Friend,
Gas prices have doubled since President Biden took office, and the cost of a gallon of gas is nearing $5 in some parts of Iowa. It's out of control, and these high prices disproportionately hurt Iowans in rural areas—folks can't just drive around the corner to go to work, get their kids to school, or go to the grocery store. People can barely afford their daily commute, much less a summer family road trip.
With some experts predicting that the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline will surpass $6 by August, I am renewing my call for the Administration to enact an all-of-the-above energy strategy that ramps up domestic energy production and prioritizes Iowa biofuels.
Even as gas prices soar, President Biden has halted new lease sales for oil and gas, and has opted to deplete our Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), meant for national emergencies, while other domestic energy resources remain unused or underused. That’s why I helped introduce the Strategically Lowering Gas Prices Act. This legislation would prohibit the President from tapping into the SPR if there is an active executive order blocking oil and gas leasing on federal lands that would otherwise be available.
Iowa biofuels also have an important role to play in restoring American energy independence and lowering prices. While allowing the sale of E-15 in the summer months is a good start, this action should be permanent. Providing this certainty to our biofuels producers will help increase our domestic fuel supply and bring down gas prices.
Iowans can’t afford the Biden Administration’s reckless energy agenda. Now more than ever, we should be ramping up domestic energy production to ease the pain we are all feeling at the pump.
Read on below for more information about my work for Iowans this week.
Best,
