This week, I helped pass H.R. 7176—the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act to fight back against President Biden's unprecedented war on American energy producers.

Since taking office, President Biden has implemented numerous anti-domestic energy policies, which has caused energy prices to skyrocket and jeopardized our national security.

The latest development being last month's announcement detailing his Administration's plans to pause all pending approvals of liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminals. This decision creates uncertainty and discourages investments that would otherwise create jobs and expand the supply of natural gas. 

President Biden’s ban on future LNG export terminals is an ill-advised handout to extreme environmentalists at the expense of American workers that also jeopardizes our allies’ energy security.

The Unlocking Our Domestic Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Potential Act of 2024 would effectively lift all restrictions on the import and export of natural gas, with strong protections to prohibit trade with a person or foreign country under sanction or listed as a state sponsor of terrorism.

This important legislation will end the President’s misguided, indefinite pause on LNG exports, remove political decision makers at the Department of Energy from the export terminal approval process, and help lower energy costs for all Americans. Central Washingtonians deserve affordable and reliable energy—a goal we cannot achieve until we unleash the full potential of American energy resources.

Earlier this week, I visited the James Oldham Treatment Center in Buena, Washington to tour the center and its ongoing remodel, which I helped secure funding for as part of my work on the House Committee on Appropriations.

The James Oldham Treatment Center has been serving our community for years, and I was fortunate to be able to see their grant funding being put to good use.

The treatment center is one of the largest in-patient facilities for men in the state, which provides both substance use disorder and mental health treatment, and is crucially important to our region.

With the fentanyl crisis plaguing our communities, centers like this are vital, and this was a great opportunity to speak with staff from the treatment center, community advocates, and board members to learn more about the incredible work they do there.

Leading the Charge to Restore Prosperity to Rural America

Today as Chairman of the Western Caucus, I led a group of over 108 lawmakers in demanding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rescind the recently finalized rule for National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter.

This rule is an unnecessary change that puts American manufacturing, forestry, and other industries at risk, as well as raising the cost of energy. The United States already has stringent clean air standards and ranks in the top 20 globally in air quality, so this rule is unnecessary.

This new standard only serves to hamper prosperity across the country for negligible benefits while forcing businesses to close, increasing costs, hampering energy production, and inflicting real harm to communities across the country—including Central Washington.

I am proud to help lead this effort in urging EPA to rescind this rule and restore prosperity to rural America.

This week, I met with members of the Western Caucus to discuss President Biden's burdensome, anti-energy regulations.

Through executive orders and agency rulemaking, this administration has done everything it can to prevent energy production across the United States. Every time it seems that they have gone too far, they one-up themselves by issuing rules that are more harmful and destabilizing than the last. 

Whether it’s cancelling the Keystone XL Pipeline, halting future LNG export terminal permits, or revoking leases for oil, gas, and mining across the West, it is clear that President Biden’s policies have given Russia and OPEC a greater advantage than domestic producers.

As Chairman of the Western Caucus, I will continue to do everything I can to fight back against the President's anti-energy policies and advocate for the prosperity of Central Washington and the rest of rural America.

We must continue to stand up against the Biden Administration’s misguided attempts to remove them and take away one of the largest sources of clean, reliable energy in the state. 

The federally-funded health centers in Central Washington help serve over 402,254 patients and provide essential services to our communities. I look forward to our continued partnership.