Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. WEBER of Texas. Madam Speaker, when I testified before the Rules Committee on Monday, I called the bill before us today the 900-page gorilla in the room. This is it right here. Bipartisan? It is about as bipartisan as two wolves and a lamb discussing what to have for dinner.

Let me tell you, as I stand before you today, Madam Speaker, H.R. 4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, has only picked up speed as it charges dangerously toward passage.

Starting with the backroom process, 98 out of 176 submitted amendments were made in order, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason why. I personally submitted two that were ruled out of order. One was on nuclear research--you want to talk about clean energy, green--one on nuclear research and development, and one was a simple sense of Congress to ensure the long-term stability of fossil fuels, the bedrock of our Houston economy that the gentlewoman from Texas was just talking about.

Yet my Democrat colleagues on the other side of the aisle have said this bill is a simple marker meant to pass the House and meet the Senate and their energy package at conference to iron out the details. The problem with that is that they are ignoring the real bipartisan, bicameral legislation that has already been ironed out.

Let's use it. That would be a new wrinkle in their thinking.

My nuclear R&D amendment, which won't even have a chance to be voted on, is composed of language that has support in the Senate and closely mirrors their Nuclear Energy Leadership Act, or NELA, a priority of Senator Murkowski.

This just goes to show that today's bill and the rushed process behind it is simply another messaging exercise, that the Democrats have no intention of negotiating to the point of it actually being signed into law.

There is a novel thought.

On top of the hasty procedure to rush through regular order, this bill has been falsely labeled bipartisan, as our great friend from Oklahoma said. I have listened to my Science Committee Democrat colleagues boast that all of our relevant sections are bipartisan. Really? Yet, Madam Speaker, they won't mention that 7 of the 17 bills that are cosponsored by Republicans are not even on the Science Committee.

When the Republican committee members who sat through hearings heard from the stakeholders and tried to amend these bills decided to oppose the legislation, the Democrats looked for any name with an ``R'' next to it just to check the box of ``working together.''

Once again, I will say it. If my colleagues on the other side were serious about ensuring that this bill is more than just an opportunity for another sound bite, they would bring together the correct parties to reach a consensus the President would actually sign into law.

Madam Speaker, I am disappointed in this wasted opportunity. The United States has the ability to lead the world in technology. We have the ability to lead the world in technological solutions, and we can produce clean energy sources for the next generation, those jobs the gentlewoman from Houston, Texas, was talking about. But, sadly, today's bill misses that mark.

For that reason, I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation.

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