Dakota Beacon

Stupid and incompetent Vladimir Putin is not. Mean, Machiavellian, and malevolent more accurately describes him. For years Putin thwarted US energy independence. Here’s how it works. Russia provides dark money to environmental groups. Environmental groups fund propaganda, political campaigns, and candidates. Once elected, politicians support anti-fossil fuel legislation in favor of alternative “green” energy. The result brings devastating harm to the US oil and gas industry causing disruption to the US economy. No conspiracy theory here. Forbes, The UK Guardian, The UK Sun, The Hill, and NATO all have confirming stories.

In 2014 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a private speech, complained about "phony environmental groups" pushing an anti-fracking agenda. “…[B]ut these were funded by the Russians to stand against any effort… and a lot of the money supporting that message was coming from Russia."

In 2017, congressional investigators determined that millions of dollars linked to Russia were funding U.S. nonprofit environmental groups working against the U.S. oil and gas industry. (Read the Congressional letter to Secretary of the Treasury Mnuchin detailing the Russian activities at https://legacy-assets.eenews.net/open_files/assets/2017/07/07/document_pm_02.pdf). The Russian objective was to harm the U.S. energy market and ultimately the US economy. Specifically, investigators found that Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and Climate Action Network, among others, received millions of dollars from a San Francisco-based foundation called “Sea Change.” (See the money laundering cash flow at https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/sea-change-foundation/.) Ultimately, the money trail led back to Russia. That Russia funds opposition to US energy independence through anti-fracking and anti-natural gas propaganda and legislation remains a little-told story.

Environmental groups relentlessly depict pro-US energy supporters as “anti-science,” “enemies of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” and “climate change deniers” who would harm the environment. These fanatics are blind to the fact that energy independence is crucial to our national security. Also, they will never admit that the US does not have to shut down an entire industry with costly regulations to safeguard the environment.

For the millions of dollars spent to elect a basement-campaigning Biden, the radical environmental left got its wish. First, Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline terminating the safe movement of oil from Canada. Collateral damage included thousands of jobs killed. Second, Biden removed Trump’s Russian NordStream2 pipeline sanctions giving Putin free reign over Europe’s gas supply. Third, Biden canceled oil and gas leasing on billions of acres of federal lands and off-shore lands stifling US energy supplies. Fourth, Biden turned loose federal regulators at the EPA, Department of Energy, and others to impede energy exploration, production, and transportation. Fifth, Biden’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission restricted liquid natural gas export terminals ending US gas supply to the rest of the world.

Just as the radical environmental left got its wish, so too, Putin got exactly what he wanted. Putin wanted greater US partisan rancor and Americans with less faith in their democracy. Additionally, Europe and – yes, the US -- became more dependent on Russian gas. At its peak in 2021, Russia accounted for 21% of all gas imports. This deprived the US of geopolitical leverage. Eventually, in March 2022, Biden halted US importation of Russian oil and gas. Because of skyrocketing gas prices in the US, he proposed to resume, temporarily, oil exploration and drilling on federal lands.

With the 2022 mid-term elections approaching, inflation rampant, and President Biden’s popularity and fitness for office in the tank, his handlers announced the political fix on Good Friday. His administration will once again allow oil exploration and drilling on federal lands.

And the dance goes on.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).