Northwoods Reporter

The Functional Government Initiative (FGI) is questioning the motives behind the Biden administration's latest actions to address soaring gas prices in Wisconsin and across the U.S.

In the midst of the U.S. experiencing the highest gas prices in history for the second month in a row and inflation being at a 40-year high, President Joe Biden has announced that the administration will be invoking the Defense Production Act, according to a release from the FGI. This move is said to be an attempt to ease potential supply chain issues for electric vehicle components. The FGI has voiced its discontent regarding this announcement and pointed out this move is just another way for the administration to move the American public away from gasoline and toward electric vehicles.

The administration's order will move funds to private projects for feasibility studies surrounding the extraction of minerals, such as lithium and cobalt, that are essential to building electric vehicle batteries. FGI says if their encouragement of increasing supply of essential minerals is successful, it could reduce America’s reliance on China, but it remains uncertain how this move would ease any inflation concerns or alleviate energy prices in the short-term.

Opening up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and calls to hostile dictators have formed the crux of the Biden administration's approach. Yet, they continue to reject requests to reconsider opposition to pipeline infrastructure, oil and gas leases and financing.

As FGI points out, the question of which special interests are influencing the government’s anti-fossil fuel policy amid an energy crisis still remains, and is the focus of several of the nonpartisan organization's ongoing investigations and requests for government records.

"Exploring the expansion of domestic extraction of minerals is a good step because it may create jobs for the next generation of American workers, but it does not tackle the current fuel crisis," Peter McGinnis, FGI spokesperson said, according to the release. "We are on month two of ‘We will do everything we can to lower gas prices,’ yet nothing of substance has been done to accomplish that – as you can see every time you fill up your tank. Either the administration is hoping the problem will fix itself or that Americans will surrender to astronomically high gas prices. Neither scenario appears plausible. Along with inflation in general, energy prices are crushing the American dream. FGI will continue its investigation of which special interests are dictating the government’s handling of this energy crisis."

According to the American Automobile Association, Wisconsin's average price for gas is $3.73 per gallon. At this time last year, it was $2.72.

The Functional Government Initiative is a nonpartisan organization that works to demand transparency and integrity from government agencies and elected officials. The group has repeatedly expressed concerns over the federal government’s perplexing response and actions taken attempting to reduce gas prices.