In the midst of the energy crisis in Europe due to the war in Ukraine and the energy policy of the old continent, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm sent a letter to the major energy companies last week telling them not to supply Europe with fuel.
In her letter, Granholm tells companies:
Given the historic level of U.S. refined product exports, I again urge you to focus in the near term on building inventories in the United States, rather than selling down current stocks and further increasing exports.
The Secretary of Energy is not just making a plea. She makes a direct threat to the companies:
It is our hope that companies will proactively address this need. If that is not the case, the Administration will need to consider additional Federal requirements or other emergency measures.
Biden's electoral strategy
The Wall Street Journal has reported the contents of that letter in an editorial. After revealing Granholm's threats, the newspaper adds, "In New Jersey they call that an offer you can’t refuse."
The newspaper explains the motive behind the Biden Administration’s threatening attitude:
Fuel storage levels are running low heading into hurricane season when it’s not unusual for Gulf Coast refineries to be damaged or shut down. The Administration fears a refinery outage that causes fuel prices to spike in the runup to the November election. Hence, Ms. Granholm’s threatening letter.
Biden: oil strategic for China
At the time of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden promised Europe that he would provide them with the energy they needed. This statement was very important, since it limited Putin’s ability to blackmail Europe. Now, this threat on behalf of his Administration has the opposite effect: it abandons European allies and increases Putin's power over them.
Meanwhile, the Biden Administration has sold a portion of strategic oil reserves to a Chinese company linked to Hunter Biden, the President's son.
