Lower Energy Costs Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. WESTERMAN. 1.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act.

As an engineer, I have learned that no issue is too difficult for American innovation and ingenuity to solve when we honestly identify the problem, develop a sound plan to solve it, and do the hard work to get the results we desire.

The truth we all know is America has an energy crisis. Energy is foundational to everything we do, and for the sake of our future, we must solve this problem.

Energy prices, in general, have gone up nearly 40 percent in a little over 2 years. High energy costs translate throughout the economy, causing inflated prices for every necessity of life, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear to the roof over our heads.

President Biden has said he is working to lower these costs. But his actions are drowning out his words. He has waged war on American producers, shutting down oil and gas leasing, banning mining development in certain areas, and insisting on keeping our Federal regulations permanently stuck in the past.

What are we getting in return?

We are getting more dependence on the worst polluters in the world while we wreck our own economy sending our wealth and jobs overseas.

Our current energy policies favor Putin, the Chinese Communist Party, and despots around the globe over the American people and freedom. Why would our friends across the aisle continue to put the worst polluters, human rights violators, and those who wish us harm above the American people?

No more. H.R. 1 is designed to solve our energy crisis. House Republicans are ready to show the world that American energy--not Saudi Arabian, not Venezuelan, not Chinese, or Russian energy--American energy is our future. American mining, American innovation, American processing and refining, American manufacturing, and American infrastructure will lead us out of this energy crisis.

H.R. 1 outlines this through a variety of measures. First, it rolls back the Biden administration's oil and gas leasing moratoriums, giving producers certainty to produce resources safely and responsibly right here at home.

Next, given the importance of minerals to our national security, clean energy technology, and a host of everyday uses, H.R. 1 shores up domestic supply chains for commodities like copper, lithium, and cobalt, and allows us to make our energy infrastructure where it should be made--right here at home in the United States.

Every ounce we produce here is an ounce less we and our allies are forced to purchase from Chinese-controlled mines with deplorable labor and environmental standards. And, of course, none of this is possible without modernizing the Federal regulations that delay the projects we desperately need.

If you don't believe permitting reform is needed, maybe you will believe President Biden's senior adviser, John Podesta, who recently said: ``We can move faster by setting tighter deadlines for agencies to complete environmental reviews. We can move smarter by making it easier to approve projects with low environmental impact . . . But Congress needs to do its job . . . So it is time to get back to work and pass permitting reform legislation.''

We are called to be good stewards of our resources and leave them better than we found them. That is the definition of conservation. We cannot say our global resources are better off today under Democratic policies. China is building coal plants at a rapid pace, using slave labor to construct solar panels and develop critical minerals, while Russia is not only one of the worst environmental catastrophes on the planet, but they are also using their energy revenues to fund their war in Ukraine.

We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to these injustices and say, ``not in my backyard.'' America drills, mines, builds, and innovates cleaner, safer, and more responsibly than anywhere else in the world.

Before American innovators and workers can solve our energy problems, we need a plan. H.R. 1 is the plan to solve our energy crisis.

For these and many more reasons, I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Lower Energy Costs Act. H.R. 1 is the blueprint to ease the burden of this self-inflicted energy crisis on American families.

H.R. 1, when executed, will make the United States more secure and competitive on the global stage. Ultimately, H.R. 1 will improve the health and longevity of our natural resources, create a better climate, and spur economic growth and jobs--these are results we should all get behind.

Mr. Chair, you don't have to be an engineer to solve this energy problem. I urge all of my colleagues to join with me and vote a resounding ``yes'' in support of H.R. 1.

House of Representatives, Committee on the Budget, Washington, DC, March 20, 2023. Hon. Bruce Westerman, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Westerman: I am writing regarding H.R. 1335, the Transparency, Accountability, Permitting, and Production of American Resources Act, which was ordered reported by the Committee on Natural Resources on March 9, 2023.

The bill contains provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on the Budget. In order to expedite House consideration of H.R. 1335, the Committee on the Budget will forgo action on this bill. This is being done with the understanding that it does not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in H.R. 1335 or similar legislation and that the Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as this bill or similar legislation moves forward so that the Committee may address any remaining issues that fall within its jurisdiction. The Committee on the Budget also reserves the right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or similar legislation and requests your support of any such request.

I would appreciate a response to this letter confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 1335 and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in your committee report and in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of H.R. 1335. Sincerely, Jodey C. Arrington, Chairman, Committee on the Budget. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC, March 21, 2023. Hon. Jodey C. Arrington, Chairman, Committee on the Budget, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Arrington: I write regarding H.R. 1335, the Transparency, Accountability, Permitting, and Production of American Resources Act, which was ordered reported by the Committee on Natural Resources on March 9, 2023.

I recognize that the bill contains provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on the Budget and appreciate your willingness to forgo action on the bill. I acknowledge that the Budget Committee will not formally consider H.R. 1335 and agree that the inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in therein.

I am pleased to support your request to name members of the Committee on the Budget to any conference committee to consider such provisions. I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in the Committee Report for H.R. 1335 and the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation Sincerely, Bruce Westerman, Chairman,Committee on Natural Resources. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture, Washington, DC, March 24, 2023. Hon. Bruce Westerman, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter confirms our mutual understanding regarding H.R. 1335, the ``TAPP American Resources Act''. Thank you for collaborating with the Committee on Agriculture on the matters within our jurisdiction.

The Committee on Agriculture will forego any further consideration of this bill. However, by foregoing consideration at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over any subject matter contained in this or similar legislation. The Committee on Agriculture also reserves the right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees should it become necessary and ask that you support such a request.

We would appreciate a response to this letter confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 1355, and request a copy of our letters on this matter be published in the Congressional Record during Floor consideration. Sincerely, Glenn ``GT'' Thompson, Chairman. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC, March 25, 2023. Hon. Glenn ``GT'' Thompson, Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I write regarding H.R. 1335, the Transparency, Accountability, Permitting, and Production of American Resources Act, which was ordered reported by the Committee on Natural Resources on March 9, 2023.

I recognize that the bill contains provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Agriculture and appreciate your willingness to forgo action on the bill. I acknowledge that the Committee on Agriculture will not formally consider H.R. 1335 and agree that the inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in therein.

I am pleased to support your request to name members of the Committee on Agriculture to any conference committee to consider such provisions. I will ensure that our exchange of letters is included in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation Sincerely, Bruce Westerman, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chair, this utopian idea of having our cake and eating it too, the ``not in my backyard'' mentality, it just won't work for the economy or the environment. That is why we need change.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson), the chairman of the Agriculture Committee, someone who knows the importance of energy to production agriculture.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chairman, the rhetoric is just not matching the reality. The reality is that current energy policies are forcing us to buy energy and minerals from the worst polluters on the Earth. Not only are they the worst polluters; they are the worst human rights violators.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Fulcher), who serves on the Committee on Natural Resources.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman), who is another member of the Natural Resources Committee.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Chair, I heard the word ``rich'' mentioned a few times. I will tell you what is rich is when our colleagues across the aisle project their energy policies onto our plan. Again, the only polluters who are being put over the people are China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.

Talk about big oil company profits, I read where Aramco, a Saudi company, had record profits last year, $161 billion in profits. I believe that is the country that President Biden went to and asked them to increase production because we weren't making enough at home.

Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber), the chair of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Minnesota.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn), the senior Republican on the Committee on Natural Resources.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Chair, the Inflation Reduction Act that has been referenced here, it did invest in energy companies: energy companies in Saudi Arabia, energy companies in China, and energy companies in places like Russia and Venezuela and Iran at the cost of the American people.

The bill also referred to--outside of the House Chambers--is the climate bill, referred to by my colleagues across the aisle. It did one thing to inflation, it drove inflation up at the cost to the American taxpayer.

Madam Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon), another Member of the House Natural Resources Committee.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for her input on the bill and for her great ideas.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Chair, I find it ironic that a Member from Pennsylvania, where one of the largest deposits of natural gas in the world resides, would call the producers in Pennsylvania the polluters versus the ones in Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California, (Mr. McCarthy), the Speaker of the House.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar), another member of the House Natural Resources Committee.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The ideas of the Republican Party will do more to reduce global carbon emissions than anything that the Democrats have proposed, especially the legislation they passed in the last Congress that is actually incentivizing foreign production of energy.

I remember distinctly President Biden going over and fist-bumping the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Then, this year, guess what? Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company reported the highest profits ever-- $161 billion, for an oil company.

They are the plans that we are putting in place, H.R. 1, that will help the planet. It is not the continued misguided principles that are putting the real polluters, the global polluters, ahead of the people.

It is ironic that a Member from Texas would think that producers in Saudi Arabia and Russia and Venezuela are polluting less than the oil producers and the energy producers in the State of Texas.

Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Rosendale).

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