Old North News

President Joe Biden and his administration recently passed legislation that prioritizes clean and renewable energy instead of fossil fuels and older forms of energy. 

Liz Peek, an opinion contributor at TheHill.com, said the country's record-setting natural gas prices can be traced to the Biden administration's push for alternative energy and efficiency and what many conservatives call a "war on American energy."

Gasoline prices have seen some relief recently, but that has not changed the fact that American consumers are seeing their cost of living continue to rise. Natural gas prices are putting pressure on consumers now. The demand for heat is sure to increase with cooler months coming, driving the price even higher. 

"Now, we are at that time of year when attention shifts from gasoline to natural gas," Peek said in an opinion piece. "Demand for natural gas will climb as we approach the winter months; prices, already at 14-year highs, will climb too."

In North Carolina, the residential natural gas price rose 145.8% between January 2021 and May 2022, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The price per thousand cubic feet for consumers was $11.08 in January 2021 and $27.23 in May.

The price of natural gas increased by almost 280% since President Joe Biden took office, according to the most recently available data. A million British thermal units (MMBtu) of natural gas cost $2.57 on January 20, 2021 – the day Biden took office – EIA data showed. Natural gas was priced at $9.75/MMBtu on Tuesday; this represents a 279% increase since Biden took office. 

"The pain of soaring natural gas prices will be felt by a majority of Americans due to the unavoidable necessity of the fuel," Spencer Brown, managing editor for Townhall, said. He noted the importance of natural gas in everyday life, as it is used in more than 35% of America's power generation and accounts for almost half of Americans' heat sources at home. Consumers will continue to pay higher energy and heating rates when cooler weather approaches.

Just as Biden's "war on American energy" caused high gasoline prices, the same is true for the rising cost of natural gas, Brown said. He attributes chronically high natural gas prices as "a direct result of Biden's energy agenda."

Stephen Moore, senior economic contributor at FreedomWorks and founder of multiple conservative organizations, said Biden is to blame for the fact that the price of natural gas recently reached its highest level since 2008.

"U.S. natural gas prices just hit a 14-year record high," Moore posted on Twitter on Tuesday. "Congratulations on another accomplishment, Joe Biden."

Although the U.S. has at least 100 years' supply of natural gas, "we do not have the political will to produce it," Peek said. She cited Biden's policies for lack of domestic production. Peek said the country is suffering from a large increase in natural gas costs in part because "President Biden pledged this year to double our exports of liquified natural gas (LNG), which means less natural gas available to American consumers...

"Climate ideologues, including those directing policy in the Biden White House, are bent on prematurely and recklessly standing in the way of drilling and producing the oil and natural gas we need even as we transition to renewable fuels."