华盛顿-在一次尖锐的交锋中，雪佛龙公司的负责人周二抱怨说，在汽油价格接近创纪录水平的时候，总统乔·拜登(Joe Biden)诋毁了能源公司，总统回应说，这家石油公司的首席执行官“有点敏感”。
最近几周，总统批评石油生产商和炼油商将利润最大化，赚取“比上帝还多的钱”，而不是随着经济从疫情复苏并感受到俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的影响，增加产量以应对价格上涨。
雪佛龙董事长兼首席执行官迈克尔·沃思(Michael Wirth)周二通过电子邮件给拜登写了一封信，称总统自己的话在鼓励公司提高产量方面弄巧成拙。
沃斯写道，雪佛龙正在投资更多的生产，但“你的政府在很大程度上试图批评，有时诋毁我们的行业。这些行动无助于应对我们面临的挑战，也不是美国人民应得的。”
这家石油公司的首席执行官表示，他希望与政府建立更加合作的关系。
“让我们一起努力，”沃思写道。“美国人民理所当然地期待我们国家的领导人和行业以严肃和坚决的方式应对他们面临的挑战。”
当被问及这些评论时，拜登没有表现出同情。
“他有点敏感，”拜登说。“我不知道他们会这么快受到伤害。听着，我们需要更多的提炼能力。这种认为他们没有石油可以钻探和开采的想法是不正确的。”
全国平均汽油价格接近每加仑5美元，这对通勤者来说是一种压力，对即将参加中期选举的拜登的民主党同僚来说是一个政治负担。这使得白宫急于寻找解决方案，包括可能暂停每加仑18.4美分的联邦汽油税。拜登计划在本周末之前决定是否应该暂停征税，此举旨在缓解价格压力，但需要得到不情愿的国会的批准。
汽油税为高速公路提供资金，但拜登周二表示，由于去年1万亿美元的基础设施法，任何收入损失都不会对道路建设产生重大影响。
拜登政府与石油生产商和炼油商之间的冲突是在周四能源部长詹妮弗·格兰霍姆(Jennifer Granholm)与能源公司举行会议之前发生的。
众议院议长南希·佩洛西和参议院共和党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔此前都对暂停汽油税的好处表示怀疑。但加州民主党众议员亚当·希夫(Adam Schiff)正在发起一项法案，将汽油税搁置至2023年底。
希夫在一份声明中表示，他一直在与白宫联系，以鼓励汽油税假期，并补充说，“但我们不应就此止步。我们还应该让大型石油公司对哄抬价格负责，正是这种行为首先推高了油价。”
众议院已经批准了打击石油公司涉嫌价格欺诈的法案，但是该法案在参议院被搁置。民主党提出的对石油生产商征收“暴利税”的提议在国会几乎没有得到支持。
取消汽油税的可能性招致了经济学家和商界的批评，认为这没有解决潜在的供应挑战。
Target首席执行官布莱恩·康奈尔(Brian Cornell)周二在纽约经济俱乐部(Economic Club of New York)发表讲话，称汽油税假期是一个暂时的“迷你刺激”，无助于从根本上改变燃料和运输的供需曲线。
“我们面临一个典型的供求挑战，”康奈尔告诉观众。“恕我直言，天然气假期只会刺激需求。这对增加供应没有任何帮助。”
哈佛大学教授杰森·弗曼(Jason Furman)曾是奥巴马政府的首席经济学家，他表示暂停汽油税不会解决供应压力。
他在推特上写道:“炼油厂现在甚至更加受限，所以供应几乎完全没有弹性。”“18.4美分的降价大部分将被企业收入囊中——可能只有几美分会转嫁到消费者身上。”
白宫新闻秘书郭佳欣·让-皮埃尔告诉记者，政府正在寻找尽可能多的方法来减轻消费者在加油站的压力。但政府不打算告诉美国人在7月4日假期期间少开车，并减少一些供应压力。
让-皮埃尔说:“美国人将做他们认为对自己和家人都是正确的事情。”。“这不是我们可以判断的事情。”
Biden, Chevron chief trade sharp words over gas prices
WASHINGTON --In a pointed back and forth, the head of Chevron complained Tuesday that President Joe Biden has vilified energy firms at a time when gasoline prices are at near record levels and the president responded that the oil company CEO was being “mildly sensitive.”
The president in recent weeks has criticized oil producers and refiners for maximizing profits and making “more money than God,” rather than increasing production in response to higher prices as the economy recovers from the pandemic and feels the effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Michael Wirth, chairman and CEO of Chevron, sent Biden a letter via email on Tuesday that said the president's own words have been self-defeating in terms of encouraging companies to boost their output.
Chevron is investing in more production, Wirth wrote, but “your Administration has largely sought to criticize, and at times vilify, our industry. These actions are not beneficial to meeting the challenges we face and are not what the American people deserve.”
The oil company CEO said he wanted a more cooperative relationship with the government.
“Let's work together,” Wirth wrote. "The American people rightly expect our country’s leaders and industry to address the challenges they are facing in a serious and resolute manner."
Asked about those comments, Biden displayed no sympathy.
“He’s mildly sensitive,” Biden said. “I didn’t know they’d get their feelings hurt that quickly. Look, we need more refining capacity. This idea that they don’t have oil to drill and to bring up is simply not true.”
Average gas prices are nearly $5 a gallon nationwide, a strain on commuters and a political albatross for Biden’s fellow Democrats going into the midterm elections. That has left the White House scrambling for solutions, including a possible suspension of the 18.4 cents a gallon federal gas tax .Biden plans to decide by the end of the week if the tax should be suspended, a move meant to relieve price pressures and that would need approval from a reluctant Congress.
The gas tax funds highways, but Biden said Tuesday any lost revenue would not have a major impact on road construction because of last year’s $1 trillion infrastructure law.
The clash between the Biden administration and oil producers and refiners unfolded ahead of a Thursday meeting that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm will hold with energy companies.
Both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell have previously voiced skepticism about the benefits of suspending the gas tax. But Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., is sponsoring a bill that would put the gas tax on hold through the end of 2023.
Schiff said in a statement that he has been in touch with the White House to encourage the gas tax holiday, adding, “But we shouldn’t stop there. We should also hold Big Oil accountable for the price-gouging that is driving prices up in the first place.”
The House has approved legislation to crack down on alleged price gouging by oil companies, but the bill has stalled in the Senate. Democratic proposals to impose a “windfall profits” tax on oil producers have generated little support in Congress.
The possibility of a gas tax holiday has drawn criticism from economists and the business community for not fixing the underlying supply challenges.
In an address Tuesday at the Economic Club of New York, a non-profit, non-partisan business group, Target CEO Brian Cornell called the gas tax holiday a temporary “mini stimulus” that does nothing to fundamentally change the supply and demand curve for fuel and transportation.
“We have a classic supply-and-demand challenge,” Cornell told the audience. ”In all due respect, the gas holiday is only going to fuel demand. It’s doing nothing to increase the supply.”
Harvard University professor Jason Furman, formerly the top economist in the Obama White House, said a gas tax suspension would not address the supply pressures.
“Refineries are even more constrained now so supply is nearly fully inelastic,” he wrote on Twitter. “Most of the 18.4 cent reduction would be pocketed by industry -- with maybe a few cents passed on to consumers.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the administration is looking into as many ways as possible to provide consumers with some relief at the gas pump. But the administration does not plan to tell Americans to drive less during the July 4 holiday and reduce some of the supply pressures.
“Americans are going to do what they feel is right for themselves and for their family,” Jean-Pierre said. “That's not something for us to make a judgment on.”
