Friends and Colleagues, 

Among the March Madness upsets and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, House Republicans were hard at work last week unveiling a monumental first step toward embracing an all-of-the-above energy plan that will make a real difference in the lives of Americans and reduce global emissions.  

Leading the charge and delivering on their promise to the American people, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) introduced H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act. 

This all-of-the-above energy plan aligns with Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.), Commitment to America, which prioritizes investments in innovation, unlocking domestic resources, and building energy infrastructure to lower energy costs for families, enhance our national security, and reduce global emissions. 

Plentiful and reliable energy is a cornerstone of prosperity, and the United States is the gold standard for energy production. When the United States supplies more of our world’s energy, global emissions go down. Yet, the Biden administration continues to advocate for legislation that creates unnecessary and time-consuming obstacles for American energy producers and infrastructure projects.  

Thankfully, the Lower Energy Costs Act will accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies and emission-efficient production of domestic energy resources by cutting bureaucratic red tape. Paired with comprehensive and responsible permitting reform, H.R. 1 paves the way for domestic mining of the critical minerals needed to power clean energy technologies—reducing the United States’ reliance on adversarial and high emissions-emitting countries like China and Russia.  

Despite the left’s efforts to poke holes in the legislation, the Lower Energy Costs Act is the type of sound policy needed to grow America’s clean energy economy, and CRES urges Congress to pass H.R. 1 without delay. 

Sincerely,