True to form, the Republicans try to score political points from our national challenges. They blame high gas and energy prices on Biden’s policies and recommend subsidies to fossil fuel suppliers as the solution.

The high gas and energy prices are due mainly to supply disruptions (from COVID-19, sanctions on Russia and OPEC decisions) and to the post-COVID demand splurge. According to a New York Times analysis, Biden’s energy policies have had little impact. The Keystone pipeline, which would not have been operational until 2023, would have expanded global oil capacity trivially. Federal leases, which Biden in fact granted, provide a small share of U.S. output and are underutilized.

The Republican call for subsidizing U.S. fossil fuel production is wrong-headed. To lower our dependency on foreign fuels and cushion price impacts, we should reduce our demand for fossil fuels, perhaps by subsidizing renewables. Throwing more money at domestic supply promotes the pollution of our atmosphere with greenhouse gases and is a giveaway to the fossil fuel industry.

Let’s face it: There is little the U.S. can do in the short run to avoid high gas and energy prices. In the long run, it must accept a gradual but decisive increase in price to fight the climate-altering consequences of burning fossil fuels. By blaming Biden, the Republicans debase our national sacrifice for global democracy. By promoting fossil fuels, they increase both the burden of averse climate on future generations and the sacrifice we need to make to protect them.

Michael Jones
Brunswick

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