American Energy Solutions For Lower Costs and More American Jobs Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Nebraska, Mr. Terry, Chairman Upton, and Chairman Hastings for incorporating important provisions that I have worked on in this bill, specifically provisions that would prevent or roll back onerous EPA regulations and provisions that would greatly increase revenue sharing among gulf States, adding billions to Louisiana's coastal restoration effort to build hurricane protection to protect not just our State but energy infrastructure.

Now, we have passed these bills before, sometimes three times before, and there are over 40 jobs bills this Chamber has passed that have gone nowhere in the Senate. The bills sit on Majority Leader Harry Reid's desk. Senator Reid and his colleagues like to speak of helping the middle class, but when it comes to a jobs bill they talk and we act.

Now, Louisiana and Louisiana's workers are greatly benefiting from America's energy renaissance. There are over 66 industrial projects--worth some $90 billion--that will break ground over the next 5 years in Louisiana, creating tens of thousands of new jobs for working Americans.

The only thing that can stop these jobs is Federal regulation. For example, some proposed EPA rules would destroy 117,000 jobs in Louisiana alone. Sometimes I think my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are so busy saving the Earth they will sacrifice the American family. My, my, I think we save the Earth by first saving the family.

We should be rolling out the red carpet for these jobs, not the red tape. But already the red tape has made these jobs more difficult and life more difficult for these families.

We have seen the price of utilities, gasoline, groceries, and, of course, health insurance increased under President Obama's administration.

Hardworking families are struggling. They pray for better jobs with better benefits. Fortunately, the energy industry is creating these jobs.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman 30 additional seconds.

Mr. CASSIDY. These jobs are at risk when President Obama blocked the ability to construct pipeline infrastructure or blocked exploration and production off the Outer Continental Shelf or places hurdles in front of the exportation of liquefied natural gas and when EPA proposes job-killing regulations driving blue-collar jobs to foreign countries.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I urge the Senate to pass the dozens of job-producing bills this House has passed and that have been stalled at the majority leader's desk for months.

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