Gov. Gianforte Urges Pres. Biden to End Reliance on Foreign Energy, Make America Energy Independent and Secure

“It is imperative that our country becomes energy secure and independent. Our nation’s adversaries are the only beneficiaries when we aren’t.”

• March 15 2022

HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today called on President Joe Biden to act immediately to make the United States energy independent and more secure. 

“Montanans are paying 50 percent more at the pump today than they were a year ago. The cost of fuel oil Americans use to heat their homes is up nearly 44 percent from a year ago. These two costly trends predate Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” the governor wrote in a letter to the president. 

“To reduce the prices Montanans pay to heat their homes and fill up their trucks and cars, I write today to urgently request you take all available action to make the United States energy independent, because ultimately American energy independence makes America more secure,” the governor continued. 

Since Pres. Biden took office, his administration has taken a series of steps that undermine American energy independence, including terminating the Keystone XL Pipeline, banning new oil and gas leasing on federal land, and suspending all oil and gas leases for portions of the non-wilderness Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 

To fill the void, the United States has become reliant on other nations for energy, including Russia. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States imported 24 percent more crude oil and petroleum products from Russia in 2021 than it did in 2020. As Russia wages war against Ukraine, Pres. Biden has turned to Iran and Venezuela for American energy needs, rather than reversing his administration’s policies that impede American energy production. 

“A few years ago, however, we were not in as precarious a position. In 2019, the United States was a net exporter of energy for the first time since 1952. The United States was energy independent and more energy secure than it is today,” Gov. Gianforte wrote. “The American people simply cannot afford to rely on Russia, Iran, Venezuela, or any adversary for our energy needs.” 

The governor cited Germany, which has taken steps in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine to expand its domestic energy production, and encouraged the president to take similar action. 

The governor pointed to four steps the president could take immediately to make America energy independent and secure. 

“Our nation has the abundant natural resources to develop responsibly, and in Montana, we have folks eager and willing to get to work to achieve American energy independence. Mr. President, it is imperative that our country becomes energy secure and independent. Our nation’s adversaries are the only beneficiaries when we aren’t,” the governor concluded. 

The governor’s letter can be viewed in its entirety here.  

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