Weekly Column - March 21, 2024

Fighting President Biden’s Unprecedented War on American Energy

Since day one in the White House, President Biden has consistently made policy decisions based on the views of the extreme climate lobby—disregarding their impact on everyday Americans. From cancelling the Keystone XL Pipeline to revoking leases for oil, gas, and mining across the West, it is clear the president’s unprecedented war on domestic energy producers has put the United States in a vulnerable position.

On day one of his presidency, President Biden increased our reliance on foreign adversarial nations for energy and increased costs for consumers and producers. One of the president’s first actions this year was to pause all future liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminal permits under the guise of climate change, limiting our ability to export LNG to our allies. Thankfully, House Republicans passed H.R. 7176, the Unlocking Our Domestic Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Potential Act of 2024, less than a month later to repeal all restrictions on the import and export of natural gas. Limiting future LNG exports is a gift to Vladimir Putin, and denying future permits would jeopardize our national security, as well as global energy markets.

President Biden also killed the Keystone XL Pipeline, which could be supplying over 830,000 barrels of oil from Canada to U.S. refineries. This would have helped keep our energy costs lower and would have been more environmentally friendly than importing from less efficient producing countries. Instead, the president chose to cave to the radical climate lobby and increase imports from countries like Venezuela, committing an energy security blunder so large we still feel the effects of it today.

Increasing our reliance on foreign adversaries is only the most recent attack on American energy producers by the Biden Administration. This administration has also acted to cancel oil and gas leases in Alaska and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, even though the leases were mandated under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, ensuring responsible resource development is of the utmost importance to me, which is why I have been advocating for both energy independence and multiple-use mandates on our federal lands across the west. The regulatory assault this administration has pursued destroys any incentive for domestic energy producers to invest in America’s resources, destabilizing our energy market and spurring higher prices. The United States produces the cleanest and safest energy in the world from traditional resources like oil and natural gas, discouraging investments that would create jobs and expand our supply of domestic natural gas in the name of climate change is delusional.

This week, the House of Representatives will vote on my resolution denouncing the harmful, anti-American energy policies of the Biden Administration, outlining all the shortfalls of his “green” policy decisions. This resolution condemns the irrational and unpredictable federal lands policies of this administration, outlines where President Biden has issued harmful executive actions, and encourages domestic production of reliable and affordable energy.

The Biden Administration’s war on clean, safe, and affordable energy is not sustainable. They cannot continue to compromise our national security to push their extreme agenda. While we in the House Republican majority continue to pass common-sense energy solutions, I urge the president to reflect on his decisions and swiftly change course to ensure an energy independent future.

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