Psaki claims Keystone XL Pipeline would make no difference for rising gas prices
The average US gas price hit a new record high of more than $4 a gallon on Monday
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki suggested Monday that the Keystone XL Pipeline, the construction of which President Biden canceled on his first day in office, would not have made a difference in the nation's skyrocketing gas prices.
Psaki made the claim in response to questions from Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy, who asked her why the Biden administration is seemingly blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for rising U.S. gas prices, which hit a new record high of $4.104 on Monday, surpassing the previous record of $4.103 set in 2008, according to data from GasBuddy.
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"Weren't gas prices going up anyway because of post-pandemic supply chain issues?" Doocy asked.
Citing unnamed "outside analysts," Psaki replied that "the increase and anticipated continued increase" of gas prices is "a direct result of the invasion of Ukraine."
Referring to a comment she made earlier during the press briefing that the Biden administration was "going to do everything we can" to reduce the prices at the pump, Doocy further pressed Psaki to clarify why the administration is asking other countries to pump more oil instead of producing more oil at home.
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"Let me give you the facts here, and I know that can be inconvenient, but I think they're important in this moment," Psaki interjected. "To the contrary, we have been clear that in the short term, supply must keep up with the demand where we are and here and around the world where we make the shift to a secure, clean energy future."
Workers load a truck with equipment at a pipe yard for the Keystone XL pipeline in Oyen, Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. (Jason Franson/Bloomberg / Getty Images)
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Doocy later asked if Biden would consider rescinding his executive order canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline, prompting Psaki to ask if Doocy believes the pipeline would have an impact on gas prices.
"Well, do you think that that would maybe affect prices faster than getting the whole country off of fossil fuels?" Doocy asked.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh / AP Newsroom)
"I actually don't think it would," Psaki replied. "The Keystone was not an oil field. It's a pipeline. Also, the oil is continuing to flow in just through other means. So it actually would have nothing to do with the current supply imbalance."
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Psaki's assertion echoed what she told Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich during last Thursday’s briefing, when she said the Keystone Pipeline "has never been operational" and that "it would take years for that to have any impact."