The U.S. produced more crude oil in 2023 than any nation at any time despite over 200 legislative roadblocks imposed since the last presidential election

The U.S. oil and gas industry has weathered the vicious attacks that started on January 1, 2020.

The Energy Information Administration recently reported that crude oil production in the United States achieved a historical record:

The United States produced more crude oil than any nation at any time, according to our International Energy Statistics, for the past six years in a row. Crude oil production in the United States, including condensate, averaged 12.9 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2023, breaking the previous U.S. and global record of 12.3 million b/d, set in 2019. Average monthly U.S. crude oil production established a monthly record high in December 2023 at more than 13.3 million b/d.

The crude oil production record in the United States in 2023 is unlikely to be broken in any other country in the near term because no other country has reached production capacity of 13.0 million b/d. Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Saudi Aramco recently scrapped plans to increase production capacity to 13.0 million b/d by 2027.

This achievement is especially notable because record oil production was achieved despite the Biden Administration's all-out war on U.S. oil and natural gas. While some of the anti-energy industry Executive Orders President Biden took starting on day one of his administration are well known, it is astonishing that such actions total over 200.

President Biden made numerous campaign promises to eliminate fossil fuels in the United States, such as here. Despite taking over 200 legislative actions designed to deliver those promises, Biden failed to deliver on his promise. Not only has the President failed, but the U.S. oil and gas industry has managed to thrive.

Thomas J. Pyle compiled a comprehensive list of those actions and published it by the Institute for Energy Research. A list of just 30 of those actions, which includes a few high-profile actions taken in states like New York and California, is reprinted below. A PDF of the full list is available to download here.

On January 20, 2021,

1. Besides canceling the Keystone XL pipeline,

2. President Biden restricted domestic production by issuing a moratorium on all oil and natural gas leasing activities in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

3. He also restored and expanded the use of the government-created social cost of carbon metric to artificially increase the regulatory costs of energy production of fossil fuels when performing analyses, as well as artificially increase the so-called “benefits” of decreasing production.

4. Biden continued to revoke Trump administration executive orders, including those related to the Waters of the United States rule and the Antiquities Act. The Trump-era actions decreased regulations on Federal land and expanded the ability to produce energy domestically.

On January 27, 2021,

5. Biden issued an executive order announcing a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on public lands

6. or in offshore waters

7. and reconsideration of Federal oil and gas permitting and leasing practices.

8. He directed his Interior Department to conduct a review of permitting and leasing policies.

9. Also, by Executive Order, Biden directed agencies to eliminate federal fossil fuel “subsidies” wherever possible, disadvantaging oil and natural gas compared to other industries that receive similar Federal tax treatments or other energy sources which receive direct subsidies.

10. This Biden Executive Order attacked the energy industry by promoting “ending international financing of carbon-intensive fossil fuel-based energy while simultaneously advancing sustainable development and a green recovery.” In other words, the U.S. government would leverage its power to attack oil and gas producers while subsidizing favored industries.

11. Biden’s E.O. pushed for an increase in enforcement of “environmental justice” violations and support for such efforts, which typically are advanced by radical environmental organizations and slip-and-fall lawyers hoping to cash in on the backs of energy consumers.

On February 2, 2021,

12. The EPA hired Marianne Engelman-Lado, a prominent environmental justice proponent, to advance its radical Green New Deal social justice agenda at the EPA, a signal to industry that it plans to continue its attack on American energy.

On February 4, 2021,

13. At the behest of the January 27th Climate Crisis E.O., the DOJ withdrew several Trump-era enforcement documents which provided clarity and streamlined regulations to increase energy independence.

On February 19, 2021,

14. Biden officially rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, which is detrimental to Americans while propping up oil production in Russia and OPEC and increasing Europe's dependence on Russian oil and natural gas. It also benefits China, which dominates the supply chain for critical minerals needed for wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicle batteries.

On February 23, 2021,

15. Biden administration issued a Statement of Administration Policy in support of H.R. 803 which curtailed energy production on over 1.5 million acres of federal lands.

On March 11, 2021,

16. The President signed ARPA, which included numerous provisions advancing Biden’s green priorities, such as a $50 million environmental slush fund directed towards “environmental justice” groups, including efforts advanced by Biden’s E.O.

17. ARPA also included $50 million in grant funding for Clean Air Act pollution-related activities aimed at advancing the green agenda at the expense of the fossil fuel industry.

On March 15, 2021,

18. Biden’s Securities and Exchange Commission sought input regarding the possibility of a rule that would require hundreds of businesses to measure and disclose greenhouse gas emissions in a standardized way, hugely increasing the environmental costs of compliance and disincentivizing oil and gas production.

On April 15, 2021,

19. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s policy statement outlines — and effectively endorses — how the agency would consider market rules proposed by regional grid operators that seek to incorporate a state-determined carbon price in organized wholesale electricity markets. This amounts to a de facto endorsement of a carbon tax that would be paid by everyday Americans in their utility bills.

On April 16, 2021,

20. At Biden’s Direction, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland revoked policies in Secretarial Order 3398 established by the Trump administration including rejecting “American Energy Independence” as a goal;

21. rejecting an “America-First Offshore Energy Strategy;”

22. rejecting “strengthening the Department of the Interior’s Energy Portfolio;”

23. and rejecting establishing the “Executive Committee for Expedited Permitting.” These actions set the stage for the unprecedented slowdown in energy activity by the Interior Department, steward of 2.46 billion acres of federal mineral estate and all its energy and mineral resources.

On April 22, 2021,

24. Biden issued the U.S. International Climate Finance Plan to funnel international financing toward green industries and away from oil and gas.

On April 27, 2021,

25. The Biden administration issued a Statement of Administration Policy in support of S.J. Res. 14 which rescinded a Trump-era rule that would have cut regulations on American energy production.

On April 28, 2021,

26. Biden’s EPA issued a Notice of Reconsideration that would propose to revoke a Trump-era action that revoked California’s waiver for California’s Advanced Clean Car Program (Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards and Zero Emission Vehicle Requirements).

On May 5, 2021,

27. This proposed Fish and Wildlife Service Rule revokes a Trump administration rule and expands the definition of “incidental take” under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). The rule would impact energy production on federal lands, increasing regulatory burdens.

On May 20, 2021,

28. Biden issued an executive order on Climate-Related Financial Risk that would artificially increase regulatory burdens on the oil and gas industry by increasing the “risk” the federal government undertakes in doing business with them.

On May 28, 2021,

29. Biden’s F.Y. 2022 revenue proposals include nearly $150 billion in tax increases directly levied against the oil and gas energy producers.

All “200 Ways the Biden Administration and Democrats Have Made it Harder to Produce Oil & Gas” are found here.

My take: The “can do” attitude, technological prowess, and overall resilience of the U.S. oil and natural gas industry is truly amazing. Despite the best efforts of the current administration working with a vast number of anti-energy NGOs and their army of sycophants, all focused on the single goal of destroying fossil fuels, the U.S. oil and gas industry has continued to do its job and has even thrived. It is truly a testament to the industry's millions of hardworking and talented individuals and oil and gas companies willing to take on the additional risks of a hostile administration and continue to invest in their companies.

One can only wonder how much crude oil and natural gas the United States would be producing if the president and his party had not declared war on the U.S. energy industry.

Unfortunately, the war on fossil fuels and the U.S. energy industry is not over and may never be. Too many people in the world live in energy poverty, and far too many are focused on blocking their progress to achieve a better life. Hopefully, energy sanity will prevail.

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