Gas prices at a station in Los Angeles, March 25.

Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Your editorial “Gasoline Price Amnesia” (April 6) omits my advocacy for bipartisan policies to increase short-term oil production. I strongly support the president’s decision to release 180 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. I have also called for the government to buy oil to refill our reserves, guaranteeing a floor price that economists agree will boost production.

Americans are getting fleeced with a 29% year-to-date increase in oil prices and a 20% increase in gas prices in the past month. Big Oil is making record profits as a result of Vladimir Putin’s war and putting billions into stock buybacks. My windfall-profit tax, proposed with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, will go after corporate profiteering and give an inflation rebate to Americans to help with gas bills.

There is nothing stopping Big Oil from ramping up production to bring down prices. Their CEOs admitted this in a recent survey. Instead, they retrain production because their investors on Wall Street would rather pocket the profits than invest in new projects. My bill with Mr. Whitehouse will incentivize short-term production and a decline in gas prices similar to what happened in the early 1980s.

In the long run, what will bring price stability is investment in renewable energy. That’s why six months ago I called on oil companies to invest more in renewable energy and diversify their energy sources consistent with their commitment to the Paris accord.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy challenged us to win the Soviet space race. In this century, we need a moonshot for renewable energy to end our dependence on petro-authoritarian regimes in Russia, Iran, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. By achieving energy independence, we can ensure that liberal democracy prevails over authoritarian regimes.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.)

Washington

Since gas prices have increased dramatically, oil and gas producers have become monstrous enemies, totally responsible for inflated prices at the pump. They even pay dividends to shareholders. It seems only yesterday they were expected to reduce output to save the planet. Now they are to reboot immediately.

When I hear the fairy-tale thinking of the investigating lawmakers, I shake my head. Every problem is caused by an evil monster and the solution is to find the monster, expose it and become the rescuer and hero. If this reasoning is not irrational, then the politicians should have been praising oil companies for their benevolence when prices were $25 to $50 a barrel.

John E. Poarch

Edmond, Okla.