Dem Rep. Sherman: 75 Cents of Gas Hike Due to Putin, U.S. Production Won’t Impact Oil Price, Need Saudis to ‘Backfill’

On Saturday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Fox News Live,” Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) stated that only “the last 75 cents” of the increase in gas prices is due to Russia, but the rest is due to OPEC, oil prices will remain high until “we get the Saudis to backfill” Russian oil, and he can’t see himself supporting the Keystone pipeline.

Sherman said, [relevant remarks begin around 2:45] “Well, the last 75 cents is because of what Putin has done. Prior to that, it’s what OPEC has done, constrained supply. And the fact is that the United States is producing about as much oil as we burn. We’re producing more now than we did when Biden came into the White House and next year, we will be at an all-time high in production. But regardless of what we produce, it’s a worldwide price for oil. The price in Texas is the same basically as the price in the North Sea. And until we get the Saudis to backfill for what Russia is not allowed to sell — and our pressure on Saudi Arabia needs to grow.”

Host Griff Jenkins then asked, “Could you envision a time when you support restarting construction on the Keystone pipeline?”

Sherman responded, “I — frankly, I don’t see that. But I — you take a fresh look at it, and I do think environmentalists have got to look at how much oil we burn, not how much oil we produce in trying to limit gas emissions.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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