Relating to A National Emergency Declared By the President on March 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I want to thank our friends from North Dakota, from West Virginia, and from Nebraska for being here today to talk about producing low-cost energy, which would reduce emissions.

I am from an energy-producing State. In Texas, we are an ``all of the above'' State. We actually generate more electricity from wind than any other State in the Nation.

While I know many people think of the Lone Star State as being primarily an oil and gas producer, which we are, we really are an ``all of the above'' State because we found that, for example, when the wind doesn't blow and the Sun doesn't shine, then you need a baseload from some source, whether it is nuclear, whether it is natural gas. We have even had instances where, because of very, very cold weather, 100-year cold snaps, even natural gas does not supply that baseload. But here again, it is a reminder of how vulnerable we all are to a secure and affordable energy supply.

If we needed a recent historical reminder, when Mr. Putin invaded Ukraine and threatened to cut off the sole source of energy for essentially all of Europe, they had to scramble for alternative sources and diversify their energy supply. That ought to be a lesson to us that we should not put all of our eggs in one basket, but we should pursue an ``all of the above'' energy strategy.

One of the biggest hurdles to energy development in America today, whether it is fossil fuels or green energy, is the permitting process. Any project with a Federal nexus, whether it touches Federal land, crosses State lines, or uses Federal funding, has to wade through a swamp of redtape. This process is not just cumbersome, it is also time- consuming and expensive. On average, it takes 4\1/2\ years to complete the environmental review for potential projects. Again, that is just the average--4\1/2\ years. Many projects take longer. In fact, it takes more than 6 years to complete the environmental review for a quarter of the projects.

Whether we are talking about drilling for oil and gas, building wind farms, mining critical minerals, building pipelines, or any other energy project, the permitting process is a major impediment. It puts the boot on the neck of America's energy producers; it raises costs for consumers, who need more, not less, energy; and it delays the jobs and investment that these projects would create.

Earlier this week, a coalition of more than 340 organizations sent a letter to Congress advocating for commonsense permitting reform. This group includes organizations that represent traditional energy producers, like the American Petroleum Institute and the American Gas Association, but it also notably includes renewable energy groups, such as the American Clean Power Association and the American Council on Renewable Energy. It includes industries that are supported by American energy production, like pipeline contractors, builders, truckers, and engineers, as well as groups that advocate for small businesses and consumers. This is a very diverse range of stakeholders, and they agree on this one thing: It is time to fix America's broken permitting system. They described it as ``the biggest obstacle to building the infrastructure of the future,'' and I agree.

I know that sometimes people think that building things is going to encourage more fossil fuel production, but the simple fact is, the same transmission lines that carry electricity from wind-generated turbines--you need those for any type of electricity, whether it is nuclear power, whether it is natural gas, whether it is wind. All of these require certain basic infrastructure, and they are all slowed down and made more expensive by the antiquated permitting process. This problem harms American energy security and stands in the way of new jobs and investments in communities all across the country.

It is time--it is really past time--for Congress to simplify and expedite the permitting process. This is at the top of the to-do list for our Republican colleagues in the House. As we have heard this week, they are expected to pass a package of bills to overhaul the broken permitting process and make other reforms to boost energy production and bring down energy costs for consumers.

Unfortunately, the majority leader, the Senator from New York, didn't waste any time attacking the House bill. He called it a ``partisan, dead-on-arrival, and unserious proposal.'' That is hardly the recipe for productive, bipartisan negotiations between the House and the Senate.

As the majority leader knows, Senator Manchin, the Senator from West Virginia--his permitting reform didn't have the votes to pass the Senate, let alone the House. But the good news is that Senator Manchin and Senator Capito--both from the great State of West Virginia--are leading the efforts in this Chamber to work on a bipartisan permitting reform bill.

The only way to fix the broken system is to work together, to utilize our committees, and to craft a bill that can gain the requisite support of at least 60 Senators.

As a top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Capito has been on point on this issue. She and Senator Barrasso, who is the ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, are our leaders in trying to find a way to fix this broken process and promote America's energy security.

As I said, there is strong bipartisan support for commonsense permitting reform, and I hope the majority leader will not stand in the way.

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Mr. CORNYN. Regular order.

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Mr. CORNYN. Regular order.

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