The Lower Energy Costs Act, a massive omnibus package, kicked off its journey Tuesday in the House with seven hours of debate over numerous attached bills, amendments, and resolutions, all of which are a clear assault on President Biden’s economy-destroying green energy agenda.
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) introduced the legislation on March 14. It was given top priority position as House Resolution 1, or H.R. 1, by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) due to the legislation’s importance in improving the lives of the American people.
“H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, focuses on two main priorities: increasing the production and export of American energy and reducing the regulatory burdens that make it harder to build American infrastructure and grow our economy,” McCarthy said when announcing the bill.
He declared in a statement:
The Biden administration has kneecapped American energy production, and endlessly delayed critical infrastructure projects. Democrats’ misguided policies increased costs for every American and jeopardized our national security – and they’ve made the rest of the world more reliant on dirtier energy from Russia and China.
To lower costs for Americans and grow our economy, we need to get the federal government out of the way. The Lower Energy Costs Act will fast-track American energy production and includes comprehensive permitting reforms that will speed construction for everything from pipelines to transmission to water infrastructure. And it ensures that the critical minerals needed for advanced technologies come from America – not China.
This bill will be critical to growing our economy, lifting communities out of energy poverty, and ensuring American leadership long into the future.
The numerous resolutions and amendments attached to this omnibus bill (an all-inclusive bill accepted by one vote) cover mostly energy-related policies and issues and, according to the House’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, will restore “American energy independence.”
The Lower Energy Costs Act summary states that “the bill expedites the development, importation, and exportation of energy resources, including by”:
- waiving environmental review requirements and other specified requirements under certain environmental laws,
- eliminating certain restrictions on the import and export of oil and natural gas,
- prohibiting the President from declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing (a type of process used to extract underground energy resources),
- directing the Department of the Interior to conduct sales for the leasing of oil and gas resources on federal lands and waters as specified by the bill, and
- limiting the authority of the President and executive agencies to restrict or delay the development of energy on federal land.
The legislation also “reduces royalties for oil and gas development on federal land and eliminates charges on methane emissions.”
In opposition to the bill, President Biden’s Office of Management and Budget released a statement on Monday setting the stage for the battle Republicans will face moving forward with this legislation.
The statement enthusiastically spewed Biden’s proposed budget “fact sheet” talking points, stating:
This Administration is making unprecedented progress in protecting America’s energy security and reducing energy costs for Americans – in their homes and at the pump. H.R. 1 would do just the opposite, replacing pro-consumer policies with a thinly veiled license to pollute. It would raise costs for American families by repealing household energy rebates and rolling back historic investments to increase access to cost-lowering clean energy technologies. Instead of protecting American consumers, it would pad oil and gas company profits – already at record levels – and undercut our public health and environment
The statement closed with typical political rhetoric, along with a blunt warning: “The Administration wants to work in bipartisan manner with Congress to address lowering energy costs, permitting reform, and addressing energy challenges. However, H.R. 1 would take us backward. Therefore, if presented to the President in its current form, he would veto it.”
Scalise didn’t waste time in responding the veto threat, stating during a roundtable discussion:
I would challenge President Biden, who issued a veto threat on this bill yesterday because he said his energy policies are so good, I would tell him to go back out into the real world. He loves talking about Scranton, Pennsylvania. Go to Scranton, Pennsylvania, and ask those families how hard times are because of his high energy costs that he’s put in place on them. Families are struggling because of his policies. This reverses that.
Congress is set to adjourn following the end of business on Thursday, then head home for two weeks. Republicans will need to prepare for this major battle to be fought upon their return if they want to succeed in stopping massive government overreach and improving American lives.
