We’ve Opened the Door Too Wide for Oil and Gas Companies

Policymakers in the United States seem stuck in a bind. To alleviate a potentially catastrophic energy crisis in Europe, more U.S. oil and gas will need to flow there to replace Russian fuel. To make that happen, companies and politicians on both sides of the aisle are clamoring to boost drilling and fast-track new infrastructure. Americans, meanwhile, want cheaper gas.

The grim backdrop is a climate crisis propelled by fossil fuels. “Investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is moral and economic madness,” the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, said at the...