Biden Fracking Ban At A Standstill Amid Global Energy Crisis

 https://earth.org/bidens-fracking-ban/

But just over a year into Biden’s presidency and right when the US seemed on path to phase out fossil fuels once and for all, the unexpected war in Ukraine placed all hopes on hold. Russia’s invasion of the European country sparked an unprecedented global energy crisis, deepening fears of worldwide oil and gas shortages. And as western nations scramble for new suppliers, America found a new position as a leading fossil fuel producer and provider.

Just weeks into the conflict, EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen struck a deal with Biden, with the US pledging to supply American LNG to the European Union “until at least” 2030, as the latter aims to completely cut ties with Russian gas as fast as possible. The agreement scrapped the plans of halting new oil and gas extraction on public lands. Rather, it did the exact opposite, calling for more drilling and the release of oil from the government’s emergency stockpiles to help cut rising gas prices. In fact, in late April 2022, the White House announced it was opening up public land for drilling – nearly 144,000 acres – to new oil and gas leases, just months after suspending them. While Biden’s promise to ship more LNG to Europe may abate the energy price crisis and contribute to softening the rising costs, it is also extremely likely to hamper the transition to renewable resources. Some experts even argue that the new LNG infrastructure needed to meet the EU’s import demand would embed fossil fuel in the economy for decades. In a bid to justify the decision of opening up more land for drilling, the US released a report that shows the country is on course to produce enough renewable energy to power about 9.5 million homes by 2025. While this is certainly good news, we should not let this distract us from the fact that the Ukraine conflict is exposing the consequences that the US may face by having other countries rely so much on its fossil fuels.