OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Sen. Joe Manchin ripped into President Joe Biden’s appointee who heads up the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) because of pipeline permits that are mired in bureaucratic red tape, imploring that he do his “damn job.”
The moderate Democrat, whose state of West Virginia is among the country’s top natural gas producers and is chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, was critical of FERC as prices for all oil and gas products have spiked due to the Russia-Ukraine war, though prices have been steadily rising since Biden took office.
Manchin had called the entire commission, led by Richard Glick, before his committee to question them over policy decisions while also demanding that they get stalled projects moving again, Fox Business reported Friday, adding:
Glick, speaking at the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference Thursday, defended his agency’s decision to withhold permits. He said some of the pipeline delays Manchin lamented at the Senate hearing were due to FERC’s efforts to ensure projects were done “right the first time.”
A proper process, Glick added, can avoid “years of litigation and … hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars of extra cost.”
“Well, speak up and help us, Mr. Chairman Glick. Speak up and help us,” Manchin said in response to that when asked about Glick’s claims during a press briefing at CERAWeek the next day.
The Democratic senator accused FERC of intentionally withholding guidance from those seeking permits, recounting that when he was West Virginia governor, he told regulators who worked under his direction, “If you go out with a cease and desist order before you try to help someone do something right and tell them what they’re doing wrong, shame on ya. Shame on all of you.”
Manchin also noted that the federal government, through its various energy and natural resources agencies such as the Department of the Interior and FERC, should be providing more guidance to the private sector, but “they’re throwing so many more obstacles.”
“He went way outside of his wheelhouse, and he knows how I feel about that,” Manchin continued.
The senator then grew frustrated after he was asked about Glick’s comments regarding projects being pushed through too fast.
“I’m not saying push them through quickly. Just do your damn job, that’s all I told him,” Manching responded.
WATCH:
The exchange comes as prices for fossil fuels have risen dramatically, and while the White House is blaming the price spikes solely on Russia, in fact, the prices of oil, gasoline, and natural gas have risen throughout Biden’s first year in office, as The Daily Signal reports:
The national average price for regular unleaded gas is $4.31 per gallon, according to AAA. That’s up from $3.47 a month ago before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A year ago, when Biden had been president for less than two months, the national average price was $2.81.
Putin’s invasion is clearly a factor, but by far, it is not the only factor impacting oil and gas prices, the outlet said, quoting several experts who cited Biden’s anti-fossil fuel energy policies such as canceling the Keystone XL pipeline.
On Friday, Fox News’ Peter Doocy cornered White House press secretary Jen Psaki over the price increases, which she and Biden have dubbed the “Putin Price Spike.”
“There’s also no question that when a foreign dictator invades a foreign country, and when that foreign dictator is the head of a country that is the third-largest supplier of oil in the world, that that is going to have an impact. And it is,” she said, in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“And so, to that point, inflation goes up today. The President’s statement blames the ‘Putin price hike.’ Are you guys just going to start blaming Putin for everything until the midterms?” Doocy countered, in reference to the Labor Department’s report that inflation in February rose to 7.9 percent, the highest level in four decades.
“Well, we’ve seen the price of gas go up at least 75 cents since President Putin lined up troops on the border of Ukraine,” Psaki responded, though gas prices have been rising steadily since Biden took office, along with inflation.
