As Air Force One touched down in Jeddah and Joe Biden met Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Salman “cap in hand” last week to plead for more oil to global markets, the American Exploration and Production Council had some sage advice for the United States President.
With his administration’s ratings at historic lows and energy prices off the charts, Biden is under pressure to combat inflation and avoid a looming recession in the United States.
“We think Texas is a lot closer than Saudi Arabia,’ American Exploration and Production Council CEO Anne Bradbury told Fox News Digital. “And President Biden does not need to be traveling halfway around the world searching for solutions to this energy crisis when the solution is right here at home.”
“The inconsistent and hostile messages and policies that we’ve seen out of this administration have been a significant headwind.”
“If the administration is serious about increasing supply, they should be meeting with producers here at home instead of looking to governments overseas,” American Petroleum Institute spokeswoman Christina Noel said.
Singing from the same hymnbook, Energy Workforce and Technology Council CEO Leslie Beyer, told Fox News Digital that Biden’s trip to Saudi wouldn’t have been necessary if he had changed his administration’s policy on domestic production.
“First and foremost, the vilification of the industry keeps us from being able to access the capital that we need for our long-term investments for production. That is really the primary area that they are able to really hinder production,” Beyer said. “It also damages our ability to get workers.”
Beyer also condemned proposed Securities and Exchange Commission regulations and described the Department of Interior’s five-year plan on oil lease sales as repressive.
“You can’t say on one hand, ‘Industry, I need you to produce more,’ and on the other hand, tie our hands,” she said.
“The inconsistent and hostile messages and policies that we’ve seen out of this administration have been a significant headwind.”
