Lower Energy Costs Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. LUNA. Madam Chair, the 2020 Trump moratorium banned all energy leasing off the coast of Florida until 2032.

President Trump recognized the natural beauty, tourism attractions, and unique wildlife, as well as one-of-a-kind military training and testing offered by Florida's coast.

It goes without saying that energy development threatens all of that, especially off the coast of Florida. I thank President Trump for his declaration.

However, President Biden and Democrats in Congress undercut the Trump moratorium in the Inflation Reduction Act by allowing offshore wind development off the coast of Florida.

This threatens our economy, ecosystem, and military readiness, as well as a number of endangered species in ways that were obvious to all except Democrats who voted to force this wind development on an unwilling public.

My amendment requires the GAO to conduct a study on how wind development would impact military readiness, marine life, tourism aspects, and prohibits offering leases for wind development until the study is complete.

I have confidence that the study conducted by our government experts will show what President Trump so easily understood--that wind is bad for Florida.

My Florida Republican colleagues and I are committed to ensuring that no wind turbines will ever be placed off the coast of Florida.

We will work with our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to block funding for this kind of development, and we will repeal the section of the Inflation Reduction Act that my Democrat colleagues voted for that want to build windmills on our beaches.

These very ugly and ineffective turbines pose untold dangers to Florida's thriving marine life and our precious natural resources.

Wind turbines also threaten our Nation's military readiness by interfering with radar detection, which can result in a complete loss of detection capabilities, according to an FAA and DOD report to Congress in 2016.

In my district, turbines are harmful to an already endangered species in the area, not to mention, there are the untold effects of turbines that will be had on the tourism economy. People travel from all around the world to our pristine beaches, not to see windmills.

I thank Chairman Westerman and Whip Emmer for working with the Florida delegation on these amendments. On behalf of one of the biggest delegations in the country, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and protect Florida from Joe Biden's windmill fantasy.

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Mrs. LUNA. Madam Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman).

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Mrs. LUNA. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mrs. LUNA. Madam Chair, major components of wind infrastructure are imported from our enemies like China. We have seen how poorly President Biden has handled the energy crisis, and to make it worse, he is outsourcing our energy to foreign adversaries.

This threatens our national security, throws away American jobs, and increases our dependence on foreign energy.

Regardless of the energy source, we need to prioritize our domestic supply chain and support American energy independence.

American energy should come from America, not China--U.S. materials, U.S. jobs, U.S. energy independence.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mrs. LUNA. Madam Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman).

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Mrs. LUNA. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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