Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, which utilizes the Holman rule to reduce the salary of the CEQ chair.

CEQ, in how it operates and what it prioritizes, is not doing its job properly, especially regarding its implementation of NEPA. The Council only focuses on the negative side effects of certain types of energy production without considering cost-effective energy.

The Trump administration introduced reforms to remedy some of the worst elements of this hyperpoliticized regime at CEQ and to facilitate more efficient and timely permitting reviews.

Having unwisely reversed those reforms, President Biden and Ms. Mallory are now grappling with regulatory barriers that hinder critical infrastructure. As a result, the public will be deprived of much-needed energy infrastructure.

Affordable and abundant energy is essential for a secure and prosperous country. NEPA is now out of sync with current environmental, political, social, and economic realities, with Ms. Mallory spearheading its exacerbation and failures.

The average American family is now spending about $2,400 more today than when President Biden took office. I have constituents who can barely pay their energy bills solely because the administration chose to raise their electric rates to pay for its Green New Deal agenda, almost doubling some Arizonans' bills.

If Congress doesn't act to reverse Biden's energy crisis now, it may not be long before more Americans can't afford soaring energy costs.

Ms. Mallory's incompetence has shown that Congress should reduce her salary.

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Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chair, the bottom line is that the American people are tired of bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., affecting a policy that is destroying their lives. That is why we are doing this.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, which defunds Public Land Order No. 7923.

In June, the Biden administration issued this public land order banning over 300,000 acres of Federal mineral estate surrounding the Chaco Culture National Historical Park for 20 years. This would effectively prevent all private landowners and Navajo allottees from mineral leasing land in this area.

The ban will have significant negative economic impacts on both the Navajo Nation and American taxpayers, severely limiting Tribal revenue, economic development, self-sufficiency, and American energy production.

Chaco Canyon carries both cultural and historical significance for communities in the region. The development of this land should be determined by those with lawful sovereignty, not out-of-touch Biden administration officials hellbent on imposing their radical agenda on Tribal communities.

In July, the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the ban, and we heard from Navajo Nation citizens who expressed disappointment with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and the Bureau of Land Management for stripping away their mineral rights. The government of the Navajo Nation has called on Congress to oppose any buffer zone in the area.

The Biden administration's decision to move forward with this ban makes it clear that they only care about Tribal voices so long as they are in line with the approved Biden agenda.

Interestingly, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, when serving in Congress, worked on a lease sale that was ultimately deferred. She had complained that the Trump administration failed to fulfill its legal and moral obligation to consult with Native Americans.

The Biden administration, of which Secretary Haaland is a part, is now opposing an unprecedented blockade on Native mineral rights and has refused to listen to the Navajo Nation's concerns.

Mr. Chair, this administration likes to talk about their supposed support of Tribal communities but has no problem implementing a destructive choke hold on Tribal revenue and economic prosperity. Secretary Haaland and President Biden are throwing the Navajo Nation under the bus, driven by extremists with no concern for Native interests or the energy needs of all Americans. I am proud to stand with the Navajo Nation and offer this amendment that defunds this ban.

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Mr. CRANE. Mr. Chair, I represent the Navajo Nation in my State. The Navajo Nation does support this amendment.

One of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talked about protecting the lands. What she didn't talk about, however, was protecting the economy of the Navajo people and how this would impact them, which is, once again, why they support this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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