Senator Criticizes Biden Energy Policies, Cites Record Production and Rising Prices

An unidentified senator told the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Feb. 25 that while U.S. oil and natural gas production reached record highs in 2023, the Biden administration's policies have constrained federal leasing and permitting and harmed energy security.

During opening remarks, the Unidentified Senator welcomed "Secretary Granholm" back to the committee and framed the sector as having "some really good news, and ... plenty of bad news," saying record production was occurring "despite" President Joe Biden rather than because of him. The senator credited "innovators, the risk takers, the roughnecks"—including workers in his home state of Wyoming—for recent gains and argued the administration has taken steps that discourage production.

The senator listed specific actions he said had impeded federal production: killing pipelines, canceling lease sales, rescinding existing leases and slowing permitting. He also alleged the administration did not enforce sanctions on Iran and had waived sanctions on Venezuela, calling that enforcement record "a disgrace." These allegations were presented as the senator's assertions and were not answered in this segment of the hearing.

On production geography, the senator said a rising share of U.S. oil and gas is produced on private and state lands, citing figures he attributed to historical comparisons: roughly 68% of oil and 62% of natural gas were produced on private and state lands in 2005, and he said those shares had risen to about 75% of oil and 90% of natural gas by 2023. He also cited an Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2020 forecast that U.S. production would reach 14,000,000 barrels per day by 2023 and said actual 2023 production was "1,100,000 barrels a day below that forecast." The EIA forecast is referenced by the senator in the hearing; the article does not independently verify those numerical claims.

The senator criticized federal leasing practices, saying the administration "has offered the fewest onshore acres for lease of any administration since the end of World War II," and described 2022 cancellations of lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. He also said the administration issued a five‑year offshore leasing plan he described as having "the lowest number of sales in history," and that actions taken after Congress restored some sales had made leases unattractive to bidders.

Turning to consumer costs, the senator presented a chart and said household energy costs had risen since President Joe Biden took office, listing percentage increases he attributed to his chart: gasoline up 48%, natural gas up 27%, home heating oil up 44%, electricity up 29%, and total energy costs up 39%. He said those increases amount to "people of this country being hurt by this administration and its policies." The senator urged the president to "stop playing politics with our energy security" and to consider how families will pay their bills now and in the future. He concluded by thanking the chairman.

No formal motion or vote occurred during the segment transcribed here; these remarks were opening statements and assertions by the senator and do not record responses by Secretary Granholm within the provided transcript segment.