ICYMI: DeSantis’ ‘Drill Baby Drill’ Energy Plan Debunked

Washington, D.C. – In a desperate attempt to save his flailing campaign, Ron DeSantis released a ‘drill baby drill’ energy plan. DeSantis said he would allow drilling on federal lands and roll back President Biden’s clean energy plan — killing the hundreds of thousands of jobs created since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. During his remarks, DeSantis even copied fellow conspiracy theorist Vivek Ramaswamy by echoing the long debunked claim that people were “safer than ever” from climate disasters. In reality, deaths from extreme heat alone are up 95% between 2010 and 2022.

Nonsensically, the 5th runner-up also claimed he could bring a gallon of gas down to $2. The plan has been correctly debunked as nonsense and dismissed nearly as quickly as voters dismissed DeSantis’ candidacy. 

Here’s what they’re saying: 

CNN – DeSantis unveils energy agenda while downplaying threats of climate change, “DeSantis’ energy proposal also includes a pledge to bring gas prices down to $2 by 2025, a lofty goal that would be tested by international complexities that typically drive oil prices. Average gas prices have consistently stayed above $2 dating back to President George W. Bush’s second term, though it has dipped below that mark for brief periods under Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, according to the US Energy Information Administration.”

The Hill – DeSantis pledges $2 gas if elected — though presidents only have limited say, “Presidential policies only have limited impacts on gasoline prices, since oil markets are global, and in the U.S, private companies rather than politicians make decisions on whether to drill.”

Bloomberg – Ron DeSantis Pledges $2 Gasoline, More US Fuel Production, “DeSantis’s $2 price per gallon pledge may make for good politics, but it would be difficult to achieve. While presidents often get blamed for high gasoline prices, they generally have limited influence over what Americans pay at the pump. The last time a gallon of unleaded gasoline cost $2 on average in the US was in June 2020, when pandemic shutdowns kept people off the roads and caused demand to collapse.”

Politico – DeSantis: Humans are ‘safer than ever’ from effects of climate change, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that humans are “safer than ever” from the effects of climate change, less than a month after a hurricane pounded Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.”

Politico – DeSantis targets $2 gasoline in ‘energy dominance’ agenda, “Asked whether he believes in climate change, DeSantis only said that the Earth’s climate has changed, without acknowledging that human activity, mainly through greenhouse gas emissions, has been the chief cause.”