COLUMBUS—State Senator Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster), chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, today issued the following statement regarding the move by President Joe Biden to cease the import of Russian energy resources into the United States:
“I applaud the decision of the Biden Administration to cease the importation of Russian energy into the United States – including crude oil, liquid natural gas and coal. However, there are two inter-dependent parts to this complex economic formula, and cutting off the Russian exports is just the first step.
To ensure that everyday Ohioans do not face skyrocketing energy prices, including “sticker shock” while filling up at the pump, President Biden must urgently enact policies that increase our nation’s energy independence, as well as development and infrastructure for crude oil, natural gas and coal:
- Support repeal of the massive tax increases on our nation’s oil and gas producers that Congress passed last fall,
- Promote clean, efficient power plants,
- Not draw down America’s strategic reserves or rely on OPEC, and
- Finish constructing the Keystone XL Pipeline and ensure the continued operation of the Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline and others.
These are critical Components to the whole formula that will ensure Ohioans are not paying the price for the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
Senator Schaffer recently introduced Senate Resolution 259, which urges President Biden and Congress to adopt policies that strengthen our nation’s energy independence, as well as cease the import of Russian crude oil.
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