President Joe Biden had made the climate-friendly restructuring of the American economy the focus of his election campaign, which primarily won over young voters.

A good year later, climate change makes no mention of Biden's key State of the Union address.

He limited himself to a few lines on subsidies for thermal insulation, electric cars and renewable energies.

This is particularly astounding because the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a new gloomy forecast this week, and left-wing forces in his party insisted on a resolute commitment to an ambitious climate policy.

Winand von Petersdorff-Campen

Economic correspondent in Washington.

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Visions evaporate when realpolitik strikes.

The war in Ukraine requires a new focus in politics.

But that is only the half truth.

After the ambitious "Build Back Better" legislative package did not find a majority in the Senate because two Democratic senators did not want to go along with it, the momentum is gone.

An important factor in this is the sharp rise in energy prices.

The Energy Information Administration EIA calculates that half of all American households that heat with natural gas will have to shell out 30 to 50 percent more this winter than last winter.

Gasoline prices have more than doubled from their lows in April last year.

Recent reports from the oil market are not helping to calm things down.

A barrel of crude briefly traded at $110 in Europe and $105 in the US.

Last year, the price was $60 in early March.

Midterm elections are coming up this year that could tip majorities in both houses of Congress in favor of Republicans.

Biden's strategists appear to have concluded that his climate policy is not a winning theme in the current environment.

Possibly even the opposite.

The Americans are currently primarily interested in the government driving down the prices for fuel and heating.

The President has therefore already tapped into the national petroleum reserve and is apparently considering suspending the petrol tax.

Oil crisis replaces climate crisis

But that doesn't change the fundamental problem: demand exceeds supply on the world markets for crude oil and natural gas.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is exacerbating the imbalance.

Recent price jumps were triggered by speculation that Russia could no longer export crude oil and oil derivatives to the usual extent.

The United States would be severely affected by this, as it currently takes around 600,000 barrels of crude oil and related products from the Russians every day.

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin from the coal country of West Virginia is therefore, in line with many Republicans, calling for the United States to increase its oil production.

Thanks to fracking, America has the technology to make itself independent of Russian supplies and also to supply European allies.

Manchin called for an embargo on Russian crude oil.

The government doesn't prohibit it, but it limits the production of oil, gas and coal through various regulations as part of its climate policy.

For example, no new permit for oil and gas exploration will be issued on federal land.

Off-shore extraction is prohibited in many regions.

This is a thorn in the side of lobbyists.

They now sense their chance: “We share the goal of reducing emissions from the economy.

But we cannot allow that goal to distract us from the clear and urgent need to continue investing in oil and gas development,” American Petroleum Institute chief Mike Sommers wrote to Biden Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm .

LPG important for the USA

Sommers is concerned that the Biden government will alienate investors with measures and announcements from various authorities.

Above all, the industry wants a clear commitment from Biden to exports of natural gas and oil to the allies.

The United States has only allowed the export of oil and liquefied gas for a few years.

In the course of the price jumps, the first politicians called for exports to be suspended in order to relieve the American market.

The demands also include that the liquid gas terminals that are currently under construction be approved quickly.

Sommers points out that the United States has become the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas.

For a brief period last month, the US supplied Europe with more gas than the Russians.

Global security is a factor that lobbyists are now cleverly bringing into play.

In fact, the American oil industry had helped the price of crude oil settle at $60 a barrel before the pandemic, against efforts by OPEC, which coordinated with Russia in an effort to keep prices high.

In an opinion piece for Bloomberg, economist Karl Smith reminds that high prices not only hurt America's economy, but also fill Russia's coffers.

When Russia first invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea, the price of oil was $100 a barrel. Just before the most recent invasion, it had climbed back to $95.

Fracking creates peace, is the blatant thesis.