Report: Biden Officials Openly Disagreed With Admin's Fossil Fuel Policies

Facts

• Several top Biden administration officials allegedly disagreed with the Dept. of the Interior's decision to resume oil and gas leasing, with internal emails reportedly obtained by Fox News showing that some even expressed support for the condemnation of the action by Democratic lawmakers.¹
• Watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust first obtained the emails before sharing them with Fox News Digital. On Aug. 16, 2021, Department of the Interior Deputy Assistant Sec. Steven Feldgus sent a press release from former chair of the Natural Resources Committee Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) criticizing the agency’s decision to continue fossil fuel leasing.¹
• Upon taking office, Biden signed an executive order suspending oil and gas leases on federal land and waters. However, in March 2021, a US District Judge from Louisiana blocked the policy at the request of Republican-led states.; in Aug. 2022, a New Orleans Appeals court vacated the earlier decision, allowing Biden to pause leases.²
• While Sec. Deb Haaland announced that the Department would continue leasing after a federal court struck down Pres. Biden’s moratorium during his first week in office, three senior officials — Nada Wolff Culver, Laura Daniel-Davis, and Amanda Lefton — agreed with Grijalva’s staunch criticism of the policy.¹
• Grijalva’s statement said that the administration’s lease sales were “economically wasteful and environmentally destructive,” which the DOI officials endorsed. Michael Chamberlain of Protect the Public’s Trust said that the “conversations reveal how at odds some officials are with the policies they're entrusted to develop and implement.'¹
• The Biden administration has since resumed leases but has scaled them back heavily. On Sept. 29, the White House announced a plan to slash offshore oil and gas leasing in a move that drew criticism from both the fossil fuel industry and environmentalists who argue that the plan would raise fuel prices and undermine efforts to stop global warming.³

Sources: ¹FOX News, ²PBS NewsHour and ³Reuters.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. The Biden administration is as disjointed as it is destructive, and the latest leak of internal emails shows that the radical left-wingers in the administration have a clear disdain for any policy that doesn’t crush American energy. Anti-fossil fuel policies are causing energy prices to soar, and Americans are being punished in their wallets. However, these activists parading as administrators will do anything in their power to destroy American energy independence. This shows a chaotic and dysfunctional administration.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by State of the Planet. When it comes to fossil fuels, climate change, and energy policy overall, it is difficult to please all sides and stakeholders since they have vastly different goals. The Biden administration is doing its best to thread a tight needle by thoughtfully weaning America off petroleum oil dependence while pursuing green energy policies. While Biden's plan regarding oil and gas leasing isn’t perfect, it still accomplishes this balancing act. Vigorous debate is a sign of a robust administration.

Predictions