Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I wish to talk about the bill we have on the floor and how important I think it is not only to my State but to our United States in terms of our energy security and energy policy modernization.

I rise to support the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016. I think this legislation recognizes the critical need to improve our Nation's energy infrastructure and how we can use our natural resources.

I commend Chairman Murkowski and Ranking Member Cantwell for their hard work to get this bill on the floor. I am honored to be a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The open process they led in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, as the Presiding Officer knows, resulted in a strong bipartisan vote of 18 to 4 in support of this bill.

I think it goes without saying, but this country needs an updated, comprehensive policy that brings an ``all of the above'' approach to the way we utilize energy. This is the first major energy legislation to be considered by the Senate since 2007. This bill will help make our homes, our cars, our public buildings--think about how old and inefficient a lot of our public buildings are, including our schools-- more energy efficient. It will help improve our parks and lands through the reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

This bill will enhance our ability to fully utilize our vast natural resources so that we remain and become even more energy secure in the years to come.

There are few people who know energy potential better than the people of West Virginia. West Virginia's Marcellus region has the largest shale gas reserves in the United States. It is really a magnificent thing to watch as it is developing. It is a job creator, an excitement creator, and a revenue generator. It is a reason to have a revitalized part of our State come alive as we participate in the energy economy. Coupled with the nearby Utica region, these two shale formations have accounted for major increases in natural gas production since 2012.

West Virginia's natural gas production has nearly quadrupled between the years 2008 and 2014. As I said earlier, it has happened fast and quick, and it has really exploded throughout the region in terms of job creation.

Unfortunately, despite this unprecedented increase in natural gas recovery, our producers have been underserved by a lack of pipeline capacity. Nobody knew this existed until just in the last 10, 12 years. Our current permitting process for pipelines can take years. It is slow and uncertain, which means delayed construction, if we get to construction, and, in turn, delayed manufacturing projects and access to affordable energy. Many manufacturers across this country rely on cheap, affordable natural gas, not just as an energy producer but in our chemical industries as feedstock to create.

Last spring, the Charleston Daily Mail editorialized that ``the big gas boom that has increased employment and tax revenue in West Virginia has slowed considerably less due to slowing markets than a lack of pipeline infrastructure to carry the burgeoning supplies.''

Earlier this month, the Clarksburg Exponent Telegram, another fine newspaper in West Virginia, editorialized that ``the promise of more than 18,000 jobs tied to the construction of six interstate gas pipelines is the last hope for prosperity for a generation of Mountain State residents.'' The paper continued that regulatory delays are slowing these important projects.

West Virginia has been hard hit by job loss in the energy sector. Just this week, more than 850 West Virginia coal miners received notices that their jobs may be at risk. They join more than 500 other West Virginia miners who were informed after the start of this year that they would be losing their jobs, not to mention that the whole total job loss in the coal economy in my State has been 10,000 direct jobs, as miners as well as some other indirect jobs that contribute to the mining industry, most recently CSX and Norfolk Southern, are announcing cutbacks.

Moving forward with improvements to our energy infrastructure will create construction jobs and economic opportunity in my State, where both are desperately needed. That is why I am pleased that this bill includes language that I introduced, along with Senators Heitkamp and Cassidy, that would address the fragmented and prolonged permitting process for pipelines. This provision will streamline the application process so pipelines can be constructed in a more timely and efficient manner and will meet our energy transportation needs, along with meeting the environmental requirements that we feel are proper in order to site the pipelines.

The provision establishes FERC as the lead agency for the permitting process. This helps to address any interagency squabbles or disputes that can lead to project delay.

We must make use of our natural resources to grow our domestic manufacturing. We should also use our abundant gas reserves to export liquefied natural gas to our allies. A strong export policy will bring jobs and revenue to producing States such as my State of West Virginia and to many others across the country. It will also help with energy security for our allies in Europe and Japan at a time of growing instability around the globe.

This bill includes Senator Barrasso's bill to expedite LNG export permitting so that natural gas produced here in America can be sold to our allies around the world. Going forward, innovation will be a key component in powering West Virginia's energy economy.

In addition to our rich natural gas reserves, West Virginia has been one of the major producers of coal for energy generation in this country for decades--centuries. My State and our Nation have faced an uphill battle in the administration's war on coal, despite the fact that coal still remains America's baseload energy source. We need a commonsense approach to coal-fired energy generation, one that doesn't simply try to eliminate it but instead incorporates it into a modern, innovative energy policy.

That is why I cosponsored language included in this bill, with Senators Manchin and Portman, that will revitalize the fossil energy program at the Department of Energy. This program is critical to the research and development of new technologies that make fossil energy more efficient and more reliable, while at the same time reducing emissions.

One of the most promising advances in fossil energy technology is carbon capture utilization and storage. Not only will this technology ensure that our significant coal reserves are part of an overall strategy, but it could also be used for enhanced oil recovery that will further strengthen our energy security.

A modern energy policy must recognize that coal and natural gas will remain a key part of our Nation's energy portfolio for decades to come. I think everybody agrees that the baseload needs to be there. By acting now to support infrastructure and innovation, we can support jobs and grow our economy for future generations.

I started out my speech talking about the way this bill moved through the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and how bipartisan it was and how we worked out the wrinkles. I, again, wish to thank Chairwoman Murkowski and Ranking Member Cantwell for the way they wove through a very complicated procedure.

This bipartisan legislation is critical to all Americans and their families. It means more efficient, affordable, and reliable energy for millions of people. It makes us energy secure and more competitive with other countries in innovative energy and efficiency technologies.

These are the reasons why I support this important piece of legislation, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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