117 HRES 940 IH: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Russian invasion of Ukraine will further weaken global energy security and President Biden should take immediate action to provide allies of the United States with an affordable and secure supply of energy.
U.S. House of Representatives
2022-02-25
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EN
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IV
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 940
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 25, 2022
Mr. McKinley (for himself, Mr. Garbarino, Mrs. Wagner, Mr. Pfluger, Mr. Johnson of Ohio, Mr. Posey, Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Babin, Mr. Carter of Georgia, Mrs. Miller of West Virginia, Ms. Tenney, Mr. Higgins of Louisiana, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr. Joyce of Ohio, Mr. Young, Mr. Lamborn, Mr. Duncan, Mr. Palmer, Mr. Pence, Mr. Bucshon, Mr. Cawthorn, Mr. Burgess, Mr. Carey, Mr. Dunn, Mr. Hudson, Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois, Mr. DesJarlais, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Balderson, Mrs. Hartzler, Mr. Webster of Florida, Mrs. McClain, Mr. Latta, Mr. Newhouse, Mr. Harris, Mr. Valadao, and Ms. Stefanik) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Russian invasion of Ukraine will further weaken global energy security and President Biden should take immediate action to provide allies of the United States with an affordable and secure supply of energy.
Whereas, in 2019, through investment in innovation and technology by domestic oil and gas companies, the United States became truly energy secure and a net energy exporter for the first time in nearly 70 years;
Whereas, on day 1 of his Presidency, President Biden took executive action to limit the energy production of the United States, including by revoking a key permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and issuing a moratorium on energy production on Federal lands and waters, thereby once again making the United States energy dependent;
Whereas the Keystone XL pipeline would have imported 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Canada into the United States, compared to the 595,000 barrels of crude oil the United States subsequently began to import daily from Russia at the end of 2020;
Whereas President Biden has taken further action to limit the energy production of the United States, including weaponizing the regulatory process and prohibiting the financing of fossil fuel projects overseas;
Whereas, in 2021, energy prices rose to a 7-year high, and inflation hit a 40-year high, leading to Americans having to choose between putting food on the table and heating their homes or driving their vehicles;
Whereas Fatih Birol, Director of the International Energy Agency, accused Russia of intentionally worsening Europe’s energy crisis by withholding up to one-third of its natural gas exports to Europe;
Whereas President Biden asked the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia to boost crude oil production and inappropriately used the United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve to artificially change oil markets rather than increase domestic energy production;
Whereas other Democrats subsequently suggested that President Biden ban crude oil and liquified natural gas exports to allies of the United States, policy decisions that would further increase domestic energy prices and weaken the position of the United States as a global energy leader;
Whereas President Biden then inappropriately requested the Federal Trade Commission to immediately investigate whether “illegal conduct” by domestic oil and gas companies artificially lifted energy prices, and, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, publicly asked domestic oil and gas companies to refrain from using the invasion as an excuse to raise prices even more;
Whereas, in May 2021, President Biden waived sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would have transported natural gas from Russia to Germany, and only decided to reinstate sanctions after Germany halted the certification process for the pipeline on February 23, 2022;
Whereas, on February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin instructed Russian forces to invade Ukraine, leading to Brent crude oil prices immediately rising above $100 for the first time since 2014 and fears of global energy shortages;
Whereas domestic oil and natural gas producers play a critical role in supporting the European allies of the United States with access to a stable supply of reliable and affordable energy;
Whereas President Biden and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, previously stated, “We [the United States and European Union] commit to intensifying our strategic energy cooperation for security of supply and will work together to make available reliable, and affordable energy supplies to citizens and businesses in the EU and its neighborhood”; and
Whereas continuing to limit energy production in the United States will only provide further leverage and funding for Russia and continue to weaken global energy security: Now, therefore, be it
That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that—
(1)
the energy independence of the United States is critical to national security and should include the production and use of all available energy sources, including coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear, and renewables, as well as strategic minerals critical to electric vehicles and other clean energy sources; and
(2)
President Biden should take immediate action to restore the energy security of the United States and provide allies of the United States with an affordable and secure supply of energy, including by—
(A)
streamlining the permitting process for domestic energy infrastructure;
(B)
acting in a timely manner on the approval requests pending before the Department of Energy to authorize additional export volumes for United States liquid natural gas projects that are already operating;
(C)
increasing United States energy exports to allies overseas;
(D)
abandoning the development of new regulations that would limit domestic energy production and raise the cost of capital associated with fossil fuel development; and
(E)
opening up Federal lands and waters for energy production.