Winners of the Global Energy Race Are Being Decided

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank Congressman Casten for his great leadership and also Congressman Mike Levin for drawing us together here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, as I do every day, on behalf of the people of the region I represent, but also for people across our country. Americans are facing the high cost of energy, and it is becoming unaffordable, but it is not their fault.

At the same time, many Federal incentives to help lower energy costs and to create the new energy systems for the future have been rolled back by the current administration. Actually, I am somewhat surprised that that happened.

America's grid is old. I hope President Trump hears this. It is under greater strain. Our country actually set new records twice this past July for peak electricity demand. It is getting hotter in many parts of the country during the summer months, and for those of us who live up north, let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, it is getting colder. The old grid system is being tested like never before by hotter weather and cooler weather, cold weather, and frigid weather, and higher usage. When the grid strains, costs rise.

Every household, I would venture, in our country, is feeling the pinch. For us in the upper Midwest, it isn't a 9 percent increase. Our energy bills have doubled. In Ohio, rapid demand growth from Big Tech data centers are also pushing up energy costs before the public, the people who live in these areas, can even catch the wind that they can actually try to figure out and have meetings and say: Hey, wait a minute, what can we do about this?

That is because their prices are doubling across our State and region. Families notice the increase. One constituent even told me that her family's bill increased from $230 a month to $494 in July. That is a huge increase. This increased cost spiral in energy is simply not sustainable.

The majority party and the Department of Energy, meanwhile, under the current administration, are rolling back energy investments in America's future to help lower costs. I represent the most important domestic solar manufacturer, First Solar. I don't take money from them, and I don't own their stock. What they have done for America, 10 percent of our energy production in this country is now renewable and energy savings.

We are smarter. We are smarter than we were 50 years ago. Our Nation must invest faster in modern infrastructure with an all-of-the-above energy strategy to truly become energy independent in perpetuity.

I see many younger people in the gallery. For those of them who are a little bit techie and they care about the future of our country, they can help us become energy independent within our own shores and do so in a way that doesn't damage the environment.

Just this last year, there were 354 clean energy projects or companies that the new administration canceled--new projects--delaying new investments. We have seen layoffs of workers across the country because these projects lost Federal funding.

In my district, one of the lodestar companies that I represent is called Libbey Glass. Toledo, Ohio, is the glass center of the world. The administration took away over $40 million that was going to help them. This is legislation Congress passed, and the administration signed the bill. It was vetted by the agencies and so forth. It helped them save energy so that they could compete with glass against China, France, and Mexico, where workers are paid less and product is dumped on the global markets.

When we don't invest in companies and the jobs they create for the American people, then we shoot ourselves in the foot. There is no question that over 173,000 clean energy jobs actually have been eliminated between President Trump's election and swearing-in and February of this year.

Think about that, Mr. Speaker. That was building the future for our country. The ten top States that have lost the most jobs from this misguided assault on clean energy are the following: Texas, Massachusetts, Arizona, New Jersey, Michigan, New York, South Carolina, Illinois, North Carolina, and my home State of Ohio. It is interesting to me that three of the Members who are on the floor now are from Illinois, Mr. Casten; Mr. Levin from California; and myself from Ohio. We understand what these budget cuts mean. While at the national level, the rise in energy rates is affecting people in every single State in our Union.

For my own district, the prices have doubled. Every family in the country knows what is happening. It is time for the executive branch to wake up. Meanwhile, China isn't asleep. It is investing in record levels in terms of energy development making its products more competitive worldwide.

President Trump said that he was going to fix this, and he has done completely the opposite. He did hint last night about something dealing with new energy investments and these AI terminals in centers that are being built across the country. I hope he follows through.

The American people certainly deserve better, and we need to stand up for affordability, not abdication. That sends our country backward.

I thank, Mr. Speaker, Congressman Casten and Congressman Levin and others who have spoken today this afternoon in order to stand up for the American people and help them manage their budgets, and energy is such a central account in every single family's budget.

I thank the gentleman for his leadership on this and for giving us a roadmap to lower America's energy bills.

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