NW Clark News

In light of the President Joe Biden's announcement of an immediate ban on all U.S. imports of Russian oil, the Functional Government Initiative (FGI) is worried about the impact of Biden's policies on rising energy costs in the U.S.

The FGI is a nonpartisan organization that works to promote integrity and transparency from government agencies and elected officials, while advocating for working Americans' beliefs and values, the FGI said on their site.

"Last week we expressed our concerns regarding the reluctance to sanction the Russian energy market and announced that we would be seeking information surrounding that decision," FGI spokesperson Peter McGinnis said in a statement March 9. "However, the current situation creates the fear that we may be moving from funding Russia's war machine to paying the dictator in Venezuela and the state sponsors of terrorism in Iran. The concerns of the Functional Government Initiative remain. We will continue working to expose the dysfunction of government and investigate the impact of today's energy policy on our foreign policy and near-record levels of inflation."

The FGI continues to be concerned about the current energy policies the White House has in place, the organization said in the statement. It is confident its late-February investigation will yield vital results and help them better understand the energy priorities of the federal government.

The FGI said in a release on Feb. 25 that it is seeking full transparency from government agencies regarding several topics.

"The areas of inquiry will include the following," the FGI said in the release. "Actions to slow gas price hikes using emergency powers; Calls for investigating the meat and energy industries; Efforts to hinder domestic fossil fuel production, halt pipeline approvals, and shut down American mines; and Considerations behind the decision to re-nominate a Federal Reserve Chairman who has presided over 40-year highs in inflation."

The FGI said in the March 9 release that the U.S. is communicating with the Venezuelan government in an effort to ease sanctions made in 2019 in response to human rights abuses committed by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The U.S. is also considering easing sanctions on Iran, the organization said.

The effects of energy costs spread throughout the economy, the FGI said. The organization plans on continuing to look into how American energy policy impacts international relations and U.S. citizens' bank accounts.

"By effectively shutting down our own supply of critical oil and gas, the Biden Administration increased our reliance on foreign countries for our energy needs, increased global emissions, and increased gas prices for American families," U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) said on his website on March 8.

As of March 16, the average gas price in Nevada is $5.01 per gallon, AAA reported.