Retired military officials urge Biden to 'limit the grip Russia has' over energy, support US production

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EXCLUSIVE: More than a dozen retired military officers and national security officials are urging President Biden to support expanded U.S. domestic energy production in the interest of national security and as a hedge against adversaries like Russia, as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to cut off the gas supply to Europe.

Retired U.S. Army Major General James "Spider" Marks sent a letter to the White House Wednesday morning, stressing that the U.S. has the energy resources available to "limit the grip Russia has over the world’s energy supply."

Marks told Fox News Digital that recent Biden administration policy decisions have, instead, limited oil and gas development, and canceled what he called "critical" infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL Pipeline.

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"North American energy development is critical to U.S. national security and to the economic and national security of our allies throughout Europe and the world," Marks told Fox News Digital. "We urge President Biden and his administration to support the development and transportation of all our nation’s energy resources — especially wind, solar, natural gas and crude oil." 

Oil storage tanks stand at the RN-Tuapsinsky refinery in Tuapse, Russia. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

He added that the U.S. "is a hedge against foreign adversaries who are weaponizing their energy supply to bend other nations’ political will, in opposition to freedoms and liberty."

The letter, signed by Marks and 16 other retired military and national security officials, was sent to Biden, along with his national security team, including White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Director of the White House Economic Council Brian Deese.

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"The immediacy of global and geopolitical challenges necessitate the United States — once again — reassert its role as moral and economic leader, a role we can only successfully take if we have access to plentiful and affordable energy," the letter states, adding that many of the challenges around the globe come due to Russia’s unprovoked attack and ongoing war with Ukraine.

"Unfortunately recent domestic policy decisions have limited crude oil development and restricted our access to critical supplies, such as the cancelation of the Keystone XL pipeline permit, a project that would have brought Canadian crude to the U.S. Additional regulatory uncertainty and restrictions have severely curtailed the construction of energy infrastructure and refining capacity, which have constrained U.S. energy development and growth," the letter continued.

Oil begins flowing from Russian pipelines after Hungary paid travel fees to Ukraine. (REUTERS/David W Cerny)

Marks and the retired officers said that the "consequences" of those policies were "masked" during the economic downturn of COVID-19, but the "global growth of energy demand over the past two years has forced a time of reckoning." 

"This has led U.S. officials to ask foreign nations to fill the energy supply gap. Some of these nations — while they may purport to be allies of the United States — do not support the principles of freedom, democracy, and liberty; and instead serve their own self-interests," they cautioned.

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Marks and the retired officers warned that if the U.S.’ domestic energy production capacity diminishes, "we risk reverting to a scenario where we will have to rely on foreign rivals to meet our energy demands."

Marks and the retired officers said that increased domestic production would also increase the U.S.’ "geopolitical advantage and support our allies abroad." 

President Biden, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Mikhail KLIMENTYEV/Sputnik/AFP)

"For more than two generations, the United States has stood as a hedge against authoritarian regimes and dictators around the globe and, time after time, the United States — in large part because of our access to low-cost energy — has been able to put our finger on the scale to tip the balance of power in liberty’s favor," they wrote. "Without ready access to affordable and plentiful energy, we also risk a new reality where freedom’s adversaries will gain an upper hand in critical strategic geopolitical battles that could have negative consequences not just for citizens of the United States, but also for people around the globe."

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They added: "We simply cannot allow that to happen."

Marks and the retired officers said that with Biden’s "leadership, we can attain our country’s energy aspirations and use energy as a foreign policy tool for good." 

The letter was signed by Marks; former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower & Reserve Affairs Tidal McCoy; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs Sergio de la Peña; former Under Secretary of the Navy Greg Slavonic; and 14 retired U.S. military personnel. 

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.