As oil and gas companies reap record profits while families shoulder the cost of high gas prices, President Biden, prominent Democrats in Congress, and Democratic Governors are aligned: Transformative investments in clean energy are key to U.S. energy security and true energy independence.

Families in need of relief from higher costs are being lied to by corporate polluters and their allies – we can’t drill our way out of high gas prices. The only real solution to high, unreliable energy costs is investing in clean, renewable energy and shifting to electric vehicles. 

Here are highlights of what we’re hearing from key elected officials:

President Joe Biden

“Loosening environmental regulations or pulling back clean energy investments … will not lower energy prices for families. But transforming our economy to run on electric vehicles powered by clean energy with tax credits to help American families winterize their homes and use less energy, that will — that will help.” [Announcement of U.S. ban on Russian oil imports, 3/08/22]

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki

“The only way to protect the United States over the long term is to become energy independent. That’s why the president has been so focused on investing in clean energy technologies so that we can rely on that, and not President Putin, to set the price of gas.” [Twitter video, 3/09/22]

Sen. Michael Bennet (CO)

“Every barrel of oil we import from Russia enriches Putin’s corrupt and totalitarian state and enables his lawless aggression in Ukraine. It’s past time for Congress to secure our energy independence and supercharge our transition to clean energy.” [Twitter, 03/04/22]

Sen. Chris Murphy (CT)

“When you talk about domestic oil production, there’s no guarantee that that stays in the United States […] If you really care about keeping American-made energy in the United States, you should be investing in renewables.” [Twitter, 03/09/22]

Sen. Brian Schatz (HI)

“We shouldn’t be importing oil from petro-fascist regimes. America has plenty of its own energy that it is currently exporting that we can use. But the long term strategy to stop petro-fascism is to make enough clean energy so that what these thugs sell is not so profitable.” [Twitter, 03/04/22]

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA)

“Russia’s whole economy depends on oil and gas exports. So the more the world relies on fossil fuels, the more power we put in the hands of Putin. We need more clean energy for the sake of our planet and for the sake of democracy and freedom around the globe.” [Twitter, 03/05/22]

Sen. Ed Markey (MA)

“This moment is a clarion call for the urgent need to transition to domestic clean energy so that we are never again complicit in fossil-fueled conflict. We can begin by passing $555 billion climate and clean energy provisions to supercharge the solar, wind, offshore wind, electric vehicle, battery revolution that will be union-made in America and free us once and for all from the shackles of fossil fuels.” [Twitter, 03/08/22]

Sen. Tina Smith (MN)

“The way to stop countries like Russia controlling fossil fuel prices isn’t just to drill for more fossil fuels. The real, long term solution is to switch to clean energy sources so we never have to be at the mercy of other countries to get our energy.” [Twitter, 3/09/22]

Sen. Martin Heinrich (NM)

“In addition to banning imports of Russian oil, we also need to end the world’s dangerous long-term reliance on oil. For the sake of America’s national security, and for the sake of a healthy planet, we need to make urgent investments to scale up our manufacturing of fossil fuel-free technologies like heat pumps and electric vehicles and replace our current consumption of oil and fossil gas with clean and carbon pollution-free energy sources.” [Statement, 03/08/22]

Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT)

“… in the longer term, we must invest in a global green energy transition away from fossil fuels, not only to combat climate change, but to deny authoritarian petrostates the revenues they require to survive.” [Press Statement, 2/22/22]

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07)

“Doubling down on fossil fuels is a false solution that only perpetuates the problems that got us here in the first place.” [The Hill, 03/04/22]

Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02)

“We will not subsidize Putin’s war, and that includes importing Russian gas & oil. This is the right move by @POTUS. Now it’s time to quickly transition to clean energy so we can end dependence on fossil fuels, stop funding tyrants, and protect the planet.” [Twitter, 03/08/22]

Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17)

“Glad @POTUS is heeding our call to ban Russian oil imports. Now we need a renewable energy moonshot to lower costs for working families and break our dependence on fossil fuels once and for all.” [Twitter, 03/08/22]

Rep. Sean Casten (IL-06)

“What we’re seeing right now makes clear that our transition to a clean energy economy isn’t just necessary to protect Americans against climate devastation…National security demands investments in clean energy. American energy independence demands investments in clean energy. Insulating Americans against energy price inflation demands investments in clean energy.” [Twitter, 03/07/22]

Rep. Tom Malinowski (NJ-07)

“One reason we’re paying $4 a gallon for gas is that a Saudi prince is angry that we criticized him for for murdering a Washington Post journalist. If the alternative to relying on a Russian tyrant’s oil is a Saudi tyrant’s oil, maybe we should be less reliant on oil?” [Twitter, 3/07/22]

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03)

“We will not let the tyrant Putin profit from this war. I stand with @POTUS and Congress to ban the import of Russian oil and gas. This is another reason why we must continue to invest in alternative energy sources, including wind, solar, and other clean energy sources.” [Twitter, 03/08/22]

California Governor Gavin Newsom

“California leads on climate policy – and others have followed. We need to be fighting polluters, not bolstering them. We can be free from the grasp of petro-dictators once and for all.”  [Twitter, 03/08/22]

Washington Governor Jay Inslee

“We have to recognize we can’t drill our way out of confrontation with authoritarian states. National security and economic security requires us to aggressively pursue clean energy alternatives.” [Twitter, 03/08/22]

###