Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said Thursday that although the worldwide high cost of gasoline is basically a supply and demand issue, the Biden administration has moved too slowly in reacting.
The average cost of a gallon in West Virginia rose to $4.87 cents a gallon Thursday, a trend that has “skyrocketed” recently.
“It’s a supply and demand issue,” she said. “The supply went down during Covid and now we are trying to play catch-up. It is very difficult.”
Capito said during a press conference from her Washington office that options for any short-term relief are limited, but she offered some suggestions to the Biden administration.
“I would lift some of the regulatory burden,” she said. “The refining capacity is not where it should be. Why is that? We need to figure out why we are not refining more … There still is some refining capacity in the country.”
Capito said lifting requirements on gasoline blends used at different times of the year would also help to get more supply out.
But the basic issue is still in supply.
“The problem is, we don’t have enough. That is why drilling is important,” she said, with production from wells probably lowered because of the lack of demand during the pandemic and for other reasons.
Although President Joe Biden started releasing 1 million barrels a day from the petroleum reserve in March, it has not made a difference, she added.
Capito said she would also suggest figuring out a way to work with the international community to get the prices down, adding that Biden has asked Saudi Arabia to produce more, and that may help.
Capito said the administration is “chilling investment on anything that has to do with fossil fuels” and that should change. “Right now, most cars are powered by gasoline refined from oil. That’s the reality of it.”
“I don’t think there is one certain thing that you could do (to lower prices in the short term),” she said. “So those are some suggestions I would look at.”
Using propane to fuel vehicles, like some buses in D.C., would help as well, she said, and other technology is being developed to take advantage of various energy sources.
“We are just behind, way behind,” she said.
High fuel costs don’t just impact residents and commercial transportation, but also crucial services like first responders.
She pointed to a newspaper article in Michigan that said a sheriff was cutting responses to non-urgent calls to save fuel.
That is a public safety issue, she said, and first responders have budgets they need to operate within.
Capito also addressed gun control and other reforms being considered related to mass shootings, saying the House gun control bill headed to the Senate is a non-starter.
“I think that bill passed in the House is a good example of how not to get it (mass shooting problems) resolved,” she said, referring to a primarily partisan gun control bill that would raise the age limit for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle to 21 and prohibit the sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds.
A bill the Senate is working on may fare better, she said, as both parties are working together to try to find areas of agreement that can make a difference in many areas.
“I think that is the focus of Senate negotiations and that is where it should be,” she said, pointing out that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wants to get a bipartisan bill passed.
“There are a lot of Republicans and Democrats having discussions on a lot of different points like mental health and schools hardening and other issues. I think there is a will to get something done … I think that is very encouraging.”
Capito would not comment on any specifics of what she will support, waiting until a proposed bill is brought forward.
“The public is concerned about it,” she said of what happened in Texas when the police did not go in and the shooter had purchased assault weapons when he turned 18.
“There are some points you can look at,” she said, and some effective measures can be found.
The televised Jan. 6 hearings began Thursday night, but Capito said she would be on the road and unlikely to watch any of it, portraying the hearings as being presented for the possible political ramifications.
“There is no question the Jan. 6 committee has become extremely politicized,” she said of the makeup of the panel, with only two Republican members who were basically “self-appointed,” and of what people will see is a “show of political partisanship.”
“That is unfortunate.”
Capito said she was in the Capitol Building when it happened and she wants to know whatever details are left to know.
“But I don’t need to politicize or make it into a way to damage one party or the other,” she said. “And that is what is happening.”
Capito also expressed concern about the recent threat to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brent Kavanaugh at his home.
“That is very frightening,” she said, adding that a bill has passed the Senate to upgrade security for the justices and is expected to pass the House. “We need to take these threats seriously. I think we also want to make sure we are not inciting this by giving out personal addresses … which is what happened.”
Crowds should also not be allowed to gather near their homes for protests.
“I think it is illegal to protest at a Justice’s (home), Supreme Court or otherwise, while a case is ongoing,” she said. “I think the Department of Justice should get in and arrest these people. It is illegal what they are doing. What is the hesitation?”