Written by Andrew Morris
Following the Colonial Pipeline attack last Friday, the oil supply along the east coast has been in decline. Due to this, drivers are scrambling to fill their tanks as availability declines. In response, North Carolina and Virginia have instituted a state of emergency to aid in recovery.
According to the travel app GasBuddy, more than 6% of gas stations in Virginia were out of fuel Monday night. As time goes on, the numbers are steadily increasing as people continue stocking up for fear of a bleak future.
On another note, many Republicans are criticizing the lack of authority in the Biden administration to deal with the impending crisis. Texas representative August Pfluger stated, “The industry of providing fuel to heat and cool homes to allow transportation to happen is critical infrastructure.” Pfluger hopes this will get the Biden administration to rethink its war on fossil fuel, such that it realizes the steps it has been taking are detrimental to our nation’s domestic strength. “I hope it’s a wake up call for Americans,” Pfluger amended.
Furthermore, RNC Representative Madison Cawthorn accused the Biden administration of being the catalyst of the nation’s weakness in a statement to Fox News. “These types of ransomware attacks are indicative of a much larger national security risk to our nation’s infrastructure, and the importance of strong presidential leadership.” He follows up by stating, “The Biden Administration must finally step up and acknowledge that their weak stance on Russia has real world consequences.”
Another Republican Lauren Boebert, a representative from Colorado, voiced similar concerns on the poorly planned sector of the Biden administration, “Joe Biden’s attack on American energy and American workers has led to skyrocketing gas prices. Now, this administration’s weak leadership has invited hackers to attack American infrastructure, furthering our energy crisis. Biden’s lead-from-the-basement strategy is hurting American families.”
As of now, the White House has characteristically done nearly nothing to resolve the problem, only clarifying that the Russian attack does not appear to be connected with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and directing federal agencies to support the Southeast during the crisis.
