Dear Sen. Hawley: Increasing US oil production would have no impact in Ukraine
Ever since Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley has been furiously backpedaling from his statements of appeasement and accommodation.
Now, the senator thinks “energy independence” is the answer to the Russian invasion. He wants to expand U.S. energy exploration and exploitation, claiming domestic production of oil and gas would cripple the Russian economy.
“Russia is not a country so much as a gas station,” Hawley said. “It’s time to shut down their energy sector.”
Crippling the Putin regime by reducing Russia’s energy sales is a worthwhile goal, and one Europe should pursue. But the U.S. is already the leading producer of oil and gas in the world, so increasing production here would have little practical effect on prices.
And this country imports a small fraction of its energy from Russia, mostly in refined products, not crude oil.
Increasing U.S. energy production would make more money for ExxonMobil and Chevron, but would do little to hurt Russia, which, again, sends most of its energy to Europe. Does anyone think Putin would pull back his troops if President Joe Biden revived the Keystone XL pipeline?
The U.S. could reduce its reliance on oil and natural gas by converting to renewable energy sources, which would not only hurt Russia but make the world cleaner and healthier. Hawley is not interested in that approach, though.
Ukranians, meanwhile, are fighting for their lives against overwhelming odds, and in the face of incredible danger. Turning their courage and sacrifice into cheap political slogans, as Hawley and others continue to do, is tragic.
On Monday, Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas dragged the abortion issue into the our discussion of the invasion of Ukraine.
“At a time when Vladimir Putin is killing Ukrainians, my Democrat colleagues want to kill more unborn American children,” the Republican said on the Senate floor, perhaps to distract from the fact that while we may not agree on abortion, most of us do agree on supporting Ukraine.
Comparing the slaughter in Ukraine with our argument over abortion debases the people of Ukraine by turning their heroic efforts into just another political talking point. And abortion is legal in Ukraine, by the way, a fact that may have escaped the senator’s notice.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 12:32 PM.