COMMENTARY | As reported by CBS News, President Barack Obama was asked a question from correspondent Ed Henry about high American gas prices. He wanted to address some voters' feelings that Obama wants higher gas prices in order to drive people toward so-called green technology. Obama's response was, "From a political perspective, do you think the president of the United States going into re-election wants gas prices to go up higher? Is there anybody here who thinks that makes a lot of sense?"
I think I can speak for a lot of people and agree with him. I don't think he wants high gas prices in an election year. The other three years, however, it is my opinion that Obama does indeed want higher gasoline costs.
One only has to look back to the 2008 presidential campaign to see his feelings on gas prices. He told CNBC's John Harwood that when gas prices were spiking at the time, "I think that I would have preferred a gradual adjustment. The fact that this is such a shock to American pocketbooks is not a good thing. But if we take some steps right now to help people make the adjustment?" To paraphrase his quote, he supports higher prices as long as it is done slowly.
When he became president, he appointed Professor Steven Chu as his energy secretary. In September 2008, Chu is quoted by Fox News as wanting to make American gas prices comparable to those found in Europe. European gas prices currently run 1.54 euros per liter according to Europe's Energy Portal. If we convert that to American dollars and gallons, that would equal about $7.92 per gallon. That is more than twice what we currently pay. According to Chu, the purpose of this price forcing is to get consumers to buy green technology.
The best way to lower gas prices is to increase the supply. In 2008, Obama's answer to calls to increase oil supplies was to tell us to inflate our tires and get a tune up. Since then, he has jumped on the drilling bandwagon in his speeches.
However, according to National Review, his policies has not changed to support more oil exploration. He has strangled the approval for new shallow water drilling permits from a pre-Obama average of 14.1 permits per month to a February 2012 average of 2.3 per month. In 2011, the USA Today tells us that he staunchly opposed the Keystone Pipeline which would allow the U.S. to tap into the vast new oil reserves from Canada. Finally, there has not been a major new oil refinery built since 1978 despite massive increase in gasoline demand.
Obama does not want higher gas prices in an election year. It pains me to say it, however, but it appears from the evidence above that a high gas price at any other time is preferred from his administration in the name of environmentalism.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/president-obamas-energy-policy-raise-gas-prices-230700228.html
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