(NationRise.com) – A leaked White House memo reveals the Biden administration is prohibiting senior officials from attending global energy conferences. Officials are specifically prohibited from participating in conferences promoting coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels. The memo was written by Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk and distributed to Department of Energy staff.
The memo also included several specific restrictions and required official approval before they could participate in any energy-related international conference. An increased approval process could mean more bottlenecks for energy policies.
Turk said the department is focusing exclusively on clean-energy initiatives. Only a few exceptions are provided for conventions related to fossil fuels, and approval is difficult to obtain.
In restrictions released by the Biden administration in 2022, some of the most pertinent exceptions included national security and energy access for communities the federal government deems to be disadvantaged. That regulatory restriction also included controversial limits for home appliances that may lead to higher costs.
Power the Future Director Daniel Turner condemned the move while warning of the unintended consequences of the US government treating the energy industry like an enemy. He blamed the Biden administration’s growing hostility toward the energy sector on hyper-partisan “childish games.”
Those consequences include increased national security vulnerabilities and more hardships for poorer Americans. Fossil fuels currently power 99% of US vehicles and 60% of the nation’s electricity.
The Biden Administration has aggressively attacked the energy sector with regulations that have begun hitting home for most Americans. Last year, the president made headlines after begging Middle East leaders to ramp up oil production while hindering drilling efforts in the US. Gas prices have risen an average of 60% since Biden took office.
President Biden also faced backlash in 2022 after the controversial decision to sell significant amounts of oil stored in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Chinese Communist Party. A bipartisan effort to stop the exports passed the House in January.
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