Lower Energy Costs Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 1, and I urge my colleagues to vote against this dangerous and irresponsible bill.

With extreme weather events becoming more and more frequent, and climate change impacting our communities, agriculture, homes, and even our national security, we need to work together to advance climate rescue measures that move the U.S. away from fossil fuel dependence, protect workers and communities, and strengthen environmental protections, all while reducing costs to the American people.

This can't happen overnight, but instead of building upon the historic, deficit-reducing provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, Republicans are trying to roll back that historic bill, and in the process they are putting polluters over people and the planet.

H.R. 1 restricts community input by gutting NEPA. It forces the sell- off of public lands and undermines the health of all Americans by compromising air and water quality, all while adding billions to our national debt.

Of particular interest in my district is that this bill would block the EPA from requiring refineries to study alternatives to the use of hydrofluoric acid--or HF--in fossil fuel processing. HF has the potential to form a poisonous, killing aerosol cloud which can travel for miles if it is released.

There have been dozens of accidents involving HF in recent years, including a devastating 2019 explosion and fire at a refinery in my district. That explosion put U.S. steelworkers and tens of thousands of nearby residents at serious risk of death and serious harm. An inspection found that the refinery lacked adequate inspection and safety protocols to prevent a catastrophe. Essentially, it was a miracle that no one died that night.

To safeguard against future accidents, I offered a commonsense amendment to this bill that would require refineries with a history of accidents or Clean Air Act violations to study alternatives to HF, but my Republican colleagues refused to allow the amendment.

This refusal to consider past disasters to create necessary safety standards tells us exactly what this bill is about: empowering the fossil fuel industry at the expense of worker and community safety.

Again, I urge my colleagues to vote against this reckless bill.

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