National Coal Council Reestablishment Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. RULLI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chair Latta for his leadership, and I rise in support of H.R. 3015, the National Coal Council Reestablishment Act.

Mr. Speaker, for decades, the National Coal Council was a powerful voice for coal and a timeless champion for American workers and American communities. Coal fueled the factories, powered our homes, and helped build the greatest economy this world has ever known. It is ridiculous to neglect this.

I feel today is a Paul Revere moment, where we are calling to everyone to realize that the meltdown is coming. What I mean by that is the grid is going to melt down. Simply, all one has to do is go back in time three Christmases ago, when the American grid pretty much was hours away from melting down.

Mr. Speaker, look at California and Texas. Look at the meltdowns that have happened there. The grid is not stable.

The grid needs to be redone, and every coal plant that I toured in Ohio said three Christmases ago, the call was: We need more generated power, and we need it right now, and there was no more to give.

All we have to do is look at is the opposition party wants to celebrate the European Union, and what does the European Union do?

They look for power from countries like Russia, like China, and like India to use their coal-powered, generated plants to support their grid. However, in America, we cannot wait to put coal factories out of business. Just like in my district, with the Sammis factory, Joe Biden couldn't wait to celebrate putting 800 jobs in the garbage and putting our grid at jeopardy.

Paul Revere would be turning in his grave if he saw the jeopardy that these people are putting our country through by putting the grid up against the wall.

We have to take into consideration what could come in the future. I do want to take a moment, and I want to thank President Trump and his executive order that he knows that this bipartisan committee for coal was established over the last 30 years, and it was a bipartisan approach to make sure that national security, which is our grid, because if our grid melts down, there is no security.

Particular to my district, I have seven or eight investors who, right now, want to invest in new coal. They want to make sure that the artificial intelligence companies and the data mining companies come to Ohio. However, if there is no energy, then nobody is coming to Ohio.

Today, more than ever, let's worry about national security, let's worry that we can keep these lights on, and let's worry that this grid is protected for our grandchildren who are not even born yet, so when they say that this is a meaningless bill, it couldn't be further from the truth.

This is the bill for national security. This is the bill that President Trump signed into executive order. Today is the day that we codify this into law.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues today to have a ``yes'' vote.

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