As Americans face skyrocketing gas prices, groups urge Biden to push green energy and to reject calls to ramp up fossil fuel production

As Americans face rapidly surging fuel prices, a coalition of groups is calling for President Biden to use the Defense Production Act to push a transition to green energy. They are also calling for the president to reject calls to ramp up America's fossil fuel production.

Sierra Club, Greenpeace USA, Islamic Society of North America, and Our Revolution are just a few of the many groups that joined together in the message to Biden.

The groups expressed support for the president's recent move to ban Russian oil.

"We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and we want to thank you for halting oil imports from Russia. We urge you to continue to resist short-sighted policies such as scaling up domestic fossil fuel production or expanding oil and gas infrastructure or financing, which would only deepen our dependence on fuels that lead to global instability and drive further devastating climate impacts. Instead, we are calling on you to invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) to ramp up the deployment of renewable energy to transition the world off fossil fuels," the groups declared.

While Americans were already facing elevated gas prices, fuel costs have recently spiked dramatically, and the situation could get even worse.

President Biden on Tuesday signed an executive order banning the importation of Russian oil into the U.S., a move meant to squeeze Russia as it perpetrates a destructive and deadly invasion in Ukraine. The order specifically prohibits importing "crude oil; petroleum; petroleum fuels, oils, and products of their distillation; liquefied natural gas; coal; and coal products" from Russia.

"We urge you to utilize the Defense Production Act to ramp up the deployment of renewable energy to transition the world off fossil fuels and generate millions of good quality, union jobs," the groups declared in their message to President Biden. "The DPA – which you have already used to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and respond to wildfires – provides you with the historic opportunity to produce alternatives to fossil fuels, fight the climate emergency, combat Putin’s stranglehold on the world’s energy economy, and support the transition to a renewable and just economy."

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Wednesday that, "we need oil and gas production to rise to meet current demand."