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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
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FACT BRIEF

Was the United States energy independent four months ago, before Joe Biden became president?

By Sarah Thompson
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NO

In January 2021 the U.S. consumed more energy than it produced.

A post on social media implies that since the Biden administration began in late January 2021, energy independence ended and led to gasoline shortages on the East Coast.

In fact, U.S. energy independence rises and falls over months and years, and there was plenty of gas in reserve in May 2021.

In 2019, when Donald Trump was president, the U.S. did achieve energy independence, something that had not happened since 1957. Since 2019 there have been several months when the U.S. did not produce as much energy as it consumed, including January 2021.

Gas shortages on the East Coast in May 2021 had to do with distribution problems coupled with panic buying. Operation of the Colonial Pipeline, shut down by a ransomware attack, restarted on May 12, 2021, with supply levels expected to return to normal in several days.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
US Energy Information Administration U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
Colonial Pipeline Media Statement Update: Colonial Pipeline System Disruption
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.