Boebert: “Drill Baby Drill!”; Graves: “Shame on Us” for Not Having a Single Hearing on the Energy Crisis We Created

On 4/3/2022, Rep. Lauren Boebert called for restarting Keystone and declared “drill baby drill!” while Rep. Garret Graves erupted in a House committee, demanding to know why Democrats had not held “a single hearing, not a single bill, no review, no oversight” on the energy crisis they helped create. An analyst noted the only number that mattered to voters was “what the placard says at the local gas station” and said Biden’s “Putin price hike” messaging would succeed “when gas stations say ‘blame Putin’ more than ‘Let’s Go Brandon.’"

"Drill Baby Drill”

Boebert laid out the case in stark terms. “Gas prices are at $5 and even $6 a gallon. The average household is now spending $2,000 more a year because of increased gas costs on Biden’s watch,” Boebert said. “Biden and the Democrats think now is the time to add $45 billion in new taxes on the oil and gas industry.”

“On day one he canceled the Keystone XL pipeline, killing 11,000 good-paying American energy jobs,” Boebert continued. “Why does Biden favor foreign energy over domestic energy? We know that American natural gas is 42% cleaner than Russian gas. So it’s not for environmental reasons.”

Boebert proposed a simple solution. “Restart construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Overturn Biden’s energy leasing moratorium. Expedite permits for pipelines and natural gas exports,” she said. “In short, the solution is very simple: drill baby drill!”

Graves: “Shame on Us”

Graves delivered a passionate committee speech attacking Democrats for inaction. “This committee has jurisdiction over energy. And we’re not doing anything. We’re not having hearings. We’re not doing bills. We’re not going back and looking at all of the unforced errors that put us in this situation,” Graves said.

“What we’re experiencing today was preventable. And not just preventable — it’s things that people actually raised and said was going to happen,” Graves continued. “There has not been a single hearing, not a single bill. No review, no oversight, no nothing.”

Graves drew a contrast. “If Donald Trump were in the White House and if Democrats were in charge of this committee, they would be dragging every Interior Department, Energy, EPA, and every other official up here, kicking and screaming, doing exams on these folks up one side and down the other,” Graves said.

“Shame on us, Mr. Chairman, for not stepping up and addressing this issue that is a bipartisan issue affecting all of our constituents, especially those that are most impoverished and those that are on fixed income,” Graves said.

”Proven to Completely Fail”

Graves questioned the fundamental logic of the administration’s energy strategy. “Why in the world would we not learn from the mistakes and learn from the successes of different states and other countries versus going down this exact path that has been proven to completely fail?” Graves asked.

“Let me be clear — when I say fail, fail on prices, fail on emissions and the environment, and fail in energy security,” Graves said. “We have blocked energy projects only to become more dependent upon Russian energy. We’re now turning to Iran, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia to fill the void.”

The “One Number” That Matters

An analyst cut through the economic noise. “Everything the president said is true. It’s also largely irrelevant,” the analyst said. “There’s one number they can’t change — what the placard says at the local gas station. That number is high, and that’s a daily report that voters see every day.”

“When I drive past gas stations that say ‘blame Putin’ more than they say ‘Let’s Go Brandon,’ I’ll know the White House has been successful in messaging it,” the analyst said.

Committee Erupts

The hearing devolved when the Democrat chairman made inaccurate claims about oil companies “sitting on thousands of unused oil leases.” Graves objected. “It’s inappropriate for us to be telling people in the public that there are thousands of wells that people are sitting on. It’s not accurate,” Graves said.

“The gentleman is out of order,” the chairman responded. “Mr. Napolitano had a question.”

“This is the United States Congress,” Graves fired back.

Key Takeaways

• Boebert called for restarting Keystone, overturning the leasing moratorium, and expediting LNG permits — “drill baby drill!”
• Graves said Democrats had not held “a single hearing, not a single bill, no oversight” on the energy crisis despite having jurisdiction, calling it “shame on us.”
• Graves said the crisis was “preventable” and the administration’s energy policies had “proven to completely fail” on prices, emissions, and energy security.
• An analyst said the only number that mattered was “what the placard says at the local gas station” — not economic data.
• The average household was spending $2,000 more per year on gas under Biden.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

• In short, the solution is very simple: drill baby drill!
• Not a single hearing, not a single bill. No review, no oversight, no nothing. Shame on us.
• When I drive past gas stations that say “blame Putin” more than “Let’s Go Brandon,” I’ll know the messaging worked.
• Why in the world would we not learn from the mistakes? This path has proven to completely fail on prices, emissions, and energy security.
• The average household is spending $2,000 more a year because of increased gas costs on Biden’s watch.
• Saying no to everything is not an energy policy.

Full transcript: 1249 words transcribed via Whisper AI.