Why Are Gas Prices Going Higher? An Expert Explains

By The Car Coach Lauren Fix

The Biden White House recently released a three-day supply of crude oil for America from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Biden has also terminated the Keystone XL pipeline coming from Canada, which would have provided our country with up to 900,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The President continues to pursue an aggressive, anti-crude oil agenda that includes nixing pipelines, importing crude oil, ditching oil drilling projects, and banning new oil leases on federal lands, and leases that are left will have increased fees. 

 So what happens at the pump? I’ll explain.

Biden’s multiple restrictions on domestic oil production leave the US and its economy unnecessarily reliant on foreign governments for our energy needs. Americans should not depend on foreign actors (such as how OPEC controls the world’s oil market) for energy security and instead focus on the real challenges facing our country’s future. Biden requested that OPEC boost crude oil production to combat skyrocketing gas prices, but he was turned down. This seriously hurts the pocketbook of the American driver.

The decarbonization efforts of the Green New Deal are well underway, as the government is attempting to utilize wind and solar to replace two of the important fossil fuels, coal and natural gas. We have been using these resources for generating continuous uninterruptible electricity for decades, but crude oil is seldom ever used for electricity generation! Unfortunately, crude oil is being demonized, and the government wants to take it to the chopping block.

We certainly need some energy realism.

It seems legislators, policymakers, and the media are demonstrating pervasive ignorance about crude oil usage. They do not understand the staggering scale of the decarbonization challenge.

Crude oil gets manufactured into oil derivatives for more than 6,000 products and into transportation fuels needed by the world’s heavy industry and long-range aviation, merchant ships, cruise ships, and militaries.

It’s inconceivable that we would eliminate crude oil, just because two of the products manufactured from crude oil are gasoline and diesel fuels used in cars and trucks.

Electric vehicle technology is making progress in replacing some of the usage of gasoline, but EV’s are not the answer for all drivers.

For the first time in 70 years, the US had attained crude oil independence.

Under President Trump, America had a very aggressive pro-domestic energy policy that allowed America to become energy independent, which politicians have talked about for decades. Since Harry Truman was President, we had more crude oil exports than imports for the first time. This resulted in lower fuel costs for all drivers and our country was able to replenish the petroleum reserves. This means we were no longer held hostage to the unstable powers of foreign energy suppliers.

An abundance of crude oil leads to prosperity, while a restriction or lack of crude oil leads to economic struggle and poverty.

Biden has vowed to set the US on course to having a carbon-free electric grid by 2035, but that has virtually nothing to do with crude oil. His mission is to displace coal and natural gas with wind and solar for electricity generation. The government must be oblivious to the consequences of this plan.

Under Biden’s plan to rid America of crude oil and all its products, the military and space program would grind to a halt. It would also destroy airlines and the shipping industry and eliminate the medical industry, which relies on products made from petroleum derivatives used to process medications.

The elimination of the crude oil supply chain to the 129 operating refineries in the US would eliminate that manufacturing sector and destroy thousands of jobs, careers, and livelihoods. Oil refining would then be done in other countries, which would cost American jobs and independence.

As environmental, social, and governance factors are pushed on us, the reality is that the primary usage of crude oil is NOT to generate electricity but to manufacture derivatives and fuels, which are the ingredients of everything needed by economies and lifestyles to exist and prosper. We use crude oil for more than gasoline and diesel and create cool-looking electric vehicles, electronics, water bottles, clothing, medication, and more.

Instead of pursuing the green electricity policy that will achieve nothing but skyrocketing electricity prices and more inflation, we should consider taking steps that will benefit the American people, such as increasing domestic crude oil production to support the manufacturing of thousands of products that lifestyles, infrastructures, and economies that will bolster the economy.

The Bottom Line

Wind and solar may partially replace coal and natural gas for some electricity needs, but renewables CANNOT manufacture any products derived from crude oil. Last year, 84 percent of the world’s energy demand was met by fossil fuels.

Some say oil companies might be practicing price gauging. The government may step in and set price controls on gas prices, which always seems to lead to higher prices if the past has anything to tell us.

Lauren Fix, The Car Coach®, is a nationally recognized automotive expert, analyst, author, and television host.  A trusted car expert, Lauren provides an insider’s perspective on a wide range of automotive topics and aspects, energy, industry, consumer news, and safety issues.   

Lauren is the CEO of Automotive Aspects and the Editor-in-Chief of Car Coach Reports, a global automotive news outlet. She is an automotive contributor to national and local television news shows, including Fox News, Fox Business, CNN International, The Weather Channel, Inside Edition, Local Now News, Community Digital News, and more. Lauren also co-hosts a regular show on ABC.com with Paul Brian called “His Turn – Her Turn” and hosts regular radio segments on USA Radio – DayBreak. 

Lauren is honored to be inducted into the Women’s Transportation Hall of Fame and a Board Member of the Buffalo Motorcar Museum, and Juror / President for the North American Car, Utility & Truck of the Year Awards.  

Check her out on Twitter and Instagram @LaurenFix.

The opinions expressed in posts to the NMA Blog belong to the author and do not necessarily represent the National Motorists Association. The content of the NMA Blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. No representations are made regarding the accuracy of NMA Blog posts or links found within those posts.

Not an NMA Member yet?

Join today and get these great benefits!

Leave a Comment

One Response to “Why Are Gas Prices Going Higher? An Expert Explains”

  1. Greg says:

    I read the headline , and I thought to myself, let me guess the content, it’s all Biden’s fault.
    I was right.

    Nice article but it certainly ignores the issue of accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and what the resulting climatic changes are going to do to civilizations around the planet.
    So if you’re gonna take a pro fossil fuel stand I think you need to supplement your opinions here with your proposals for coping with an increasingly hostile and difficult environment around the whole world, consider coastal flooding, consider diminished agricultural outputs, and more.

    If I were king of the world I would put an ever-increasing tax on fossil /carbon fuels and directly subsidize sustainable renewable ones with that money. We need to set ourselves off rather urgently towards carbon neutral industrial societies. Read it more difficult it’s going to be and more catastrophic those actions will have to be. Plenty of civilizations in the past collapsed due to environmental factors. Ours is no different.