The same day that President Biden spoke at the AFL-CIO convention championing workers, the American Petroleum Institute (API) put out a 10-point “energy leadership” plan for the U.S. that includes nary a mention of unions, instead urging the administration to “support the training and education of a diverse workforce through increased funding of work-based learning and advancement of STEM programs to nurture the skills necessary to construct and operate oil, natural gas and other energy infrastructure.” What that looks like is unclear but it’s extremely doubtful it would be equitable or something the White House would take interest in given its own climate ambitions. API nevertheless sent a letter to Biden, also copying heads of agencies like Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
There’s nothing forward-thinking about the lobbying group’s policies, though its timing on unveiling such a plan sure is interesting given a recent information request from House Democrats in the Natural Resources Committee and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee about API’s role continuing to promote climate disinformation that benefits the fossil fuel industry. It also comes ahead of the Interior Department releasing its latest five-year plan for offshore oil and gas leases, which the agency will unveil at the end of the month. API’s first policy for its plan explicitly focuses on the five-year plan and on the many leasing auctions that were canceled just over the past year. No real reason is given for why these leases should be reinstated or why any of the API’s demands should be prioritized, save for talking points sympathetic lawmakers will likely quickly latch onto as they continue to benefit from campaign donations from Big Oil.
Campaign Action
API harps heavily on patriotism and U.S. exceptionalism, claiming other countries are actually jealous of the fossil fuels found in the country. While true that there is a shockingly high demand for energy, circumstances would be drastically different were consumers not faced with rising temperatures and more extreme weather caused by climate change, which polluters play a starring role in hastening. Add to that disingenuous concerns about geopolitics and the supply chain and you’ve got what the API hopes is a compelling case to wreck the U.S. and boost its own bottom line. The trade association somehow thinks these circumstances can incite enough panic in the Biden administration to allow for dangerous permit fast-tracking, the expedited development of even more liquified natural gas (LNG) infrastructure, and the elimination of tariffs on pollution-heavy items like steel. Advocacy groups and environmental advocates thankfully aren’t buying it.
“Decision-makers shouldn’t be fooled by the fossil fuel industry’s attempt to capitalize on current crises for their own financial gain,” Sierra Club senior director of energy campaigns Kelly Sheehan said in a statement. “The truth is that the current geopolitical turmoil and high energy prices underscore the urgent need to rapidly transition to a secure, clean energy economy, not double down on risky, volatile fossil fuels.” Plus, it’s not like Big Oil can even keep up with its own greed. A recent API build to add more oil barrels to the market has so far done nothing to alleviate the fossil fuel’s high price. That kind of investment is better spent preparing for the U.S. to reach its net-zero goals than continue buying into an industry only enriching itself.