PHX Reporter

As Arizona drivers feel the pinch at the pumps, the Biden administration's latest move concerning high gas prices was invoking the Defense Production Act. The act deals with electric vehicles, not American energy production, the Functional Government Initiative (FGI) said. The move is drawing the ire of the organization and fueling its newest government investigation.

The FGI noted on its website that the country recently endured its second consecutive month of record gasoline prices, and inflation remained at a 40-year high. This led the Biden administration to invoke the Defense Production Act. FGI, a nonpartisan organization promoting transparency and integrity in government, said on its website that the move would ease supply chain hurdles for many of the components used to make electric vehicles. It also pushes the public towards using electric vehicles rather than those powered by gasoline, the FGI said. 

“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, spokesman for FGI, said. “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 ... 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.”

Amid the FGI’s ongoing efforts, Arizona motorists continue to feel financial pain at the pump. The price per gallon of gasoline in Arizona is $4.57 as of April 18, up from $3.07 per gallon a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). 

The FGI will continue to push back against rising gasoline prices. The organization said on its website that the Biden order will direct funds to private projects for studies to determine the prospects of extracting minerals used to make batteries for electric vehicles. Whether this will have any real impact remains to be seen; the FGI said that while it could ease the nation’s dependence on China, in the long run, it may not ease inflation or gasoline prices. 

Moreover, the FGI maintains that questions remain over special interest groups that may be swaying the government’s policies that move away from dependence on fossil fuels amid an ongoing energy crisis, as noted on its website. Amid these alleged issues, the FGI continues to push investigations and seek government documents.

The Biden administration’s move to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and calls to hostile dictators seemingly form the basis of its plan to gut gasoline prices, the FGI said. But, the organization is pushing for a reconsideration of pipeline infrastructure and oil and gas leases, according to its website.