[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 51 (Monday, March 25, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S1921]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           The Green New Deal

  Mr. President, on another matter, we will soon have an opportunity to 
vote on the Green New Deal. Since this resolution was introduced last 
month, there has been a lot of confusion about exactly what is in it 
and how much it would cost. Generally, those aren't great questions to 
leave unanswered when you are trying to pass something in the Senate. 
We need more information, to be sure.
  When the resolution was released, it made some lofty promises: 
achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions, renovating or replacing 
all buildings to achieve maximum energy efficiency, and providing 
higher education, healthcare, and housing for everybody. Missing, of 
course, were some of the details about how these goals would be either 
feasible or affordable: no plans on how to incentivize the research and 
development of new, cleaner energy technologies; no specifics on how 
much it would cost to retrofit every existing building in the country; 
no estimates about how the long list of new entitlement programs would 
be funded. The confusion only grew stronger when one of the authors of 
the resolution released a background summary that made even more 
promises, again, with no assurance of any plan that would actually be 
feasible or could be implemented. The Congresswoman from New York 
claimed that the Green New Deal would even include a government-
subsidized life for those who are unwilling to work. She said we will 
build high-speed rail that will make airline travel unnecessary, which 
came as a surprise to our colleagues from Hawaii, and she said we will 
replace every internal combustion engine in every vehicle. As you might 
imagine, there was a long list of unanswered questions.
  The one thing we know about the Green New Deal is, it would be a bad 
deal for Texas. Our State has always embraced an ``all of the above'' 
attitude when it comes to energy. Our people don't expect handouts, but 
they do expect opportunities that only come with economic and 
individual freedom. They don't want to be told what the government will 
permit them to do or force them to do, and they certainly don't want to 
be taxed to death to support people who aren't willing to work. We 
believe the government that governs least governs best in a nation of 
laws, especially when it comes to our economy.
  Texas keeps its taxes, government spending, and regulations at a 
rational minimum to give people and small businesses that create jobs 
the freedom to dream big and let the free market provide. We know it 
works. Lower taxes and less burdensome regulation draw businesses to 
our State. We are one of the fastest growing States in the Nation 
because people are literally voting with their feet. It is because we 
have seen jobs created and opportunities for everyone willing to work.
  Our unemployment rate is at or below the national average. I believe, 
in Midland, TX, in the Permian Basin, it is 2.1 percent. They can't 
find enough able-bodied people to perform the good, well-paying jobs 
that exist. We know we lead the Nation in exports, fueling both the 
State's economy as well as that for the entire country.
  As I just alluded, the major part of our State's success is our 
thriving energy industry. Something that will not come as a surprise to 
most people is the fact that Texas leads the country in both oil and 
natural gas production, but what may surprise you is the fact that we 
are the No. 1 producer of electricity from wind energy. One-fourth of 
all U.S. wind energy comes from Texas. There is no doubt that Texas's 
position as the largest energy-producing State has secured our position 
as an economic powerhouse, but if the authors of the Green New Deal get 
their way, oil, gas, and all hydrocarbons will all be off-limits, and 
the results will be disastrous without anywhere else to turn for an 
alternative because renewables simply aren't prepared to fill that gap. 
Hundreds of thousands of people will lose their jobs, exports will 
decline, and without a reliable alternative power source, you can 
expect to spend most of your day in the dark. Instead of talking about 
plans that would hurt my constituents in Texas and bankrupt the entire 
country, let's have a serious conversation about real solutions.
  A few weeks ago, our friend and colleague from Maine, Senator 
Collins, joined me on a tour of the NET Power demonstration plant in La 
Porte, TX. NET Power has developed a first-of-its-kind system that 
generates affordable energy from natural gas while producing zero 
emissions. These innovative carbon capture technologies are what our 
future should look like. If American companies don't produce them 
first, well, we know somebody else will. So in America we need to 
invest in new technologies that can take our most reliable and 
affordable energy sources and make them cleaner.
  When Senator McConnell announced his intent to bring this bill to the 
floor, things got a little strange in the Senate. In my experience, if 
the majority leader says he will bring something you authored to the 
floor, you are thrilled--but not with the Green New Deal. The junior 
Senator from Massachusetts who introduced the resolution in the first 
place referred to this announcement as ``sabotage.''
  Well, clearly something is wrong. I believe it is important for us to 
have a discussion about smart ways to reduce emissions and lessen our 
environmental footprint, but the way to do that is not through 
heavyhanded regulations or unrealistic goals to eliminate the fuel 
sources we need, nor is it about throwing in socialist government power 
grabs that only appeal to a radical wing of the other party, which is 
basically a distraction from the real issues we should be discussing.
  The Green New Deal is bad for America, bad for Texas, and I urge my 
Democratic colleagues to stop this ideological race to the left and 
start working with us on practical solutions that actually have a 
chance to become law. I will vote no on the Green New Deal resolution, 
and I encourage all of my colleagues to do the same.