Petroleum Alliance: Biden energy policy a ‘recipe for economic and national security disaster’

 

“A recipe for an economic and national security disaster.” It’s what Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma President Brook A. Simmons said about Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s comments about fossil fuels during the Thursday night televised debate with President Trump.

In the final minutes of the 96-minute debate, the question about energy was finally asked and Biden responded, saying if elected he would “transition” away from the oil industry.

To which President Trump quickly warned voters in Oklahoma, Texas and Pennsylvania that Biden would shut down their states by shutting down the oil and gas industry.

“Basically what he is saying is, he is going to destroy the oil industry,” Trump charged, adding, straight to the camera, “Will you remember that, Texas? Will you remember that, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma?”

As the New York Times reported on Friday, “The line was reminiscent of the Republican response in 2016 to Hillary Clinton’s acknowledgment that “we’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business” as the nation moves to clean energy. Those comments resonated in coal states like West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wyoming.”

“Vice President Biden’s energy platform is a recipe for an economic and national security disaster that would leave millions of Americans in the cold and dark,” said Simmons.

“The Biden plan would destroy the economies of every oil and natural gas producing state, leave the rest of the nation vulnerable to vicious energy price and power instability, and again make America reliant on foreign despots for our own energy security.”

“In Oklahoma, the oil and gas industry is responsible for one-third of the state economy, one out of every five jobs, one out of every three dollars in earned income, and one out of every four dollars in public spending for schools, roads, bridges and other priorities. Simply put, Joe Biden’s plan is to shut down Oklahoma,” added Simmons.

He was joined by Steve Guest, a Republican National Committee spokesman who said on Friday, “Last night, Joe Biden issued a crystal-clear threat to 19 million Americans with his promise to eliminate the oil industry. No amount of spin or cleanup from Biden or his team can rectify this error.”

Representative Kendra Horn of Oklahoma, another freshman Democrat facing a tough re-election bid, declared, “Here’s one of the places Biden and I disagree. We must stand up for our oil and gas industry. We need an all-of-the-above energy approach that’s consumer friendly, values energy independence, and protects OK jobs. I’ll keep fighting for that in Congress.”

She is in a tough re-election fight against Republican Stephanie Bice and TV ads against Horn have accused her of abandoning the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma.

Bice issued her own response to Biden’s vow.

“We can’t rebuild Oklahoma’s economy if Joe Biden and Kendra Horn are going to kill these jobs of our friends and neighbors,” she said.

Biden’s comments may focus attention on a different set of battlegrounds, such as Texas and New Mexico. Representative Xochitl Torres Small, an endangered freshman Democrat in New Mexico, said on Twitter, “We need to work together to promote responsible energy production and stop climate change, not demonize a single industry.”

Source: PAO/NY Times