Oklahoma’s congressional delegation stands up to Biden’s use of SPR

Oklahoma Senator James Lankford Speaks at Chapel | Campus News | Dallas  Baptist University

 

When the bill aimed at stopping President Biden’s political use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve hits the U.S. Senate after winning approval Thursday in the House, Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford will be one of its strong advocates.

After all, he was among Republican Senators who introduced their own version of the Act.

“Only in emergencies in the U.S. That’s the intent of legislation meant to curb the use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve,” said Lankford.

He contends the U.S. should not pull out of the public SPR without also increasing energy production on public lands.

“It’s ridiculous that Biden would try to ‘cancel’ traditional energy production here at home and then propose using our emergency reserves of oil,” said Lankford.

“We should ensure the federal government can’t just beg OPEC and others for foreign oil while holding back domestic energy production. This is a yet another example of Biden putting his climate-change agenda over American jobs and energy independence. I will continue to stand against it.”

Oklahomans in the House voiced strong support for the similar measure passed on Thursday.

Freshman Oklahoma Rep. Josh Brecheen voted for the measure and said he was proud to do so.

“I was proud to vote for the Strategic Production Response Act so that America has a plan: if we’re going to withdraw from our SPR in non-emergencies than we must also increase domestic production. It is common sense and the first step in ending the Biden Administration’s assault against American energy.”

Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.) on his vote against Speaker McCarthy, border concerns | WPBN

He noted the vote followed the first open amendment process in the House in seven years, a process that resulted in the consideration of more than 140 amendments to the SPR Act.

“As Oklahomans know, the Biden Administration has declared a war on American energy—canceling pipelines, imposing burdensome regulations on companies, and imposing a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on public lands,” said the Congressman who succeeded Rep. Markwayne Mullin in the Eastern Oklahoma House district.

“While the Biden Administration has made it tougher for America to produce oil, its solution has been to deplete our Strategic Petroleum Reserve—selling off nearly 40% of our stockpile. The SPR is supposed to only be used in emergency situations,” said Brecheen.

Rep. Stephanie Bice took to the House floor to urge support for H.R. 21, better known as the Strategic Production Response Act:

“President Biden has weakened America’s energy security in an attempt to temporarily lower gas prices leading up to the 2022 election,” Rep. Bice said. “Oklahomans deserve more than political games. H.R. 21 is a step toward allowing America to produce reliable and affordable energy to lower prices at the pump and ensure we’re prepared for true energy supply emergencies.”

Click the image below to watch Rep. Bice’s House Floor speech on the bill.

 

Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) also supported the legislation.

“Draining our nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve increases our risk if an emergency or natural disaster were to occur, emboldens our adversaries and is certainly not a long-term solution to the high energy prices Americans are currently paying,” said Cole.

He said the Biden administration’s ongoing war on American energy is the root cause of the nation’s energy crisis “and until it reverses course and starts using the resources we have here at home, nothing will change. House Republicans are committed to pursuing an all-of-the-above energy strategy to ease this crisis and put the American people first.”