Biden willing to use Defense Production Act to boost refining capacity

President BIden speaks about energy prices at the White House in Washington
U.S. President Joe Biden takes a question after announcing the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day for the next six months from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, as part of administration efforts to lower gasoline prices, at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 31, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON, June 15 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden is willing to use the Defense Production Act if it would help the United States increase its oil-refining capacity, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday.

Biden is open to "all reasonable uses" of the federal goverment's tools to increase output and lower costs at the gas pump, including emergency actions like invoking the Defense Production Act, she said.

Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland; Editing by Leslie Adler

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