WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) have co-authored an op-ed for the Houston Chronicle highlighting how the Biden Administration’s extreme climate policies and war on American energy have raised the price of gasoline and electricity, making it more expensive for the average American to fuel their car and heat and cool their home. Whip Scalise and Congresswoman Van Duyne slammed President Biden for traveling to Saudi Arabia to beg OPEC countries for oil, only to have OPEC and its allies reduce oil production by two million barrels per day. Additionally, Whip Scalise and Congresswoman Van Duyne emphasized that House Republicans’ “Commitment to America” agenda will bring back American energy independence and lower energy prices.
Republican House will work to lower costs by increasing American energy production
On Jan. 3, House Republicans will walk into the 118th Congress focused on repairing Democrats’ devastating assault on the United States’ vibrant energy sector. Over the past two years, the Biden administration has weaponized the federal government to limit the production of our abundant natural resources, such as canceling pipelines, attempting to stop drilling on federal lands and onerous regulations on natural gas production, making us vulnerable and reliant on foreign countries for oil. We’ve faced such crises in the past, and the United States has continuously developed innovative solutions that have made us one of the world’s leaders in energy production. House Republicans have introduced our “Commitment to America” to show the American people how conservative ideas can solve the problems that they are facing. We are ready to reverse the Democrats’ costly climate policies, restore our energy dominance, and help lower the cost of gas and electricity for all Americans. We represent two states whose economies are anchored by the energy industry. Louisiana, for example, ranks third in natural gas production in the United States and accounts for about 9 percent of our country’s total marketed natural gas production. Texas is the top crude oil and natural gas-producing state in the nation. Louisianans and Texans are frustrated with the Biden administration’s left-wing climate agenda because they know that there is a safe way to harness the oil and natural gas located in their backyards. As American producers work to meet rising energy demand, they are met with lagging supply, uncertainty and a whole-of-government approach that seeks to end fossil fuels. On the day Biden took office, the average price of gas nationwide was $2.39. Today, gas prices have increased to $3.71 per gallon this week- over a 50 percent increase. President Biden instituted the most significant drawdown of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve in history to boost his declining poll numbers. Our reserves are now at their lowest level since 1984. Despite the White House praising this drawdown, such actions weaken America’s energy security because reducing U.S. energy production emboldens hostile foreign countries and oil-rich dictatorships. Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Iran all attempted to get concessions out of President Biden when gas prices surged earlier this year. After President Biden declined, OPEC decided to punish the United States and decrease oil production by two million barrels per day. To be certain, the Democrats’ so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” has only made things worse. Their legislation severely harmed American energy independence by increasing bonding requirements, royalty rates and fees while restricting access to energy resources in Alaska and the Outer Continental Shelf for oil and gas development. Our country needs to produce more energy, not less, but Democrats designed their extreme climate agenda to restrict oil and natural gas production and, it seems, torpedo the industry. Next year, Republicans will advance an all-of-the-above energy strategy that will make America energy independent again and build on the promises that we made to hardworking families in our “Commitment to America” agenda. Our policies will work to lower prices at the pump, maximize the production of reliable American energy and cut the permitting process time in half. Republicans — led by Congresswoman Van Duyne — also proposed a pragmatic step to combat foreign energy dependence. The Strategy to Secure Offshore Energy Act directs the Biden administration to lay out a 5-year plan for offshore oil and gas sales. Without a renewed plan, there is potential for unnecessary delays, creating significant uncertainty for the offshore oil and gas industries. This legislation would help provide the certainty necessary for continued investment in offshore production and ensure our nation’s domestic energy is secure. American-made energy is the key to our economy, success and future. Energy security is not only national security but also economic security for so many of our hard-pressed families who desperately need a break. We will continue to fight for expanding American energy production, which is among the cleanest in the world, and reverse Democrats’ damage to the oil and natural gas industry, which the American Petroleum Institute estimates to account for 10.9 million jobs in the United States. House Republicans are ready to turn our bold, conservative agenda into legislative action, and we will use every tool at our disposal to get our country back on the right track.