Grijalva: Safe Renewable Energy, Not Oil and Gas, is Our Nation’s Future

Washington, D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued a statement applauding President Biden’s action to ban imports of Russian oil and gas.

“I applaud President Biden’s action to ban Russian oil and gas in the United States, and the increased measures to further sanction Putin and his oligarchic henchman. We cannot continue to leave the American people susceptible to an unsustainable energy source dictated by foreign conflicts and held to the whim of oil and gas corporate giants.

Right now, American fossil fuel companies are producing near record levels of oil and gas, all while sitting on millions of acres of available leases and 9,000 approved, but unused drilling permits on public lands. We will not kowtow to Republican and the fossil fuel lobby’s corporate cheerleading for an oil and gas leasing and drilling free-for-all on our public lands. Trading in our environmental progress for corporate profiteering is simply not an option.

The volatile nature of the fossil fuel industry is hurting Americans at the gas pump, but oil companies are raking in record profits. It’s clear now, more than ever, that we must pass legislation and make transformational investments in cleaner renewable energy technologies to accelerate the transition to lower energy costs, ensure our energy independence and build long-term national security.”

Chair Grijalva recently published an opinion piece in The Guardian sharply criticizing the fossil fuel industry for its blatant opportunism following Vladimir Putin’s catastrophic, deadly invasion of Ukraine. Mere days after the attack, industry rhetoric advocating for more oil and gas leasing and drilling on U.S. public lands and waters soon inundated social media and opinion pieces under the false pretenses of asserting “energy independence.”

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