Stitt, Biden speak about Oklahoma’s energy situation, historic winter storm

Gov. Kevin Stitt said he has spoken with President Joe Biden regarding the winter storm that has brought heavy snow and historically cold temperatures to Oklahoma.

Stitt said he told the president about the challenges Oklahoma is experiencing to transport energy to the power grid, particularly with natural gas wells freezing due to the record cold.

Stitt said he also asked Biden to help Oklahomans with the substantial increase in energy bills that will likely be forthcoming through either the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program or another method, and the president said his team is aware of the issue and already working on a solution.

“I want to thank President Biden for taking the time to reach out this afternoon and offer the federal government’s help for Oklahomans,” said Stitt. “We had a very productive call and I look forward to working together to find solutions as we recover from this historic storm.”

According to the White House, President Biden spoke with governors of states impacted by severe winter weather and relayed to them that he understood the severity of the conditions being felt across the states. Biden said he and the First Lady were praying for swift recovery from the effects of the storm.

Biden reiterated to all the governors that his administration is prepared to assist and stands ready to respond to requests for Federal assistance from the governors and will deploy any additional Federal emergency resources available to assist the residents of their states in getting through this historic storm, according to the White House’s news release.

Biden also expressed gratitude for all of the workers on the front lines responding to the storm, especially road workers, highway patrol officers, and first responders who are taking swift action in horrific conditions to save lives.