Senator Collins Joins Group Urging Administration to Help Reduce Gas and Oil Prices, Increase Energy Independence
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senator Susan Collins joined a group of 16 of her colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden, urging him to take action to increase energy independence and help lower the prices Americans are paying to fill their gas and heating oil tanks.
The letter criticized recent decisions by the Administration that have constrained domestic oil production and increased the United States’ reliance on foreign oil, such as revoking the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline and pausing new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and offshore waters. The letter advocated for smart energy policies as well as investments in low-carbon technologies that can reduce America’s growing reliance on imports of foreign oil.
In 2021, the United States imported an average of 670,000 barrels of oil and petroleum products from Russia. Senator Collins recently co-sponsored a bipartisan bill to prohibit the importation of Russian energy products, which Vladimir Putin is using to fund his war against Ukraine.
“The world is in peril and we would like to work in a bipartisan manner to meet the challenges of our time. In the area of energy of independence, we have lost ground,” the Senators wrote. “Opening up American oil and gas deposits, and in particular approving the Keystone XL Pipeline, would benefit our allies suffering under Russian tyranny and American consumers facing steadily increasing prices at the pump.”
“We urge you to lead the world in sanctioning Russia's oil and gas sector, which makes up almost 40% of their revenue. We must reverse course and hit Russia's energy sector for Putin's outrage against Ukraine and other atrocities,” the Senators continued. “Further, we encourage you to reconsider the Keystone Pipeline and work with energy producers to responsibly increase oil and gas production at home. These actions will lessen the impact of increasing energy costs on American consumers and strike a blow against Putin.”
In addition to Senator Collins, the letter was signed by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Richard Burr (R-NC), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tim Scott (R-SC), Mike Rounds (R-SD), James Inhofe (R-OK), Rick Scott (R-FL), John Hoeven (R-ND), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mike Braun (R-IN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Todd Young (R-IN), John Boozman (R-AR), and Rob Portman (R-OH).
Click HERE to read the letter.
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Senator Collins has been a longstanding champion of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help reduce families’ home heating costs. As a member of the core group of 10 Senators who negotiated the text of the bipartisan infrastructure law, she secured a $500 million investment for LIHEAP over the next five years, which will help prevent low-income families and seniors from having to make the impossible choice between paying for heat and paying for other necessities such as food or medicine.
Senator Collins has also led efforts to increase energy alternatives and improve battery storage technologies. In December 2020, her bipartisan legislation to accelerate the development of next-generation energy storage was signed into law. The Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Act will support grid-scale energy storage research and development to promote the use of renewable energy sources like wind and solar, while helping to align research efforts on energy storage technologies.
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