If Americans were thrilled to hear President Joe Biden’s prediction about potential green energy savings, their balloon was quickly popped by a White House correction.
In a speech on Thursday addressing the ongoing crisis at the pump as March saw the highest recorded average gas prices in the nation, Biden touted the savings for consumers after a switch to renewable energy. But he was quickly fact-checked on the inaccurate wording of his promise.
After blaming high gas prices in the U.S. on the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and announcing that he will release an unprecedented 1 million barrels of oil per day over the next six months, the president said he was “declaring real American energy independence in the long term.”
“Yes, building a made-in-America clean energy future will help safeguard our national security. Yes, it will help us tackle climate change. Yes, it’s going to help us ensure that America creates millions of good-paying jobs for generations to come,” he said.
“But most important — the most important thing my plan will do right away is save your family money,” Biden continued. “If your home is powered by safer, cheaper, cleaner electricity like solar or heat pumps, you can save about $500 a month on average.”
(Relevant portion in video below begins at 10:53 mark)
(Video: CNBC)
In short order, the White House corrected the official transcript of his speech to indicate the president meant the predicted savings would be over a year, not a month.
In a fact sheet released Thursday, the White House clarified the green energy savings.
“His plan will help ensure that America creates millions of good-paying union jobs in clean, cutting-edge industries for generations to come,” the statement reads.”And it will save American families money in the immediate future – including more than $950 a year in gas savings from taking advantage of electric vehicles, and an additional $500 a year from using clean electricity like solar and heat pumps to power their homes.”
The Associated Press issued a “fact check’ with the headline “Biden overpromises on green energy savings.”
According to the AP report:
THE FACTS: Not so. The average person in the U.S. spends far less than that every month on electricity.
The average electric bill for homeowners was $115 per month in 2019, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Between 2009 and 2019, the average monthly electric bill for a U.S. homeowner never surpassed $120.
Despite the correction, it was noted that it would still take years for homeowners to reap the savings being promised “given the upfront cost of installing solar panels and heat pumps in homes,” according to AP.
Earlier in his remarks, Biden said there were two “roots” for the “problem we’re facing with gas prices.”
“First, the pandemic. When COVID struck, demand for oil plummeted, so production slowed down worldwide. Because of the strength and the speed of our recovery, demand for oil shot back up much faster than the supply. That’s why the cost of gas began to rise last year,” the president claimed.
“The second root is Vladimir Putin. At the start of this year, gas was about $3.30 a gallon. Today, it’s about — averaging $4.20, $4.22. It’s higher in many states. Nearly a dollar more in less than three months. And the reason for that is because of Putin’s war,” Biden stated, using the current administration narrative.
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Frieda@bizpacreview.com
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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