NOBODY KNOWS THE ENERGY BUSINESS
LIKE YOU DO.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GOOD TO SEE
YOU.
WELL, OR THIS CRISIS FUELING NEW
CALLS FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN TO
REVERSE HIS DECISION --
REMEMBER, IT WAS PRACTICALLY ON
THE FIRST DAY -- TO KILL THE XL
PIPELINE, SOMETHING NEBRASKA’S
GOVERNOR, PETE RICKETTS, WANTS
TO SEE, THE OVERTURNING OF THAT
DECISION.
HE JOINS ME NOW.
GOVERNOR RICKETTS, DID PRESIDENT
BIDEN’S CANCELLATION OF XL MAKE
US MORE VULNERABLE TO THIS
ATTACK ON COLONIAL?
>> WELL, THERE’S NO QUESTION
THAT BY CANCELING THE KEYSTONE
XL PIPELINE, WHAT YOU’RE DOING
IS MAKING US MORE DEPENDENT ON
FOREIGN OIL.
AND WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING LIKE
THIS HAPPEN WITH COLONIAL, YOU
WANT TO RELY ON OTHER PARTS OF
YOUR SYSTEM, AND THE KEYSTONE XL
PIPELINE WOULD BE ANOTHER WAY
FOR US TO BRING IN ENERGY FROM
OUR BEST ALLY, CANADA, SO WE
WOULD NOT BE DEPENDENT UPON
THAT.
OF COURSE, THE PRESIDENT’S JUST
KOWTOWING TO THE RADICAL GREEN
NEW DEAL AND REALLY MAKING OUR
COUNTRY MORE VULNERABLE TO THESE
KIND OF ATTACKS.
DAVID: DO YOU THINK -- WE HEARD
FROM PHIL FLYNN ON THIS.
DO YOU THINK THAT WE’VE LOST OUR
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
EVERYTHING THAT UNDERMINES OUR
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE LIKE
CANCELING THE KEYSTONE XL
PIPELINE, PUSHING THE GREEN NEW
DEAL, ALL THESE THINGS ARE GOING
TO MAKE US MORE ABSOLUTELY
NUMBER.
AND IT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT WAS A STRENGTH IN THE LAST
ADMINISTRATION, THAT WE WERE
STARTING TO BECOME A NET
EXPORTER OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS.
THIS IS MAKING US WEAKER IN THE
WORLD.
TAYE DAVID NOW, WE DON’T KNOW
ALL THE DETAILS, WE TALK ABOUT
RUSSIA AND THEIR INVOLVEMENT,
BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE WAS SOME
KIND OF PAYMENT TO THE HACKERS
WHETHER IT WAS IN BITCOIN OR
SOMETHING ELSE, AND IT TOTALED
MAYBE $3-4 MILLION.
THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THE
PRIME MINISTER KNEW ABOUT THIS
PAYOFF -- THE PRESIDENT KNEW
ABOUT THIS PAVE OR PERHAPS
SUGGESTED THAT IT BE DONE IS
STILL UP IN THE AIR.
THE PRESIDENT RESPONDED TO EA E
E -- A QUESTION ABOUT THIS
EARLIER IN THE WEEK.
ROLL TALK TALK TAPE.
>> WERE YOU BRIEFEDDED ON THE
FACT THAT THE COMPANY DID PAY
THE RANSOM?
>> I HAVE NO COMMENT ON THAT.
DAVID: NOW, NO COMMENT,
GOVERNOR, IS NOT A DENIAL.
DOES IT CONCERN YOU THAT THE
UNITED STATES MIGHT HAVE BEEN
INVOLVED IN THAT DECISION TO PAY
OFF THE HACKERS?
>> YEAH.
NEGOTIATING WITH TERRORISTS IS
ALWAYS A DANGEROUS THING, AND IS
WE’VE SEEN THIS THROUGHOUT OUR
HISTORY.
WHEN YOU NEGOTIATE WITH
TERRORISTS, YOU JUST END UP IN A
WORSE POSITION.
AND THIS IS WHY WE WANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE’VE GOT AN ALL OF
THE ABOVE ENERGY STRATEGY, THE
DIVERSE FORMS OF ENERGY AND WHY
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SHOULD
REVERSE ITS POLICIES, START
GETTING STARTED ON THE KEYSTONE
XL PIPELINE BECAUSE THAT WILL
HELP US AVOID HAVING TO
NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS IN THE
FUTURE.
WHEN WE PAY OFF TERRORISTS, THAT
IS A HORRIBLE THING FOR THIS
COUNTRY TO BE DOING.
DAVID: YOU MENTIONED THE
PIPELINES, THE ADMINISTRATION
CAN’T KEEP IT STRAIGHT AMONG
THEIR VARIOUS SECRETARIES ABOUT
WHETHER PIPELINES ARE GOOD OR
BAD, SORT OF A DISAGREEMENT
BETWEEN THE ENERGY SECRETARY,
THE TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY.
LET ME PLAY THAT CLIP AND GET
YOUR RESPONSE.
>> CERTAINLY WHEN YOU’RE TALKING
ABOUT THE EFFICIENCY OF MOVING
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS, THAT’S WHY
WE HAVE PIPELINES.
>> THIS PARTICULAR AREA OF THE
COUNTRY THERE, THIS IS WHY WE
HAVE DOUBLED DOWN ON INSURING
THAT THERE’S AN ABILITY TO TRUCK
OIL IN, GAS IN, BUT IT’S -- THE
PIPE IS THE BEST WAY TO GO.
>> ISN’T IT TRUE THAT PIPELINES
ARE MORE CARBON DELIVERY
EFFICIENT THAN TRAINS OR TRUCKS
OR OTHER FORMS OF DELIVERY?
IF YOU COULD ANSWER --
>> YEAH, THAT IS TRUE.
DAVID: SO IS THERE A LITTLE
CONFUSION IN THE ADMINISTRATION
IF ABOUT WHETHER PIPELINES ARE
AD GOOD OR BAD THING?
>> WELL, I THINK THIS IS
DEMONSTRATING THE INCOMPETENCE
OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.
LOOK, EVERYBODY KNOWS IF YOU
LOOK AT THE DATA THAT THE
PIPELINE ARE THE MOST EFFICIENT
WAY, THE MOST CARBON-REDUCING
WAY AND THE SAFEST WAY TO BE
ABLE TO TRANSPORT THIS.
WE’VE GOT 20,000 MILES OF
PIPELINES HERE IN NEBRASKA
CARRYING THINGS LIKE OIL ALL
ACROSS OUR STATE, AND THEY DO IT
IN A SAFE WAY.
SO WHAT THIS IS THE REALLY ABOUT
IS THE GREEN NEW DEAL, ABOUT
THESE ACTIVISTS WHO ARE SO
RADICAL THEY JUST WANT TO SHUT
ALL OIL TYPE -- SHUT DOWN ALL
OIL TYPE OF PRODUCTION SO THAT
WE DON’T HAVE THIS AT ALL.
IT’S MAKING OUR COUNTRY WEAKER.
IT’S UNDERMINING THE ENERGY
INDEPENDENCE THAT WE USED TO
HAVE HERE IN THIS COUNTRY.
DAVID: AND IS THAT WHY THE
PRICES BEGAN TO GO UP EVEN
BEFORE THE COLONIAL ATTACK?
>> WELL, I’M NOT A BIG
ECONOMIST, I CAN’T TELL TELL YOU
WHY PRICES WENT UP.
I SUSPECT WHAT YOU’RE SEEING IS
THE ECONOMY IS STARTING TO
RECOVER.
THAT’S ALL THE MORE REASON WHY
WE SHOULD BE PURSUING AN ALL OF
THE ABOVE STRATEGY THAT
STRENGTHEN.
S EVERYTHING INCLUDING OUR OIL
PRODUCTION.
TAKING A PAUSE ON OUR FEDERAL
LANDS DRILLING, THAT’S GOING TO
BE SOMETHING THAT DRIVES PRICES
UP.
THE FACT THAT PEOPLE WANT TO
DRIVE MORE, THAT’S GOING TO
DRIVE PRICES UP.
THAT’S WHY WE NEED TO PUSH
FORWARD WITH PROJECTS LIKE THE
KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE TO MAKE
SURE WE’VE GOT THAT ENERGY TO BE
ABLE TO SUPPLY TO OUR PEOPLE AND
MAKE THIS COUNTRY STRONGER AND
MORE INDEPENDENT.
DAVID: LET’S HOPE WE’RE OVER THE
WORST PART OF THE COLONIAL
HACKING.
WE’LL SEE IF THAT HAPPENS.