Image Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images 
Tesla CEO Elon Musk called for the United States to ramp up its domestic oil and gas production in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Hate to say it, but we need to increase oil & gas output immediately,” Musk tweeted on Friday. “Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures.”
Hate to say it, but we need to increase oil & gas output immediately.
Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022
Musk admitted that while such an initiative would interfere with Tesla’s electric vehicle business model, the transition to renewable energy from fossils fuels has not yet been overcome and plunging Russian exports are exacerbating domestic energy demand.
“Obviously, this would negatively affect Tesla, but sustainable energy solutions simply cannot react instantaneously to make up for Russian oil & gas exports,” he added.
Obviously, this would negatively affect Tesla, but sustainable energy solutions simply cannot react instantaneously to make up for Russian oil & gas exports.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022
This comes as gas prices have surged past $4 a gallon in 10 states, with California seeing prices hit over $5 a gallon.
Despite the soaring gas prices, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are still calling for total bans on Russian oil and gas to punish the country for invading Ukraine.
“I’m all for that – ban it,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). “Ban the oil coming from Russia.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki echoed Pelosi’s statements, saying the Biden administration is considering an embargo on Russian oil.
“We are looking at options we could take right now to cut U.S. consumption of Russian energy, but we are very focused on minimizing the impact to families,” Psaki said. “If you reduce supply in the global marketplace, you are going to raise gas prices.”
Currently, the U.S. is reportedly buying about 650,000 barrels of oil a day from Russia, which is the third-largest oil producer in the world.
Such an arrangement means the U.S. is essentially financing Russia’s war in Ukraine while neglecting our own energy independence, noted Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).
“America is funding Russia’s war by buying Russian oil and gas rather than producing our own,” she tweeted Saturday.
America is funding Russia’s war by buying Russian oil and gas rather than producing our own.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) March 5, 2022
Notably, though Biden and Congress want to ban Russian energy, they’re still not open to pursuing American energy independence, which would be antithetical to the far-left Green New Deal/Great Reset program.