Washington, DC—January 27, 2021....House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Congressman Steve Womack (R-AR), and over 30 members of the House Energy Action Team released the following statements in opposition to President Biden's executive order banning new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters:
Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.): “The new Administration is setting records for killing jobs and crippling the American energy sector. With another stroke of a pen, President Biden has willingly taken steps to eliminate the paychecks of hardworking men and women, raise energy costs on low-income families, and make us more dependent on imports from foreign adversaries. Embracing “Green New Deal” type standards to satisfy the liberal left won’t stop the world’s worst climate polluters or halt drilling – it just leaves Americans paying the price of misguided policies and cedes energy development abroad.”
Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.): “America has become the world leader in energy production and a major exporter of oil and natural gas, strengthening our national security and boosting our economy for hard-working families. In less than a week, the Biden Administration has placed these jobs and accomplishments at risk by waging an assault on American energy, as well as the good jobs and low energy costs that go with it.
“Today’s executive order, combined with last week’s decision to halt energy leasing and permits, will put thousands of Americans out of work, increase energy costs on hard-working families, and make our country less secure. Make no mistake, this is the first step toward a ban on American energy production that will ship millions of high-paying jobs from energy-producing states like Louisiana, to Middle Eastern countries and adversaries like Russia, which emit carbon at dramatically higher rates than us. The American people deserve an all-of-the-above energy strategy that promotes responsible energy exploration and development – not more steps toward the radical Green New Deal.
“Threatening the livelihood of millions of hard-working families during a global pandemic is beyond destructive, and instead of caving to his radical base, President Biden should consider the devastating consequences that eliminating American energy will have on hard-working families and our national security.”
HEAT Co-Chair, Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.): "President Biden is throwing away our American energy dominance that was achieved under the Trump Administration. By implementing a prohibition on oil and gas leasing on federal lands for an entire year, the Biden Administration is signaling they are more interested in killing jobs and endangering our national security than bolstering the monumental energy advancements made during the last four years. President Biden’s “Buy American” plans should also apply to American energy. But instead, his plans put thousands of American jobs at risk, like we’ve already seen with the Keystone XL pipeline, and will force energy production to foreign adversaries with horrific environmental standards. We’ve seen this playbook before under the disastrous Obama Administration, and all it did was skyrocket energy prices for hard-working Americans and made our country less safe.”
HEAT Co-Chair, Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.): “It was no secret President Biden planned to destroy the oil and gas industry if elected president and in the first week of his administration, he’s taken actions to do just that. This only makes us more dependent on foreign oil and increases prices for American families, not to mention eliminates good-paying jobs in the middle of a pandemic. I strongly oppose this decision and I urge the Biden Administration to reconsider.”
Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.): "Today's executive orders signed by President Biden will endanger our economy in Wyoming and threaten our national security. The negative ramifications that will be felt across the country because of this ban will be real and painful. Energy costs will rise. Domestic energy production will fall. Jobs will be lost. Energy states like ours with a large percentage of federal land will lose out on critical education, infrastructure, and healthcare resources, and the individuals who can least afford it will bear the brunt of this decision. Not only that, but this will diminish our ability to produce energy domestically and maintain energy independence, forcing us to rely on our adversaries which undermines our national security interests. As the country continues to battle the economic crisis posed by COVID-19, cutting off a major lifeline that Americans have relied on to survive during this time is reckless and irresponsible. We should be expanding opportunities for energy production and economic success, not eliminating them. I intend to work with allies in Washington and partners in Wyoming to fight against these devastating orders to defend the interests of the people of Wyoming and our nation."
House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.): “Job killing, top-down, detrimental regulation is the Democrat way. President Biden has proven this during his first week in office. Halting new energy leasing and development on federal land not only puts thousands of Americans out of work in the middle of a pandemic, but it also prevents states from investing energy revenues into schools, environmental programs, community development, and more. We’ve made incredible progress over the years, making our energy cleaner, cheaper, and safer than ever. We should continue producing it here at home, where we can regulate the environmental standards and pollution requirements. Instead, President Biden is cutting off our supply while the demand continues to grow, forcing us to depend on energy from overseas where we can control none of these environmental regulations. Energy policy should be a rational, long-term plan not a knee-jerk, unscientific decision that does absolutely nothing to help the environment.”
House Committee on Foreign Affairs Lead Republican Michael McCaul (R-Texas): “This order deeply concerns me especially as a representative from Texas, where nearly 350,000 jobs are supported by fossil fuels. The U.S. job market has been devastated by COVID-19 and this move will put more jobs in jeopardy – placing a heavier burden on hard-working Americans. In addition, this leaves the United States vulnerable to adversarial states like Russia and China, who will not hesitate to weaponize energy insecurity on the global stage. We witnessed Vladimir Putin’s attempt to disadvantage the U.S. energy sector this past spring – we cannot afford to let that happen again. The U.S. needs to continue to build on its energy independence in order to support American workers and bolster our national security.”
Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.): “Our nation’s energy independence is literally fueled by leasing and drilling permits. President Biden’s unilateral decision to extend the moratorium on oil and gas leases is misguided and ill-informed. This decision is a direct attack on the hardworking men and women who rely on these good-paying jobs, local economies, and rural communities that rely on the revenue from these leases. Worse, it puts American energy security in jeopardy. It didn’t take long for President Biden to bend to the pressures of far-left environmentalists rather than embrace an all-of-the above energy policy that has proven to work.”
Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.): “It’s incredible we have a brand-new administration that preaches unity and in the same breath celebrates another opportunity to knee-cap offshore energy production, the National Parks system and the resiliency of Gulf Coast communities. Their actions are unilateral, divisive, liberal and uninformed by science. For years we have sounded the alarm about hurricane protection and flood prevention efforts in Gulf Coast States and the impact of diverting production overseas – and today's announcement shows that excluding Louisiana from the energy production negotiations and implementing a half-baked moratorium is not in our country’s best interest. The energy industry has been absolutely blindsided yet again, and this decision today doesn’t add up. In July 2020, we rushed through Congress the Great American Outdoors Act, taking the money that we generate from offshore energy in Louisiana to buy more land in California and other western states. While in the same year, five named hurricanes made landfall in Louisiana. Fast forward to the announced moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico in September 2020 by President Trump, specifically off the coast of Florida, and then today’s announcement, these states are throwing a doubleheader pep rally celebrating the moratorium news while Louisianians are still struggling to put their lives back together in the wake of the volatile 2020 hurricane season. They can’t have it both ways. They still want to heat and power their homes and businesses, but at the same time, they want to destroy the very industry that powers our country. Not to mention, this decision will not reduce global greenhouse emissions. As we've seen time and time again, a moratorium in the United States will only result in increased production in other countries at the expense of American workers.”
Rep. Paul A. Gosar, DDS (R-Ariz.): “The Biden Administration war on American jobs is only beginning, this ban on American energy production will do nothing to affect our climate, do nothing to change the demand or amount of oil that America needs or uses, but will kill American jobs, drain state and federal resources and empower Russian and OPEC to control our energy future. This Administration made clear their distaste for American oil and gas workers and their families as they campaigned, unfortunately they are just beginning to destroy working American’s lives by executive order.”
Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.): "President Biden's moratorium on oil and gas leases will crush a critical segment of our country’s economy, increase reliance on foreign energy, and weaken our national security. Responsible energy development on our public lands is a major component of North Dakota's economy, and this ban will strike at the livelihoods of the families reliant on the energy sector. The Biden Administration needs to reverse this devastating decision."
Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.): “Less than a week into his Administration, President Biden has launched an all-out assault on this country’s energy independence and made us more reliant on our adversaries overseas. With the cancelation of the Keystone XL Pipeline, rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, and now suspending new oil and gas leasing on federal land, President Biden has made it clear that he plans to prioritize a Green New Deal Agenda, rather than working to secure America’s energy independence and ensure our national security.”
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.): “President Biden’s ban on new oil and gas leasing on federal lands hurts the very same blue-collar workers he swore he'd protect during his presidential bid. The American energy industry is key to creating blue-collar jobs and boosting local economies in southwestern Pennsylvania and throughout our nation. Biden’s war on fossil fuels proves he cares more about appeasing radical environmentalists than helping working families.”
Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.): "Oil and gas play an important role in our nation's energy independence, and the Biden Administration's deeply misguided moratorium on oil and gas leasing, drilling permits, and lease extension would have severe economic impacts across the country. The U.S. federal government owns hundreds of millions of acres of land across the United States, much of which is rich with natural resources. At a time when we need to be supporting energy producers and our economy, prohibiting the Bureau of Land Management offices from leasing and permitting will only stifle our economic recovery, further American dependence on foreign oil, and create more uncertainty for families who rely on America’s energy industry. I urge President Biden to lift the moratorium for the sake and well-being of communities across America. Until then, I'll stand with our partners in Oklahoma, and across the Nation, to ensure our energy industry remains strong."
Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.): “Joe Biden’s oil and gas moratorium on federal lands is nothing short of an anti-jobs and anti-science assault on our way of life and paves the way for potential mining and mineral moratoriums. Using our own God-given natural resources on our federal lands leads to high-wage, union protected jobs; shores up our national security by being an energy exporter; and keeps energy costs down for middle class families. Meanwhile, offshore oil revenues provide revenue for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. President Biden needs to use common sense and reverse these decrees. Our energy producers need to continue to lead the way in our country’s energy independence especially in these times of economic uncertainty and hardship.”
Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho): “The Biden Administration’s attack on U.S. energy independence continues. The purpose of public lands should not be misunderstood by the President. Public lands are intended to provide a resource to our country, not to be preserved and untouched like our parks. These first moves from President Biden’s Interior Department will make us reliant on foreign adversaries for energy resources and eliminate the local jobs and businesses of public land utilization in some of our most rural counties.”
Rep. Greg Pence (R-Ind.): “It is crucial America remains energy independent. A reliable, domestic source of energy keeps our businesses and communities running and our working families employed with good-paying jobs. President Biden’s plan to ban new oil and gas leasing on federal lands kills American jobs and pumps the brakes on our economic recovery. Energy demand will continue in our nation, but with President Biden’s new ban we will depend on foreign adversaries at the expense of our national security.”
Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.): “After less than a week in office, President Biden has let his promises to American workers fall by the wayside in favor of a far-left wish list. As he looks to stop drilling on federal lands, just after terminating the Keystone XL Pipeline permit, the Biden Administration will cost the United States thousands of high-paying American jobs and raise energy prices for American families. Similarly, policies like re-entering the Paris Climate Accord provide no accountability for polluters like China and is unfairly punitive to U.S. manufacturers. These actions undermine U.S. energy independence and place an undue burden on our industries during a period of economic uncertainty.”
Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio): “This move by President Biden is more harmful to environmental conservation efforts than it is helpful. This freeze on leasing federal lands would effectively kill a win-win deal for the American economy and climate change efforts, and would torpedo state governments’ ability to provide essential services to their residents.”
Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio): “It is possible to pursue smart environmental protection policies while also utilizing our natural resources to meet energy demands. By imposing a moratorium on oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters, the Biden Administration is undermining our energy security; sacrificing American jobs in the oil and gas industries; increasing costs to consumers; and threatening the $11.7 billion tax revenue stream that goes to fund critical health care and educational programs at the federal, state, local, and tribal levels; all in pursuit of unrealistic and extremist policies like the Green New Deal.”
Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.): “The Biden Administration is dealing yet another disastrous blow to America’s energy industry. This move will severely hinder our energy independence and leave hardworking Americans unemployed. We must find innovative, resilient, affordable energy solutions that keep our nation’s oil industry strong and prosperous.”
Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas): “President Biden’s decision to undercut the legislature and ban mining and oil and gas development on federal lands with the stroke of his pen is completely disastrous and indicative of his administration’s misplaced priorities. This gross executive overreach threatens national security by returning our country to its heavy dependency on unstable foreign oil, will increase daily costs for all Americans, and completely obliterate millions of jobs. Energy security is national security, and this is the absolute wrong move.”
Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas): “The Biden Administration’s move to ban oil and gas leasing on federal lands poses a significant threat to the industry, which is still recovering from the pandemic. Moreover, this move jeopardizes the economies of several states that rely on royalties collected from oil and gas leasing. These decisions serve to reverse the progress made towards U.S. energy independence to the benefit of adversaries like Russia and Iran. I strongly condemn this decision and will continue advocating for policies that reinforce America’s status as a global energy leader.”
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas): “With nothing more than the stroke of a pen, President Biden seems intent on destroying America’s energy independence and further hurting families still dealing with the impacts of COVID-19. President Biden’s war on energy may be good for liberal politics, but in Texas we know it is a threat not only to our livelihood but also to our national security. America’s economic rebound should be a top priority right now. Instead, President Biden is taking aim at America’s own interests and citizens without meaningful consultation with industry leaders, or a logical plan to move forward.”
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.): “President Biden’s war on the American oil and gas industry continues. It’s only been a few days since he imposed a job-killing 60-day moratorium, and now he’s extending that ban further. The President is determined to destroy American energy jobs and send production overseas. The argument that this helps our climate is absurd, especially given that American innovation is driving emissions reduction worldwide. Our new President certainly has made it clear that he’s all in to benefit the people of... China.”
Rep. Fred Keller (R-Pa.): “The Biden Administration’s assault on America’s energy industry is an assault on good-paying jobs and the economic gains America made over the last four years. We continue to hear from President Biden about a plan for a path forward, yet all we’ve seen is the destruction of one of America’s most important industries and the livelihoods it supports.”
Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.): “By first canceling the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and now banning new oil and gas leases on federal lands, President Biden seems committed to eliminating tens of thousands of good-paying jobs in the energy sector. These moves severely threaten America’s energy independence. With less than one week in office, his primary focus has been issuing reckless Executive Orders like this one to appeal to the far Left and the environmental lobby.”
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.): “In its first week, the Biden Administration has pursued a litany of anti-jobs policies at a time we can least afford it. This troubling trend continues with today’s energy moratorium, which will jeopardize job opportunities and drive up the cost of energy. Dismantling domestic production does nothing but increase America’s reliance on foreign energy sources and reverse the significant strides we’ve made towards securing our nation’s energy independence.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.): “President Biden and his party are pushing yet another executive order that will crush energy jobs held by hardworking Americans and send prices at the pump skyrocketing. Unity to this administration apparently means prioritizing far-left virtue signals over our energy independence and economic prosperity.”
Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.): “During his first week, President Biden continues to target the oil industry and take actions that will weaken America’s energy security. We should be focused on growing our energy independence, not killing jobs.”
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.): “Expanding America’s energy independence is good for our national security and economy. Like President Biden’s executive actions to block the Keystone XL pipeline and rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, banning oil and gas leasing on federal lands will put thousands of good-paying jobs at risk and cause energy prices to rise. I oppose these actions and will work with my colleagues to support our energy sector and grow our economy.”
Rep. John Joyce, M.D. (R-Pa.): “In less than a week, President Biden has turned his back on thousands of Pennsylvania workers and families. The Biden-Harris Administration’s reckless, job-killing agenda placates the radical left at the expense of the hardworking Americans who power our country. Despite his calls for unity, President Biden’s rhetoric continues to ring hollow for hardworking Americans.”
Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-Minn.): “President Biden is continuing his vendetta against American energy independence and high-wage energy workers. Similar to what we saw last week, the administration’s unilateral actions to ban new oil and gas leasing on federal lands will only serve to increase U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources and will eliminate good paying jobs, sending even more Americans to the unemployment line.”
Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.): "At a time when should be focused on getting the economy going and creating jobs President Biden is signing job killing executive orders like this. Ending new oil and gas leasing and killing a project like the Keystone XL that was pledged to be carbon neutral and about 10,000 jobs would be controversial in a good economy — signing them now will be disaster to so many families.”
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.): “As a country, we should be working to create jobs and support our fellow Americans. Instead, this is another blow to an industry that has helped us transform in to an energy independent nation. President Biden’s decision to halt all energy exploration on federal lands will just force us towards other oil and gas sources. Rather than supporting American industries and jobs, this Administration is again going after the energy sector. This will kill more jobs and American energy independence.”
Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas): “President Biden is making extraordinarily clear that he has no concern for America’s energy workers or about our nation’s energy independence. The oil and gas industry is a critical component of not only the Texas economy, but the American economy. When the President and his allies on the far left target the energy sector, they make Americans less safe and force us to compete for foreign commodities rather than utilize what we can create on our own. By banning new leases on federal lands, the President is fulfilling campaign promises for the radical left, while erasing the livelihoods of good blue collar workers. I stand with my Republican colleagues in fighting back against progressive policies that will stifle growth and give our adversaries an edge.”
Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.): “President Biden’s moratorium on oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters is an assault on American energy independence and a threat to our national security. Not to mention, this action will cost many Americans their jobs and livelihoods.”
Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio): "I'm disappointed, but not surprised, that Joe Biden is coming after our domestic energy supply and the jobs that come with it. He told us during his campaign that this is what he planned to do. This, despite the national media “fact-checkers” who rushed to Biden’s defense when he said he would ban hydraulic fracking before he said he wouldn’t. And, Vice President Kamala Harris said she would do the same. So, this is no surprise. We’ve already seen immediate job losses from his order to revoke the Keystone XL Pipeline permit, and unfortunately, today’s announcement will lead to more job losses, higher energy prices, and decreases in America’s energy leadership role in the global economy. The bottom line is that this is just the start of a war against domestic energy that will target not only jobs, but also the cost of living for those who use electricity and drive a car. These policies are bad for America and will impact everyone. They will especially hurt the Mahoning Valley and rural Appalachia. Additionally, it should be noted that the stated goal of this latest executive order is to reduce emissions. However, emissions have already dramatically fallen in recent years thanks to the natural gas boom. But the Left has once again moved the goal posts, and the national media is happy to market and communicate this destructive, job killing policy. Americans deserve better."
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