Joe Biden has twice raided the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to curb rising gas prices.
The first time was in November, and do you remember how well that worked out? You probably don’t, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) was quick to pounce on a two-cent drop in the average price of a gallon of gas a week later, crediting Joe Biden for the tremendous relief at the pump.
And then gas prices continued to go up. Biden would raid the Strategic Petroleum Reserve again in March. The national average remains about $4/gal, inflation is now at 8.4%, and Joe Biden sees a political nightmare brewing for the Democrats in November.
Gas prices are the primary driving force behind inflation, and Biden clearly knows he needs to do something about them. Yet, instead of abandoning the policies that sent gas prices skyrocketing to historic highs, Biden has resorted to short-term gimmicks that do nothing to solve the real problem.
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His latest move in his battle against high gas prices might just be his dumbest yet.
Despite his radical climate agenda, Joe Biden will temporarily allow 15% ethanol (E15) blend gas during the summer months. Gasoline with 15% ethanol has been banned for nearly a decade during the summer months under the Clean Air Act. As amusing as it is that Biden would abandon his climate change radicalism in the hopes of saving his poll numbers, the truth is that ethanol-blended fuel is not good for car engines–and while it may be marginally cheaper at the pump, it actually gets lower miles per gallon.
So, Biden’s latest gimmick to “lower gas prices” will actually cost drivers more in the long run. But hey, at least Biden will get to say he “lowered” gas prices, right?
Well, not really. According to the Department of Energy, there are only about 2,300 gas stations nationwide that can even offer E15 gas compared to the over 150,000 total gas stations nationwide. Good luck finding one in your area if you even want it. According to industry experts, most of these stations are in the Midwest and South.
But here’s where it gets even dumber. If you happen to have one of the 2,300 gas stations near you, the Biden administration estimates you may save about 10 cents a gallon with this E15 gas. Now, that’s the Biden administration’s estimate, and I’d be willing to bet that it is an extremely optimistic one at that.
Is there anything about this move that makes sense? Maybe on paper it will look like Biden has marginally lowered gas prices with this move, but it won’t actually do anything for most people. Even the people it does help are saving a pittance compared to the amount gas prices have gone up on Joe Biden’s watch.
Biden’s policies sent gas prices up and he’s not willing to assume responsibility for that; nor is he willing to make any serious effort to reduce the pain at the pump. His raids of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve did little to curb prices, and his latest effort will similarly fail to address the real problem.
