President Barack Obama was without answers Tuesday evening when asked by a member of the audience if there was anything his administration could actually do to reduce prices at the pump.
Average gas prices stood at $1.84 per gallon when Obama became President, yet gas prices stand at over $4 per gallon in parts of the country.
“We have increased oil production to the highest levels in 16 years,” Obama said. “Natural gas production is the highest it’s been in decades. We have seen increases in coal production and coal employment.”
However, the bulk of the oil that has been produced during President Obama’s term has been done in spite of his policies rather than because of them because the bulk of this production has been on private rather than public lands, as Romney pointed out.
“So where’d the increase come from? Well, a lot of it came from the Bakken Range in North Dakota. What was his participation there?” Romney asked. “The administration brought a criminal action against the people drilling up there for oil, this massive new resource we have. And what was the cost? 20 or 25 birds were killed and brought out a migratory bird act to go after them on a criminal basis.
“Look, I want to make sure we use our oil, our coal, our gas, our nuclear, our renewables. I believe very much in our renewable capabilities; ethanol, wind, solar will be an important part of our energy mix,” he added.
President chose to push his green energy plan instead without mention of the $535 million Solyndra failure or the loss of hundreds of millions in loan guarantees that have come under congressional scrutiny.
The President promised that his green jobs initiative would create millions of jobs, yet according to a Brookings Institute study, green jobs account for a mere two percent of all jobs nationwide, and rather than adding jobs to the economy, it reduces them, reports The New York Times.
“And the proof, the proof of whether a strategy is working or not is what the price is that you’re paying at the pump. If you’re paying less than you paid a year or two ago, why, then, the strategy is working. But you’re paying more,” Romney said. “When the president took office, the price of gasoline here in Nassau County was about $1.86 a gallon. Now, it’s $4.00 a gallon.”
Obama rebutted Romney on gas prices, saying that gas was under $2 per gallon when he became president because of the recession that hit just as he was taking office and that gas prices would get even worse if Romney is elected.
