MARIA:>> OIL COMPANIES NEED TO
UP.
WE ARE CALLING ON THEM TO DO THE
RIGHT THING.
TO BE PATRIOTS HERE AND NOT TO
USE THE WAR AS AN EXCUSE OR AS A
REASON TO NOT PUT OUT
PRODUCTION, TO NOT DO THE
CAPACITY THAT IS NEEDED OUT
THERE SO THAT THE PRICES CAN
COME DOWN.
MARIA: WELL, THAT WAS WHITE
HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY KARINE
JEAN-PIERRE YESTERDAY, SHIFTING
THE BLAME FROM PUTIN TO THE OIL
COMPANIES NOW FOR THE PRICE OF
GASOLINE, RECORD HIGH.
SHE’S CALLING THEM -- SHE’S CALL
ON THEM TO BE, QUOTE, PATRIOTS.
JOINING ME NOW IS CONGRESSMAN
BILL JOHNSON.
CONGRESSMAN JOHNSON, I’M NOT
SURE IF THE WHITE HOUSE
UNDERSTANDS THE WAY THE OIL
MARKETS WORK.
YOUR REACTION TO THEIR CALLS FOR
THE OIL COMPANIES TO BE
PATRIOTIC AND SEND GASOLINE
PRICES LOWER.
>> SO IRRESPONSIBLE, MARIA.
I REPRESENT ABOUT 800,000
PATRIOTS, PEOPLE THAT ARE
GETTING UP EVERY DAY RIGHT NOW
PAYING OVER $5 A GALLON FOR
GASOLINE.
LOOK, IF THEY -- THEY CONTROL
THE GAS PRICES AT THE WHITE
HOUSE.
IT’S NOT VLADIMIR PUTIN, IT’S
NOT THE OIL COMPANIES.
IT’S 1600 PENNSYLVANIA THAT
CONTROLS IT, THEY CAN TAKE GAS
PRICES UP, THEY CAN BRING GAS
PRICES DOWN.
THEY CAN BRING GAS PRICES DOWN
BY OPENING UP OIL AND GAS
PRODUCTION ON FEDERAL LANDS, THE
AMERICAN EXPLORATION AND
PRODUCTION COUNCIL SAYS WE GET
ABOUT 24% OF OUR OIL AND GAS OFF
OF FEDERAL LANDS, PUBLIC LANDS.
THEY’VE STYMIED THAT.
WE DON’T HAVE THE PIPELINES AND
INFRASTRUCTURE NECESSARY TO GET
THE OIL TO MARKETS, TO THE
REFINERIES.
THE WHITE HOUSE IS DOING
EVERYTHING IT CAN TO KEEP THESE
GAS PRICES HIGH AT THE SAME TIME
BLAMING EVERYBODY ELSE EXCEPT
THEIR FAILED POLICIES.
THIS IS SUCH A SAD SITUATION
WE’RE IN.
MARIA: WELL, IT’S QUITE
EXTRAORDINARY, ACTUALLY.
I MEAN, TO HEAR THE PRESIDENT
GET ALL TOUGH, TRYING TO MAKE
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT
IT’S THE OIL COMPANIES’ FAULT
THAT OIL PRICES ARE WHERE THEY
ARE AFTER THE WHITE HOUSE
CANCELED LEASES, DID A WHOLE
HOST OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS MAKING
IT INCREASINGLY TOUGH TO
ACTUALLY DO BUSINESS WITH FOSSIL
FUEL COMPANIES.
EVEN THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION IS SENDING OUT NEW
RULES FOR CORPORATE AMERICA TO
FOLLOW AS RELATES TO CLIMATE
CHANGE.
AND YET THEY’RE THERE WITH THIS
MUSTER AND THIS TOUGHNESS
AGAINST THE OIL COMPANIES AND
NOBODY CALLS THEM OUT.
IT’S ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS.
>> IT IS OUTRAGEOUS.
BECAUSE THEY WANT THESE HIGH GAS
PRICES.
THE PRESIDENT HAS MADE IT VERY
CLEAR.
HE PLANS AND A HIS HIS IDEA IS T
ELIMINATE THE USE OF FOSSIL
FUELS IN AMERICA AND BY THE WAY,
THE REST OF THE WORLD IS NOT
GOING TO DO THAT.
OVER 90% OF THE WORLD’S ENERGY
COMES FROM FOSSIL FUELS, MARIA.
IT’S NOT WIND AND SOLAR.
AND WHY OUR PRESIDENT SEEMS TO
THINK OUR COUNTRY HAS TO DO
WITHOUT IT IS BEYOND ME BUT THEY
WANT THESE HIGH GAS PRICES.
THEY WANT THESE HIGH ENERGY
COSTS WHICH ARE DRIVING UP THE
COST OF EVERYTHING.
IT TAKES ENERGY TO MANUFACTURE A
PRODUCT.
IT TAKES ENERGY TO GET THAT
PRODUCT TO MARKET, TO GET TO THE
STORE TO BUY IT.
IT’S CRAZY WHAT THEY’RE DOING.
AGAIN, THEY HOLD THE RIASTAT.
THEY CAN TURN THEM UP OR DOWN.
MARIA: I UNDERSTAND THAT.
CAN I ASK A QUESTION?
WHY IS OUR ENERGY SECRETARY
TRADING STOCKS?
JENNIFER GRANHOLM REPORTEDLY
EXERCISED $1.6 MILLION IN
ELECTRIC CAR STOCK OPTIONS AS A
WASHINGTON POST REPORTER,
WRITING, QUOTE, THE UNITED
STATES IS STRUGGLING TO SQUEEZE
OPPORTUNITY OUT OF AN ENERGY
CRISIS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A
CATALYST FOR CLEANER DOMESTIC
PRODUCED POWER, CONGRESSMAN AND
THEN YOU’VE GOT JENNIFER
GRANHOLM EXERCISING STOCK
OPTIONS ON ELECTRIC CARS.
>> YEAH.
YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE THAT I
REPRESENT IN EASTERN AND
SOUTHEASTERN OHIO, THEY CAN’T
AFFORD ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
YOU KNOW, SECRETARY GRANHOLM,
IT’S MIND BOGGLING THAT THEY SAY
ONE THING OUT IN PUBLIC AND THEY
DO ANOTHER THING IN PRIVATE.
IF EVERYBODY IN MY DISTRICT HAD
AN ELECTRIC CAR, MARIA, THAT
WOULDN’T -- IT WOULD NOT MAKE A
FRACTION OF A DIFFERENCE
COMPARED TO HARVESTING OUR
NATURAL GAS AND OIL IN TERMS OF
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THAT’S WHAT
THEY SAY THEY’RE GOING FOR.
THIS IS ALL ABOUT CONTROL.
IT IS NOT ABOUT CARBON.
AND THEY’RE TRYING TO RAISE THE
PRICES OF EVERYTHING THROUGH
THIS ASSAULT ON FOSSIL ENERGY IN
ORDER TO GET -- TO MEET THEIR
GOAL.
MARIA: YEAH.
NO, IT’S INTENTIONAL.
WE KNOW THAT.
THEY’RE TRYING TO JAM THROUGH
THIS CLIMATE AGENDA.
BUT HOW INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE
ENERGY SECRETARY OF THE UNITED
STATES TO BE PUSHING ELECTRIC
VEHICLES AT A TIME WHEN SHE’S
ACTUALLY EXERCISING $1.6 MILLION
IN ELECTRIC CAR STOCK OPTIONS.
>> YEAH, IT IS.
YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT PEOPLE
DON’T CONSIDER, YOU TAKE AN
ELECTRIC VEHICLE COSTING
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 60, $80,000,
DEPENDING ON THE MODEL THAT YOU
BUY, DO YOU KNOW THAT BATTERY
HAS A SHELF LIFE.
IT HAS A LIFE SPAN.
AND WHEN THAT BATTERY GOES OUT,
MARIA, HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU
THINK THAT LIVE IN RURAL
APPALACHIA WHERE I REPRESENT CAN
AFFORD THE 12 TO $15,000 THAT IT
COSTS TO REPLACE AN ELECTRIC
VEHICLE BATTERY.
YOU’RE NOT GOING TO AUTO ZONE
AND GETTING A BATTERY FOR 49,
95.
MARIA: NO, YOU’RE NOT.
CONGRESSMAN, THANKS VERY MUCH
FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON
THIS ISSUE.
INCREDIBLY OUTRAGEOUS STORY OUT
OF THE WHITE HOUSE WITH ALL OF
THIS MISINFORMATION ABOUT
GASOLINE PRICES, CONGRESSMAN.
WE’LL STAY ON THE STORY.