Staff Reports
The Biden State Department has once again revealed its true colors with the release of a new guidebook that prioritizes cutting greenhouse gases over diplomacy and national security. Titled “Methane Abatement for Oil and Gas – Handbook for Policymakers,” this guidebook is nothing more than another attempt by the Biden administration to attack the oil and gas industry, which has already been dealt numerous blows thanks to the president’s irrational obsession with ending fossil fuels.
🚨 Biden State Department Launches Taxpayer-Funded Attack on Fossil Fuels https://t.co/TGndZmAPLV
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) September 26, 2023
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s letter in the guidebook parrots the same tired rhetoric we’ve come to expect from the Biden administration. It claims that methane emissions are a major contributor to climate change and touts the Global Methane Pledge, a worldwide climate pact that Congress never approved. Under this pledge, countries are supposed to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030. But instead of focusing on real issues, like securing our borders or combating terrorism, the Biden administration is fixated on making life as difficult as possible for the fossil fuel industry.
📢📚 The Methane Abatement Handbook for policymakers has arrived! In partnership w/ 🌎 experts, @EnergyAtState & @CLDP_DOC created this handbook to empower leaders to reduce methane emissions in oil & gas: https://t.co/zUHzZ8q2CW #CLDP #EnergyTransition
— EnergyAtState (@EnergyAtState) September 26, 2023
Within this more than 200-page handbook, the Biden administration proposes strict standards for developing countries that are simply unattainable for emerging markets due to the high costs involved. It also advocates for extensive regulatory regimes for existing oil and gas producers. These regulations include “prescriptive measures” that directly dictate what actions companies can or cannot undertake, along with “performance” requirements and economic penalties. It’s a recipe for suffocating regulations aimed at ending oil and gas production, both domestically and abroad.
But what makes this attack on the oil and gas industry even more infuriating is the Biden administration’s own hypocrisy. The State Department, which had a hand in producing this handbook, is failing to live up to its own climate-related pledges and regulations. Despite an executive order signed by President Biden, which requires the State Department to report all greenhouse gas emissions, the agency has failed to provide any meaningful data. It’s “do as I say, not as I do” from the Biden administration once again.
The reality is that this guidebook is just another step in the Biden administration’s relentless push for a so-called “green” energy transition. But what they fail to acknowledge is that this transition is anything but green. It’s a misguided attempt to appease radical environmentalists at the expense of American jobs, energy independence, and economic growth. The oil and gas industry is a vital part of our economy, and we should be supporting it, not suffocating it with unnecessary regulations.
It’s time for Americans to see through the Biden administration’s thinly veiled agenda. We must stand up for our energy industry and fight back against these harmful policies that prioritize virtue signaling over the well-being of our nation. The future of America depends on it.
