Fox News host Martha MacCallum confronted White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on “Fox News Sunday” over the Keystone XL pipeline.
MacCallum questioned Sullivan over why the United States doesn’t reopen the pipeline and leases on federal land. “We had energy independence, and that was a large leverage for the United States over Russia,” MacCallum said. “Now we don’t have that anymore.”
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President Joe Biden revoked the Keystone XL Pipeline’s federal permit shortly after taking office Jan. 20. A group of 21 states filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration in March 2021 over the executive order.
“Well first Martha, the United States is still a substantial producer of energy,” Sullivan told MacCallum. “Second, we have worked with partners around the world to take steps to ensure that Russia’s attempts to use energy as a weapon get frustrated.”
MacCallum then pressed Sullivan to recognize that the U.S. is no longer energy independent. (RELATED: European Natural Gas Prices Surge Higher As Russia Withholds More Supply)
“What I would say is that the United States is investing massively in being a leader in an energy transition in which yes, for now, we continue to use fossil fuels,” Sullivan said. “But over the course of years and decades, we become a clean energy superpower. That ultimately is not just where the jobs are, it’s where the strategic advantage will lie.”
Russia stopped the flow of a massive pipeline between Russia and the western portion of Europe on Feb 2. Russia produces roughly 46% of Europe’s gas imports.
“Some might say that Russia and China would look at that answer and feel that they’re in a pretty good position,” MacCallum responded.
Experts warn that oil prices could have another unstable in 2022. “If demand continues to grow strongly or supply disappoints, the low level of stocks and shrinking spare capacity mean that oil markets could be in for another volatile year in 2022,” the International Energy Agency said.