Democrats on a House Committee have put oil and gas companies again in their targets, planning to call leaders of three such firms, including Oklahoma-based Devon Energy to an April hearing on Capitol Hill.
Whether the executive leaders of Devon Energy, EOG Resources and Occidental Petroleum will comply is another matter. An earlier effort by Democrats in the House to put other oil company executives on the hot seat failed some weeks ago when the executives chose not to take part in the hearing. All the Democrats got were empty chairs.
This time, House Natural Resources Chair Raul Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona announced plans to call the CEOs of the three companies to testify. Observers see is as a maneuver by Democrats to try and redirect the nation’s critical attention away from President Biden.
Reports suggested Grijalva and other Democrats on the panel want to grill Devon’s Rick Muncrief and the two other company leaders about who’s at fault for rising prices. Biden’s been targeted by Republicans and others who blame his anti oil-and-gas policies for causing increased gasoline and oil prices.
The Democrats on the committee reportedly want to question the oil leaders about approved but unused drilling permits. In recent weeks, President Biden and Democratic leaders have attempted to turn the table on their energy producing critics, blaming them for not taking advantage of thousands of federal drilling permits.
At the recent Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting in Washington, D.C., Biden attacked the CEOs of major oil companies.
“My message is: It’s time — in this time of war, it’s not a time of profit. It’s time for reinvesting in America, and they hear it.”
But the oil and gas industry has responded by explaining it takes years to obtain permits and EPA approval to begin drilling. The industry further argued that the permitting process is filled with lengthy delays.
The committee hearing is set for April 5 at 1 p.m. on capitol hill.
