Urgent Need for Permitting Reform to Secure America's Energy Future

Floor Speech

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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the urgent need for permitting reform to secure America's energy future.

H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, will modernize our outdated permitting process for projects and allow us to unlock the full potential of America's energy and mineral resources.

I want to discuss the mining provisions of H.R. 1, which includes my Permitting for Mining Needs Act. The district that I represent in northern Minnesota, Minnesota's Eighth Congressional District, has 95 percent of America's nickel reserve, almost 90 percent of America's cobalt reserve, 75 percent of our platinum group metals, and more than a third of our copper--all of which are minerals needed for our energy security and mineral supply chains.

It is unconscionable that a mining project in my district for these minerals is on year 20 of permitting and litigation.

We have the resources and the workforce here in the United States, we just need the will, the political will, to mine here. Whether it be mining oil and gas, wind or solar energy, we support all of the above and all of the best energy, but you can't have all of the above and all of the best without permitting reform.

We also need permitting reform to build transmission lines, roads, bridges, and more. Take Dairyland Power's Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line project in Wisconsin, for example. This 103-mile-long project is designed to put more wind power on the grid, but is currently locked in year 7 of permitting because just 1.3 miles of it is unlucky enough to touch Federal land.

This is simply unacceptable, and we can and must do better. If we want to establish American mineral independence and dominance and end our current reliance on the Chinese Communist Party, we must pass H.R. 1.

Mrs. MILLER of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of H.R. 1.

H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, is about increasing domestic production, permitting reform, reversing President Biden's anti-energy agenda, and streamlining energy exports.

To be perfectly frank, the Biden administration has been putting out anti-energy policies since his first week in office. He shut down the Keystone pipeline and halted permits for domestic energy production that we desperately needed.

He drained our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to try to stop the pain from his terrible policies instead of coming up with real solutions.

Just last night, he tweeted that electric cars are the future.

I have never seen an administration so out of touch with the American people, which is exactly why these same people affected by anti-energy policies elected a Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

In the majority, our first priority is to bring down energy costs and increase energy production. The Lower Energy Costs Act is just the first of many crucial energy policies I am looking forward to seeing over the next 2 years.

One of the pieces of legislation that I am looking forward to seeing is the completion of the Mountain Valley pipeline. The Mountain Valley pipeline is a great example of why permitting works and exactly why we need more of it.

In this project's case, the administration isn't the problem. It is the leftwing courts--which are more radical than Joe Biden, which should really tell you something--that are holding up this important pipeline.

When the pipeline is completed, it will be delivering natural gas within months, meaning lower energy prices for Americans as supply will dramatically increase.

There is no time to waste. Remember that energy security is national security.

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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for those comments. She is spot on.

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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. LaMalfa for his very spot-on comments, as well.

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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments that rural America matters. Their voice should be heard in our Nation's Capitol.

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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Kiley for those spot-on words. He demonstrated that H.R. 1 will save the American people money so they have more money in their pockets, so they can take care of their families. He is absolutely right. Higher energy costs for oil and gas equal the rising cost in food prices.

The next speaker is my colleague and friend from the neighboring State of Wisconsin and one of the vice chairs of the Western Caucus.

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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I am the father of 6 children and Mr. Tiffany is the father of 3. Nobody controls that term ``environmentalists.'' We are all environmentalists. He is right.

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Mr. STAUBER. Absolutely.

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Mr. STAUBER. I am.

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Mr. STAUBER. It is the PolyMet project, NewRange. Twenty years in the permitting process.

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Mr. STAUBER. And the Twin Metals one, correct.

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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Tiffany.

Again, this is about modernizing our permitting process without reducing any environmental standards, as he so clearly stated. We appreciate those comments.

Mr. Speaker, as you can see, my Western Caucus colleagues have made it very clear: we need permitting reform.

I thank them for their comments tonight, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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