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President Joe Biden's decision to release a million barrels of oil from a federal reserve is more of a frustration than a relief.
Releasing petroleum from reserves is a short-term band-aid that carries real risks. If a crisis or prolonged economic downturn comes, the U.S. may well regret tapping into this supply.
The United States instead should be pursuing long-term solutions -- promoting or incentivizing the production of domestic oil and gas and investment in increased refinery capacity.
As we have noted before, the benefits of developing domestic energy sources can be seen right here in our communities. Our economic fortunes as a region over the past 20 years have been thankfully better than communities that lack natural gas to drill, like counties further south of us, or have refused to allow the production of domestic oil and gas due to environmental alarmism, such as upstate New York.
It is frankly hard to understand how an industry that has created decent-paying jobs in our countryside, brought needed state-fee revenues for important projects in our communities and has fulfilled the obligations of our evolving understanding of public and environmental safety can continue to be maligned by some in our nation.
It becomes harder to understand when the underlying facts -- that our society requires the consumption of energy to fuel our lives -- leads our leaders to reckless "solutions" like the release of gasoline from a reserve.
And harder still to understand when we reflect on the truth that the pursuit of more renewable energy -- retrofitting dams to generate hydroelectric power and promoting research into affordable battery capacity so that solar and wind can become more viable -- can happen concurrently with the production of oil and gas.
Lawmakers must understand the need to balance an appreciation for the environment with the necessity of meeting the nation's energy needs. We can walk and chew gum at the same time.