Removing regulatory hurdles to increase liquefied natural gas exports.

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