Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona said that President Joe Biden was “wrong” for not increasing fossil fuel production during a debate on Thursday; however, Kelly twice voted against amendments that would have increased oil and gas drilling.
The incumbent Arizona Democrat, who is running for reelection against Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters, said during a debate on Thursday evening that he told Biden that he was wrong for not increasing oil and gas production. Despite this, Kelly voted twice against amendments that would have required the administration to auction more federal lands and waters for oil and gas exploration in August.
“When the president refused to increase oil and gas production, I told him he was wrong,” Kelly stated.
Kelly voted against an amendment on Aug. 7 that would require the Biden administration to hold additional oil and gas lease auctions in certain states before the end of 2022. The Democratic senator also voted on the same day against an amendment that would require at least 10 offshore drilling leases to be put up for sale by no later than 2027.
The Biden administration has worked to block oil and gas leasing in order to phase out fossil fuels as part of its aggressive climate agenda. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management found in July that cutting back on offshore drilling auctions would hike energy costs and force the nation to import more crude oil.
Kelly voted to pass the Democrats’ $370 climate spending bill which will allow the Environmental Protection Agency to crack down on oil and gas companies’ methane emissions. Climate policy is one of Kelly’s top priorities, according to his campaign website.
Kelly will face off against Masters in November and holds a 6-point lead, according to FiveThirtyEight’s polling average.
Kelly’s campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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