President Joe Biden's latest energy policy decisions could ultimately be a huge boon for former President Donald Trump and his bid to return to the White House.
The Biden administration is Be expected It is expected to formally announce on Friday that it is postponing a final decision on whether to approve Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2), a large liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal in Louisiana. The delay is a clear sign that the administration is considering effectively canceling the program, and the Trump campaign is using this new opportunity to contrast it with President Trump's record on the issue. It appears that he intends to harshly criticize Mr. Biden's energy policy.
Biden has pushed for environmental protections to decommission CP2 and other planned LNG export terminals, especially after his administration decided to allow ConocoPhillips' Willow project in Alaska to proceed over fierce opposition from activist groups. It is under strong pressure from leftists. The Willow ruling is a rare victory for fossil fuel interests during Biden's first term, as the federal government issues the most restrictive offshore oil and gas lease schedule in U.S. history, removing millions of acres of federal land from drilling. I removed it. (Related: 'Biden will be vilified': Democratic Biden challenger reveals major revelations from Trump rally)
Trump: “Drill baby, drill… We have more oil and gas, or liquid gold, than any other country. And we’re not using it…
We have the best at our feet and yet we go to Venezuela. These people are crazy! ” pic.twitter.com/2H9ze1P6HR
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 17, 2023
Meanwhile, President Trump has promised a simple energy strategy: “Drill, baby, drill” when he returns to the Oval Office. Said After winning the Iowa caucuses.
“Joe Biden has once again capitulated to the extreme demands of environmental extremists within his administration,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “On Day One, President Trump will unleash American Energy, lower the cost of living for all Americans, pay down our debt, strengthen our national security, and establish America as the world's manufacturing superpower,” she continued. , CP2 added: The delay is a “tragic self-inflicted wound that further undermines America's economy and national security.”
Mike McKenna, a Republican strategist and former Trump administration energy adviser, told DCNF that the Trump campaign will “definitely” use the Biden administration's choice to delay a decision on CP2 as fodder for future campaigns.
From the Biden campaign's perspective, delaying, and especially potentially canceling, CP2 is likely to buy favor with the environmentalist left, especially after the administration pushed forward with the Willow project last year.
“I understand that you have to feed progressives, but this seems like a terrible idea and a trespass on the process of an independent regulatory body, and both,” McKenna told DCNF. .
Tom Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance, agrees with McKenna.
Pyle told DCNF that the decision “will harden support among those who support President Trump,” and it's unclear “whether it will help President Biden other than strengthen his left-wing base.” He added.
“Perhaps the calculation is to help the Greens find an excuse to spend more on Biden's reelection,” Pyle continued. “Average people see this for what it is: a short-sighted political move that helps no one but the hardline special interests that support him.”
White House officials reportedly met with several activists, including a 25-year-old TikTok influencer and members of a rival organization known as Climate Defiance, ahead of the decision to delay a final decision on CP2.
Recent polls show that most likely voters in eight swing states in 2024 do not believe climate change is the most serious issue facing the country today; The majority of respondents identified the economy as either their biggest or second issue. The most important issue.Vice President Kamala Harris recently Estimation The administration says it has spent about $1 trillion on major green energy and climate change initiatives.
The Biden campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
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