Researching Efficient Federal Improvements for Necessary Energy Refining Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the chairman of the full committee of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 3109, the REFINER Act. This legislation will direct the National Petroleum Council to report to Congress and the Department of Energy on petrochemical refiners in the United States.

This legislation is essential to ensuring that the U.S. can reliably produce enough refined products domestically. The Energy Information Administration projects global demand for liquid fuels to increase by about 20 million barrels per day by 2050. Alarmingly, over the last several years, North America has lost an estimated 1 million barrels of fuel per day due to low refining capacity.

The last report from the National Petroleum Council on refining was completed over 20 years ago.

The report must include information concerning the contribution of refineries to U.S. energy security; capacity projections of U.S. petrochemical refineries; opportunities for expanding capacities and risks to those refineries; an assessment of any State or Federal executive actions, regulations, or policies that have caused or contributed to a decline in U.S. petrochemical refinery capacity; and recommendations for how to increase refinery capacity.

American refineries have played a crucial role in providing secure, affordable, and high-value petroleum products to global customers. Importantly, this legislation would help identify States that have caused or contributed to a decline in U.S. petrochemical refinery capacity.

Hostile regulatory environments, like in California, have led to the shuttering of several refineries. California used to be home to over 40 refineries in the 1980s. This number has now decreased to 14 as of last year, with two additional refineries slated to close in early 2026.

These anticipated closures will disrupt fuel supplies and increase energy prices for consumers, businesses, and farmers.

An analysis by the University of Southern California anticipates retail gas prices in the State could increase by as much as 75 percent under certain conditions. The bottom line: Fewer refineries result in supply disruptions and higher fuel prices for Americans.

The REFINER Act seeks to produce a detailed roadmap to strengthen and expand refinery capacity to increase American energy security and economic growth.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I thank the chairman for yielding.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source