Kansas GOP Praises Oil, Gas And Coal Embargo Amid Russia's Invasion, But Wants More

By Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

March 9, 2022

TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Ron Estes blamed Democrats in Washington, D.C., for a record surge to $4.17 in the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline.

The Kansas Republican congressman responded to President Joe Biden’s imposition of a ban on importing Russian oil by asserting energy policies previously embraced by Biden and congressional Democrats were “anti-American” and had “prevented the United States from maintaining our energy independence at a critical moment in history.”

On Tuesday, Biden shut off the flow of Russian oil, gas and coal to the United States. The president said the action in response to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine would mean higher domestic gasoline prices.

The U.S. average climbed 72 cents per gallon in the past month and has increased from $2.40 per gallon in January 2021 when Biden took office.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., had called for an embargo to stop oil shipments that were help to subsidize Russia’s aggression. He said the invasion was a wake-up call for the Biden administration to maximize production of home-grown energy.

“We need an all-of-the-above approach to energy independence, and it can’t be accomplished without enabling our oil and gas producers to play a larger role. Banning the purchase of Russian oil is a good first step,” Moran said.

Moran said Biden should reinstate approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline, grant new drilling leases on federal lands and waters and idle regulations on domestic oil and gas producers.

U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, who represents the 2nd District of eastern Kansas, echoed Moran’s three primary objectives assuming the embargo would be enforced.

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, also a Kansas Republican, said he applauded Biden’s movement on the embargo but argued the president was tardy.

“The president must immediately redirect efforts to restart America’s energy production,” Marshall said. “An announcement to restart the Keystone XL Pipeline would drop the price of oil tomorrow alone.”

Two days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the Democrat in the 3rd District in Johnson and Wyandotte counties, said the 18-cent-per-gallon federal gasoline tax ought to be suspended until Jan. 1, 2023.

“I’ve heard from Kansans who say the rise in gas prices is cutting into their savings for their kids’ education,” Davids said. “A temporary suspension of the federal gas tax is a commonsense step to give Kansans a break from the rising prices while still maintaining our commitment to infrastructure repairs and long-term inflation solutions.”

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