Prior to Monday’s explosive post-briefing kerfuffleNewsBusters Was able to hear the audio), the regularly scheduled Psaki Show featured the return of Doocy Time as the Fox News correspondent battled the press secretary over who or what’s to blame for high gas prices and why there’s been, at best, an apprehension to increased domestic oil and gas production as Russia’s war on Ukraine rages on.
Doocy started with the reality that prices were already on the rise prior to Russia’s formal invasion: “It sounds like you guys are blaming Putin for the increase in gas prices recently, but weren’t gas prices going up anyway because of post-pandemic supply chain issues?”
Sure enough, Psaki painted a rosy picture on energy prior to Russia’s unprovoked actions, saying “there’s no question that…the anticipated continued increase…is a direct result of the invasion of Ukraine.”
Doocy responded with an apparent point. But Psaki dodged and tried to portray the administration as being pro-energy.
DOOCY: So you say that you’re going to do everything that you can to reduce the impact that high gas prices have on Americans. We’re asking other countries to think about maybe pumping more oil. We don’t need to just do it here.
PSAKI: To be clear, the federal policies do not limit oil and gas supplies.
To Psaki’s chagrin and pleas to “let me finish,” Doocy reminded here that “President Biden signed an executive order his first week that halted new oil and gas leases on public lands.”
Psaki made a snide comment about this and claimed that she was right to. “give you the facts here — and I know that can be inconvenient, but I think they’re important in this moment.”
Psaki claimed that Americans should not be forced to use their crisis to force so-called clean energies on them. “make the shift to secure a…clean energy future” even as “[w]e are one of the largest producers with a strong domestic oil and gas industry”We are being held back by oil companies
Doocy went to easing regulations for drilling on federal lands and allowing for the Keystone XL pipeline to finish, but Psaki deflected by arguing it’s not worth starting new projects because they take time (click “expand”):
DOOCY: Will President Biden repeal his executive order, which prohibits the leasing of new oil and natural gases on public lands?
PSAKI: Well, 90 percent of them happen on private lands, as I’m sure you know and there are 9,000 unused approved drilling permits, so I would suggest you ask the oil companies why they’re not using those if there’s a desire to drill more.
DOOCY: Will President Biden ever reverse the executive order that stopped construction on the Keystone Pipeline XL?
PSAKI: Do you think that this would resolve the issue of gas prices?
DOOCY: Do you believe that this would affect prices more quickly than getting rid of all fossil fuels in the country?
PSAKI: I actually don’t think it would. The Keystone was not an oilfield; it’s a pipeline.
DOOCY: Yeah.
PSAKI: Oil is still flowing in through various means. It would not have anything to do with current supply problems.
Sticking on this open admission that Americans should pay (more) to back alternative energy sources, Doocy wondered “how high would” gas prices “have to get before President Biden would say” he’d back increased drilling and return to his climate agenda later.
Psaki restated she has “the facts” on her side with Doocy “misidentifying what the actual issue is, but if we’re looking to the future and…what we can do to prevent this…in future crises, the best thing we can do is reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil.”
Doocy pondered these questions before moving on. “[A]nd you guys think that asking Saudi Arabia or Venezuela or Iran is reducing our dependence on foreign oil?”
Clearly frustrated, Psaki said she had already “outlined each of those specific scenarios” and took a cheapshot at President Trump: “I don’t think anybody is advocating for Iran to continue acquiring a nuclear weapon, perhaps except for the former President who pulled us out of the deal.”
To see the relevant briefing transcript from March 7, click “expand.”
White House Press Briefing
March 7, 2022
Eastern: 2:55 pmPETER DOOCY: It sounds like you guys are blaming Putin for the increase in gas prices recently, but weren’t gas prices going up anyway because of post-pandemic supply chain issues?
JEN PSAKI: Well, I think there’s no question that, as we have seen and outside analysts have conveyed this as well, the increase, and the anticipated continued increase, which is, I think, what some of your colleagues were asking about — that that is a direct result of the invasion of Ukraine and also, there was an anticipation of that that was — that was — it was factored in, as gas prices have gone up.
DOOCY: So you say that you’re going to do everything that you can to reduce the impact that high gas prices have on Americans. We’re asking other countries to think about maybe pumping more oil. We don’t need to just do it here.
PSAKI: Let me be crystal clear. Federal policies don’t limit the supply of oil or gas. To the con- — let me finish — to the cont —
DOOCY: President Biden —
PSAKI: — let me finish —
DOOCY: — signed an executive order —
PSAKI: Peter.
DOOCY: — his first week —
PSAKI: Peter, I’m —
DOOCY: — that halted new oil and gas leases —
PSAKI: Let me — let me give you —
DOOCY: — on public lands.
PSAKI: Let me give you the facts here — and I know that can be inconvenient, but I think they’re important in this moment: To the contrary, we have — we have been clear that in the short term, supply must keep up with the demand we’re — we are — here and around the world, while we make the shift to secure a clear — clean energy future. Our country is one of the top producers, with strong oil and natural gas industries. In fact, we have produced more oil than ever before. It is now at a record high and it will keep going up. The suggestion that companies are being denied drilling permissions is false, as there are over 9,000 permits approved. It is incorrect to suggest that this is the reason gas prices are not falling.
DOOCY – Would President Biden repeal his executive order banning new oil and gas leases on public land?
PSAKI: Well, 90 percent of them happen on private lands, as I’m sure you know and there are 9,000 unused approved drilling permits, so I would suggest you ask the oil companies why they’re not using those if there’s a desire to drill more.
DOOCY – Would President Biden undo the executive order that had stopped the construction KeystoneXL Pipeline from being built?
PSAKI: Do you think that this would resolve the issue of gas prices?
DOOCY: Do you believe that this would affect prices more quickly than getting rid of all fossil fuels in the country?
PSAKI: I actually don’t think it would. The Keystone was not an oilfield; it’s a pipeline.
DOOCY: Yeah.
PSAKI: Oil is still flowing in through various means. It would not have anything to do with current supply problems.
DOOCY: Gas prices have reached an all-time high of $3.50 per gallon. How high would they have to get before President Biden would say, “I’m going to set aside my ambitious climate goals and just increase domestic oil production, get the producers to drill more here, and we can address the fossil fuel future later?”
PSAKI: Well, again, Peter, the U.S. produced more oil this past year than in President Trump’s first year. Next year, according to the Department of Energy, we will produce more oil than every — than ever before. Those are — those are the facts, in terms of oil production and again, right now there are 9,000 unused approved permits to drill on shore. So, I think you’re misidentifying what the actual issue is. But if we’re looking to the future and what — how — what we can do to prevent this from being a challenge in future crises, the best thing we can do is reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil, because that will help us have a reliable source of energy so that we’re not worried about gas prices going up because of the whims of a foreign dictator.
DOOCY – Do you believe that asking Saudi Arabia, Venezuela or Iran for oil would reduce our dependence?
PSAKI: That’s actually — I just outlined each of those specific scenarios and the range of discussions that we’re having with each of those countries. I don’t think anybody is advocating for Iran to continue acquiring a nuclear weapon, perhaps except for the former President who pulled us out of the deal.
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