Sen. Josh Hawley Proposes Congress Reopen US Energy Production ‘Full Throttle’

White House says focus should instead be on reducing our dependence on oil

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) looks on during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on voting rights on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 20, 2021. Evelyn Kockstein/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) on Feb. 28 vowed to introduce legislation that will reopen energy production in the United States “full throttle” as the cost of oil continues to skyrocket amid record inflation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Announcing the legislation, dubbed The American Energy Independence Act of 2022, Hawley said on Twitter that the bill will “reverse President Biden’s shutdown of the American energy sector and return American energy to full production.”