John Kerry: US ‘absolutely’ doesn’t need oil, gas drilling

By Thomas Catenacci

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry argued the U.S. doesn’t need more oil and gas drilling, saying combating climate change is more important during an event Friday.

Kerry characterized arguments that domestic oil production is necessary to boost U.S. energy security as a “false narrative,” during the discussion at the University of Southern California’s Center on Public Diplomacy. Fossil fuel industry groups and Republican lawmakers have repeatedly argued that more domestic energy production would allow the U.S. to become less reliant on imports from foreign powers like Russia.

“Energy security worry is driving a lot of the thoughts now about, ‘oh, we need more drilling of gas,’ ‘we need more drilling of this,’ ‘we need to go back to coal.’ No, we don’t. We absolutely don’t,” Kerry remarked Friday. “We have to prevent a false narrative from entering into this or, again, pun intended, we are cooked.”

“We will get to a low carbon, no carbon economy at some point in time, because that’s where the markets going,” he continued. “No question in my mind.”

The average price of gasoline nationwide hit a record $5.02 per gallon Tuesday while the average price of diesel fuel hit an all-time high of $5.78 a gallon Wednesday, according to AAA data. The record fuel prices have largely been influenced by high international and domestic oil prices.

Since President Joe Biden took office, his administration has unleashed an assault on fossil fuel development, nixing the Keystone XL oil pipeline, ditching a major oil drilling project in Alaska, attempting to ban new drilling leases on federal lands and making it harder for utilities to gain approval for natural gas projects. The Biden administration has also canceled all remaining offshore oil and gas lease sales while placing tight restrictions on future onshore lease sales.

The U.S. drilled about 11.7 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil in March, down from its peak of 13 million bpd in late 2019, federal data showed.

Kerry added that Americans need to begin electing politicians who will prioritize climate change policy. He said half of Congress is unwilling to act on these issues.

“That’s how you restore the strength of democracy as well as achieve the things we need to achieve,” he told the moderator.

Kerry, who Biden appointed as the State Department’s first-ever special presidential envoy for climate in January 2021, has led the White House’s climate efforts on the world stage. He has traveled across the world to engage in climate diplomacy with other government leaders.

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Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Dave Winer

7 thoughts on “John Kerry: US ‘absolutely’ doesn’t need oil, gas drilling

  1. Seeing what he has become and is doing to America — and as a vet — I’m sorry he came home from Vietnam.

    • America, the only country where traitors become political (D) hacks…
      The 4 month wonder who got out on shaving cuts purple hearts should
      have been fragged by the swift boat crews who knew he was a
      giant azzhole of epic proportions and hated his guts.

      • Actually, for the 120 days he ws in Vietnam….90 days of it were on a totally secure base where he trained. Kerry only had about 30 days of actual deployment inland. And in those 30 days he got THREE purple hearts. But he never spent a day in hospital….no doctors, no surgery…nothing. Worse, no other officer filed the forms needed to apply for a Purple Heart…JOHN KERRY WROTE HIS OWN…all he had were band aid scratches.. But the rule is, when you get three purple hearts (wounded), you are sent home. The fix was in.

  2. He has no clue as to the cost, complexity, and impossibility of meeting electrical demand with renewables loaded (with battery back-up that will be 4x the renewable ratings). He can talk and pontificate all day about what needs to happen with no real understanding of the challenge.
    He has also “all in” on the CO2 is a poison driving the Earth’s temperature facade.

  3. Mr. Kerry is a jerk. This self-appointed climate czar thinks that he is God when it comes to climate change. He and his cohorts have damaged America greatly chasing a lie. Yes, climate change is real and concerning, but it is NOT an existential threat. And yet, his climate warriors have decided that the citizens must suffer now in order to avoid a future calamity of still unknown maginitude.

    They have no care as to how this affects us peasants. I am recently retired. I earned enough to live my life out comfortable, except the politicians want to bankrupt me. I (and you) have lost 10% in the buying power of my retirement fund thanks to this insane paranoia (we only have 12 years left !).

    Mr. Kerry, you owe me an apology for deliberately hurting me. Thanks a lot. You have succeeded in making me your enemy. Great Job !

  4. Hey, John, you’re flying around the world in your ” Lear Jet “spewing all your nonsense about
    the harm of fossil fuels, if you were not such a ” hypocrite ” you’d have an ” Electric Plane ” to
    show the world you are serious about your rhetoric, oh that’s right you’re just a BS artist with
    false claims and hype !!

    I can’t wait until the power grids have a total blackout in California, Arizona, Nevada, and then
    go preach to the people they don’t need fossil fuels……..Net Zero scam, just follow the money
    and John has plenty !!

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