Joe Biden has said that he’s doing everything he can to work on the issue of rising gas prices. At the same time, he’s also said there wasn’t much he can do, and has blamed it on Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden tried to blame it on oil companies, too, claiming they have permits but aren’t drilling enough. Talk about completely not taking the blame or the responsibility for anything.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) – the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chair – busted those lies, saying there’s a lot that can be done — starting with getting stalled pipeline permits approved.

Manchin claimed that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is holding up permits for some projects that could help if they were moved forward.

The senator said FERC is intentionally withholding guidance from permit seekers, saying that when he was governor of West Virginia, he told regulators working under his direction, “If you go out with a cease and desist order before you try to help someone do something right and tell them what they’re doing wrong, shame on ya. Shame on all of you.”

Manchin said that the federal government, through agencies such as the Department of the Interior and FERC, could be providing more guidance, but “they’re throwing so many more obstacles.” [….]

And the senator bristled when asked about Glick’s concerns on projects being pushed through too quickly.

“I’m not saying push them through quickly,” Manchin said, “just do your damn job, that’s all I told him.”

Manchin also said that we could have what we needed to replace Russian natural gas supplies and more, even enough to ship to Europe to help wean them off Russian natural gas, by finishing the stalled Mountain Valley pipeline that runs through his state.

Manchin said the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline, which crosses his home state of West Virginia into Virginia, could transport two billion cubic feet a day and be up and running in four to six months.

“It’s the quickest thing that we can get, it’s more energy into the market that’s going to be needed,” Manchin said of the mostly-built pipeline. “I’ve been preaching to the heavens for a long time on this one. It can be done with the Defense Production Act.”

Biden is issuing all kinds of executive orders that he shouldn’t, but rest assured, he won’t issue an executive order to do that. I’m not in favor of giving Biden control over private industry. But as our sister site Hot Air notes, Manchin has introduced a bill to drive it through, and it’s Democrats who are blocking it.

Biden and most of the other Democrats don’t want to go there and solve the long-term problem, because it goes against the leftist narrative that they’re on board with. But then, Biden can’t keep lying by saying he’s doing everything he can, when he isn’t taking steps to remove restrictions to allow for more production. His failure to do so shows everything about his priorities, which don’t include solving this issue for the American people.