As Russian troops rolled into Ukraine and reports of open fire appeared, a list of anxieties that had been growing in the last few months were all released into the public consciousness. What could Russia’s next move be? What are we going to do? Are we on the verge of a 3rd World War? And dear God, what about the gas?

As we all know now, that last question soon became the only real threat to Americans. With new tariffs announced every day and the closure of a major Russian pipeline by the Germans, oil prices skyrocketed and consequently, gas followed. 

Just last week barrels of oil reached $139 (The highest prices since 2008), with a $200 price tag seemingly not too far away. 

But suddenly, these worries reversed. 

As usual, American industry found salvation in foreign misfortune as China locked down Shenzhen, and several other districts shut down due to COVID outbreaks. While oil has plummeted to just below $100 dollars a barrel, gas has yet to follow. 

Obviously, there is some lag between price changes, as gas and oil exist separately on the supply chain, but at some point we have to see the ridiculousness of this. 

President Joe Biden, in one of his few moments of clarity, tweeted “Last time oil was $96 a barrel, gas was $3.62 a gallon. Now it’s $4.31. Oil and gas companies shouldn’t pad their profits at the expense of hard working Americans.”

Regardless of political standings, we must see the truth of this. 

Prices are allowed to skyrocket at the first chance, but are hesitant to fall back down when given the opportunity. Thus, any benefit from lower oil prices will settle nicely in the pockets of big oil and gas, while we are left with $100 gas tanks to fill. In fact, some industry experts say $4.50 a gallon is not too far away.

It’s time we stop the political blame game pretending either Democrats or the GOP are masterminding these nefarious plans to bring more money to electric cars or bolster support for Republicans in the midterms– because at the end of the day these lines can rarely be drawn so smoothly. 

Republicans invest in renewable energy, just like Democrats like to dip in the oil themselves (22 House and Senate Dems to be exact). Everyone’s got their fingers in whatever pie they can reach, and big oil and gas companies are happy to pump out these petroleum jelly-filled pastries, while we are left to dip our hands deeper into our wallets with every visit to the gas pump.