Thread by @jgoldbeck

Biden’s ban on Russian oil cuts off a major revenue source for Putin.

But already, oil & gas execs are calling on @POTUS to roll back climate protection provisions & open public lands for more drilling. They claim that will 🔽 gas prices & stop Putin.

Don't fall for it. 🧵

Oil producers already have an excess of public land to drill on - more than 26 million acres of public lands are currently leased for oil and gas exploration - but over half of those leases remain idle and unused. They are using the crisis in Ukraine to justify grabbing more.

Activity on public lands already leased to them is so low that just a few months ago, Energy @SecGranholm pleaded with oil drillers to produce more fossil fuels. “Please, take advantage of the leases that you have,” Granholm said. “Hire workers. Get your rig count up.”

Rolling back the already minimal restrictions on federal oil and gas drilling and giving execs MORE land to drill on will have little to no impact in the near term. Doing so won’t alleviate your pain at the gas pump and it won’t stop money from flowing into Putin’s coffers.

The war in #Ukraine has driven gas prices up, But rising costs across the US are determined largely by global energy markets, not current domestic drilling policies. Those markets are already rigged in favor of the O&G companies & they are raking in record profits as a result.

Five oil and gas companies alone raked in over $75 BILLION in profits in 2021. During the past month, Exxon, Shell, and Chevron posted sharp upturns in quarterly earnings. And thanks to the rebound in global demand for oil, BP just reported its highest profits in eight years.

Giving away MORE public lands to oil and gas executives will not impact fuel prices. What it will do is further degrade the quality of public lands, taking them away from future generations to enjoy, and exacerbating the climate crisis.

“Drill, baby, drill” is not the solution.

As a Marine who deployed to Eastern Europe, watching what's happening in #Ukraine is heartbreaking. So many of us are looking for ways to help. We can't allow oil and gas execs to cravenly use our emotions to push false narratives just to further line their own pockets.

The only way out of this crisis is for the US to become energy secure, and fast. We must immediately wean the American economy and its people off fossil fuels and invest in the burgeoning green energy markets, creating more jobs, more American prosperity, and a livable future.

Not only will this address the climate crisis - it will also stop the flow of money to some of the world's most odious regimes - like Putin’s.

We must meet the moment by eschewing fraudulent quick fixes and investing in the future of our planet, our economy, and our security.