Hagerty, Hawley, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Restore American Energy Independence, End Reliance on Foreign Nations

WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Banking Committees, has joined Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) in introducing the American Energy Independence Act of 2022, which reverses President Joe Biden’s shutdown of the American energy sector and returns American energy to full production.

Immediately following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the price of oil rose to over $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014. Gas and energy prices for working Americans are quickly rising to new highs. The Biden Administration has been reluctant to sanction the Russian energy sector, due no doubt to the United States’ dangerous dependence on foreign energy. At the same time, European countries, particularly Germany, are heavily dependent on Russian natural gas. 

“The Biden Administration’s war on American energy has placed severe burdens on the shoulders of American citizens and led to disastrous national security ramifications across the globe,” said Senator Hagerty. “For the sake of our national and economic security, we must immediately reverse course and re-establish the energy independence created by the previous Administration’s policies, which is exactly what this legislation would do.”

“To be strong and free as a nation, we must be energy independent. My bill will reverse Joe Biden’s disastrous energy surrender that has allowed Russian energy dominance and instead open up American production full-throttle,” said Senator Hawley. “To stand up to aggressors like Vladimir Putin, we can and we must work to power our nation and the world.”