Letters to the editor Dec. 4

Biden and the energy industry

This letter is in response to “Big Oil and Zinke” from the Nov. 29 opinion page.

There are two issues that I want to address in this letter. The first one is that Ryan Zinke has not been in office for a long time. When he was Secretary of the Interior (2017 to 2019), the price of energy was relatively low – gas was cheap. The price of gas started to go up in 2021, after President Joe Biden took office. Ryan Zinke had nothing to do with that.

Back in 2019, the energy industry was not under attack by our president and prices were low. But in 2021, the new president Biden started a relentless campaign attacking the energy industry, to stop drilling, stop pipelines, stop leases and stop permitting. That is why the price of energy went up. By attacking the energy industry, of course the price goes up. Following the laws passed by Congress to allow leasing, to approve pipelines, and allow drilling: this is what causes energy prices to go down. Biden has done none of that.

The second issue is that the author wants lower gas prices and to help the environment by reducing the use of fossil fuels at the same time.

This cannot be done. If we want to help the environment, then we should all want higher gas prices thereby using less energy.

Joe Biden is doing a great job at increasing gas prices and we should all be thanking him for it. He is so humble that he refuses to take any credit for it. He gives credit to the Big Oil producers, to gas station owners and to Putin for rising gas prices. I think Biden should get all the credit.

Environmentalists should be hoping for the upcoming recession in 2023 so that the consumption of fossil fuels will continue to go down. If people are out of work and energy costs are high, then they will not be able to drive their cars, buy groceries or heat their homes, and that will be of great benefit to the environment, I am sure!

So the energy industry and Joe Biden are actually doing great things for the environment by keeping prices high. I also encourage you to stop buying gas, stop heating your home and to stop using electricity. Unless its solar generated. Or maybe hydropower.

— William Fry, Kalispell