[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 8, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H1359-H1364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                 CALLING ATTENTION TO THE ENERGY CRISIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 2021, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special 
Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, we are here tonight to call 
attention to the energy crisis that is being felt both at home and 
abroad.
  This crisis has sent prices skyrocketing and has caused deep 
uncertainty that leaves our businesses vulnerable and American families 
less secure.
  Let's be very blunt. This energy crisis is a crisis that exists for 
two reasons. The first reason is the recent rise in gas prices that has 
been caused by Vladimir Putin's unlawful war against the people of 
Ukraine. The second reason is President Biden's long-term refusal to 
support American energy producers by canceling the Keystone XL pipeline 
and by stopping new drilling here at home.
  By threatening new and burdensome taxes on energy producers, the 
Biden administration has deliberately raised energy prices on all 
American families, all for the sake of appeasing radical 
environmentalists.
  As we stand here today, there are untapped energy reserves under the 
feet of my constituents, and these can be used to address the crisis 
that we are talking about tonight. It is time to unleash that energy, 
and it is time to unleash American energy dominance.
  Americans can't afford what is happening right now. Gas prices are up 
over 11 percent in just the last month, forcing families to make hard 
choices about what they can afford.
  Over the course of this Special Order, you will hear from many of my 
colleagues about the state of our energy industry. You will hear real 
solutions that can help lower costs while at the same time reinforcing 
our necessary national security.
  This is a time to talk about these real solutions. Right now, we have 
an incredible number of opportunities to help lower energy costs while 
driving innovation at the same time. Through American ingenuity, we can 
create millions of new family-sustaining jobs in our energy industry.
  It won't be easy. It will take Congress and the administration 
working alongside our energy industry to reform cumbersome regulations 
that limit our energy production. Now is the time to give our producers 
the tools that they need to develop new technologies to modernize the 
electric grid and our oil and natural gas infrastructure and unlock new 
and exciting opportunities.
  I thank so many of my colleagues for joining me here tonight for this 
important Special Order, and I yield to my colleague from Iowa (Mrs. 
Miller-Meeks).
  Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce) for organizing this evening's Special Order 
hour.
  For months now, we have seen a steady rise in energy prices, 
highlighted by rising prices at the gas pump. The United States imports 
hundreds of thousands of barrels of Russian oil every day, a slap in 
the face to workers and businesses across our country.
  Sanctioning Russia's energy sector will cripple their economy and 
might be what it takes to end Russia's illegal invasion of a sovereign 
nation.
  Today, the administration took a much-needed step and banned the 
import of Russian oil and gas. To help counter a lack of oil from 
Russia, the administration is currently requesting that dictatorships 
like Venezuela and Iran increase their oil and gas output instead of 
unleashing domestic energy production. This is unconscionable.
  To support American workers and businesses, we should tap into the 
abundance of natural resources at home to counter high fuel costs, 
including Iowa-made ethanol and biofuels.
  As a Presidential candidate in 2020, President Biden pledged to 
promote and advance renewable energy, ethanol, and other biofuels to 
help rural America.
  Ethanol helps to extend our fuel supply, and this can help alleviate 
price pressure at the pump while giving access to American-made energy.
  If only the Midwest States switched from E10 to E15, it would easily 
replace all the barrels of oil that we will no longer be importing from 
Russia. American ethanol producers have well over 2 billion gallons of 
unutilized production capacity and are standing ready to play a larger 
role in our energy sector.
  We should continue to also grow our energy export network with our 
European allies and our NATO partners to help them wean off Russian 
energy. Biofuels, nuclear, oil, natural gas, hydro, and electric can 
all be part of our energy diplomacy and weaken Russia's influence in 
Europe.
  We must take an all-of-the-above approach to our domestic energy 
policy, especially in the face of Russian aggression.
  I will continue to fight to ensure that our energy sector continues 
to use oil and gas and American-made energy to end our dependence on 
Russia and other adversaries, diversify our energy usage, become more 
environmentally friendly, and create good-paying jobs here at home.

                              {time}  2000

  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Johnson).
  Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.
  Madam Speaker, America is hurting, with painfully high gas prices, 
rampant inflation for everyday goods, from groceries to clothing, and 
it looks like it is going to get much worse before it gets better.
  How did we get here? Well, some say it was the pandemic, others say 
it is the war in Ukraine. Well, what if I told you this has been going 
on for quite a long time?
  In 2017, Republicans in Congress started an investigation into 
Russian interference. No, not that Russian interference, but real 
interference into the debate over American energy.
  Let me explain. The Biden administration is right now trying to 
distance itself from their anti-coal, anti-oil and gas actions and 
policies. Their war on affordable, reliable energy, blocking pipelines, 
slowing permits, and promoting an ill-advised rush to green.
  You see, Europe tried this already, walking headlong into dangerous 
energy dependence on Russia. The results of that are now clearly 
evident. We see it playing out in the horror unfolding in Ukraine.
  Europe could have taken a path of self-reliance if it wasn't for 
their politicians caving to radical activists to rush renewables and 
cutting off their own reliable energy resources like nuclear, oil, gas, 
and coal.
  France banned fracking in 2011; Bulgaria in 2012; the Netherlands in 
2015; Germany in 2017; the U.K. in 2019. All the while becoming more 
dependent on Putin's Russia for reliable energy.
  Well, what if I told you that Russia sent at least $95 million to 
radical green groups in Europe who helped achieve these goals?
  The investigation I mentioned earlier conducted by the Republican-led 
Science, Space, and Technology Committee, uncovered evidence that 
Russia may have done and is continuing to do the same thing right here 
in America.
  It is time to reopen that investigation. I sent a letter today to the 
relevant committee chairs to do just that.
  Throttling back our own American energy resources is exactly what 
Vladimir Putin would want us to do.
  To borrow a term from the Cold War, Madam Speaker, let's not be 
fellow travelers with the green agenda. Let's reopen that investigation 
into potentially real Russian interference.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Keller).
  Mr. KELLER. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague from 
Pennsylvania for yielding.

[[Page H1360]]

  Madam Speaker, the Biden administration is breaking all the wrong 
records. Just this week, oil prices surged to a 14-year high, and gas 
prices topped $4 a gallon nationwide, hitting an all-time high.
  Americans are spending more to heat their homes, put gas in their 
cars, and to run their businesses.
  Yet, the Biden administration through all of this has refused to get 
behind American oil and natural gas producers. Instead, we are back to 
the days of begging OPEC and adversarial nations for oil.
  America's energy needs can be achieved right here at home; a cleaner, 
more affordable option than importing it from Russia or other nations 
who don't have our best interests in mind.
  President Biden is so fixated on dismantling American energy 
independence and imposing a radical Green New Deal that he has lost 
sight of what is best for the American people.
  This administration's continued assault on American energy must end.
  There is only one path that leads to lower energy costs and a 
stronger future for America. That path is American energy independence 
and dominance.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Oklahoma (Mr. Hern).
  Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for 
hosting this Special Order tonight.
  The price of gas has been rising for the last 14 months. Yes, we are 
experiencing some added pressure thanks to Putin's evil attack on 
Ukraine, but our energy problems go much farther back than that.
  They started on the very day that President Biden was inaugurated as 
President. When he left the inauguration, President Biden immediately 
signed multiple executive orders handcuffing domestic oil production. 
He proudly told supporters on the campaign trail that his goal was to 
end fossil fuels entirely.
  Now, he is saying that his administration and his rhetoric have no 
impact on the energy crisis. I call B.S. on that. He is intentionally 
destroying traditional energy while begging the world's worst actors to 
make up for it.
  We simply cannot rely on foreign dictators for oil that we can 
produce here in America. An energy dominant U.S. helps not only our 
people, but our allies around the world.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Kentucky (Mr. Barr).
  Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Pennsylvania for his 
leadership on this issue.
  Madam Speaker, the Biden administration's war on domestic energy 
extends beyond canceling pipelines and infrastructure, suspending oil 
and natural gas leasing on Federal lands and waters, or opposing 
funding of construction of projects that could lower the cost of gas, 
diesel, or energy-derived fossil fuels and slow-walking liquified 
natural gas exports that could reduce Europe's dependence on Russia.
  No, in fact, what most Americans do not understand is that the 
central feature of President Biden's anti-energy agenda is the 
weaponization of financial regulation to choke off capital to heroic 
American energy companies. And this agenda has been enabled by woke 
corporate leaders who have elevated a political ESG agenda ahead of 
returns for retail investors.

  And we knew that the ESG agenda, the environmental social governance 
agenda, was prioritizing climate alarmism over and ahead of investor 
returns, over and ahead of affordable reliable energy.
  But now as we see how Russia is using oil and gas exports to finance 
their illegal and brutal war against Ukraine, Americans can now see how 
the ESG agenda is compromising both American energy dominance and our 
national security.
  The job of bank regulators is to ensure the safety and soundness of 
financial institutions and to promote financial stability. It is not to 
pick winners and losers in the credit markets or politicize the 
allocation of capital or solve climate change.
  The central irony of the Biden administration's climate finance 
agenda is that it will neither promote financial stability nor help the 
environment.
  On the contrary, it will actually destabilize the economy by 
destroying jobs, driving up energy costs, and severely reducing the 
reliability of our electric power grid.
  It will also compromise efforts to combat climate change by starving 
innovative energy companies of the capital that they need to develop 
new technologies and processes to capture carbon, discover alternative 
uses for fossil fuels, harness the carbon cycle, and reduce emissions.
  Biden's regulators say they want to assess how climate change may 
create risks to the financial system. But let's be honest. Biden has 
pledged a whole-of-government approach to ending support for fossil 
fuels. This is not about assessing risks for the financial system; it 
is about creating risks for our economy. It is about redirecting 
capital away from fossil energy and weaponizing regulations to 
discriminate against the most reliable, affordable energy we have.
  The Federal Government should not be in the business of punishing 
heroic American energy companies, especially in a time of a national 
security crisis.
  Unleash the power of the American innovative energy sector, not only 
to lower costs here at home, to restore American energy dominance, but 
to defend our allies in Europe to defend free people all over the 
country and to get rid of our overdependence on sources of energy from 
enemies of the United States.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
his comments, and I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Balderson).
  Mr. BALDERSON. Madam Speaker, I thank my neighbor in Pennsylvania for 
hosting this Special Order this evening.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss the importance of restoring 
American energy independence to combat skyrocketing prices at the pump, 
which just yesterday soared past all-time highs.
  Last month, President Biden pledged to use every tool at our disposal 
to limit the effects of rising gas prices on American consumers and 
bolster energy supplies to our European allies.
  Sadly, this commitment and the actions of this administration remain 
grossly misaligned.
  Examples of these destructive decisions include: canceling the 
Keystone XL pipeline; halting new leases on Federal lands; 
greenlighting Russia's Nord Stream 2 project, while weakening our 
energy infrastructure here at home; begging OPEC to boost output and 
tapping into our Nation's emergency stockpile, all while refusing to 
take steps to boost domestic production; and proposing new punitive 
taxes and fees on producers.
  Recently, the administration signaled its desire to increase imports 
from Saudi Arabia and Venezuela to offset the ban on Russian energy. 
Stopping the flow of energy from one authoritarian regime while opening 
the door to others does not strengthen America's energy security.
  We must recommit the United States to energy independence. We must 
end the war against America's energy producers. And we must protect our 
energy infrastructure.
  I join my colleagues in calling on the Biden administration to 
reverse course on the failed policies that are driving up costs for 
consumers, weakening America's energy security, and empowering our 
adversaries.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Washington (Mr. Newhouse).
  Mr. NEWHOUSE. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, Dr. Joyce, from 
the great State of Pennsylvania and the HEAT Team for providing this 
opportunity for a Special Order because the American people need to 
know.
  They need to know that for months the Biden administration has been 
using the excuse that global markets are complex and there are dynamics 
out of our control that have led to the highest average gas prices 
since 2008 and spiking oil prices around the world.
  This, I want you to know, is disingenuous at best, and the reality is 
simply not true.
  As my colleagues in the Congressional Western Caucus and the House 
Energy Action Team have been saying, we have the ability to achieve our 
own secure energy future. In fact, we achieved just that, that energy 
independence, just a few short years ago. But with this President and 
his administration at the helm, we have thrown that energy security out 
the window.

[[Page H1361]]

  Don't believe the President's revisionist history of blaming Vladimir 
Putin for high gas prices.
  You can be sure the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline, the 
moratorium on oil and gas leasing on Federal lands, the lack of action 
on the offshore leasing program, and the commitment by this President 
and his administration to make American energy producers obsolete in 
just a few short years, yes, all of those are reasons to hold this 
President responsible for the burden now placed on the American people.
  These rising prices started long before this conflict, and we will 
continue to hold this administration accountable for the burden they 
have placed on the American people.
  Again, Madam Speaker, I thank Dr. Joyce; the American people need to 
hear this.

  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Bergman).
  MR. BERGMAN: Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  A lot of us were here on the House floor just a few months ago 
highlighting the problems with the Biden administration's energy 
policies. We were here. We are back again.
  Being here again, we are saying the same things, only maybe a little 
farther down the road facing another self-inflicted completely 
avoidable crisis.
  From day one, President Biden has put America last when it comes to 
our energy needs. And Americans are paying for it, quite literally.
  While gas prices are up all over the country, in my district we are 
seeing some of the highest prices in the entire State of Michigan.
  And let's be clear, the administration's approach to energy has been 
a problem long before Russia invaded Ukraine. Gas prices have been 
going up for months in response to heavy inflation brought about from 
out-of-control spending.
  House Republicans have been sounding the alarm on the national 
security implications of our energy dependence and the problem with 
relying on nations like Russia for our energy needs.
  But those legitimate concerns have largely been ignored. And now we 
are seeing the consequences of this administration's policies.
  So where is America supposed to turn for oil and gas? Instead of 
promoting our domestic energy industry and working to make us more 
independent, the administration is looking to nations like Iran and 
Venezuela.
  How can President Biden think it is a good idea to go from one bad 
actor to another in search of a solution to this self-induced energy 
crisis?
  The only way to solve our energy crisis while ensuring our national 
security is to break the chains this administration has put on our 
energy producers. It is way past time. Let's break those chains now.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time.

                              {time}  2015

  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
his insight.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. 
Burchett), my friend and colleague.
  Mr. BURCHETT. Madam Speaker, I was leaving here when I met some of 
your family members on swearing-in day, and I know there is probably 
some proud chests stuck out and buttons busting everywhere, as my 
granddad used to say. So we welcome you in this new role.
  Madam Speaker, Biden's woke environmental agenda is forcing many of 
my fellow East Tennesseans to pay more to heat their homes and to 
commute to work. How have these high energy prices increased in 
Tennessee over the last year, you may ask?
  Gasoline costs $3.96 per gallon, a 35 percent increase--not as much 
as California, but that is, hopefully, never within our range.
  Residential natural gas costs $12.40 per thousand cubic feet, a 23 
percent increase. This is just working folks trying to heat their 
homes.
  Electricity costs $10.27 per kilowatt hour; that is a 9 percent 
increase.
  Madam Speaker, these higher energy costs are an additional expense 
for our businesses, too, and they are just going to pass it on to us. 
That means that businesses must raise all their prices to offset the 
increased energy rates. That is why this inflation is crippling our 
economy under President Biden.
  Some of these arrogant folks suggest Americans work from home or ``go 
green'' to offset rising energy costs. Well, that disgusts me. That is 
an all-time arrogant low for some of these folks. They must assume that 
all my constituents have a job that allows them to work from home or 
can afford an electric car or solar panels.
  Madam Speaker, I have spent many an hour in factories around my 
district, and those folks cannot work from home, and this country would 
fall off the edges of the Earth if we did that. And there is a reason 
that oil and natural gas and coal are preferred energy sources. They 
are cheap and they are reliable, and we get them from homegrown energy.
  Now, how do we fix this energy mess? We return to energy 
independence, of course. It has been said many times, let's roll back 
some of these environmental regulations. Let's turn the spigots back on 
and let's lower the energy costs for the American people.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Dr. Joyce for his more-than-lackluster attempt 
at righting a horrible wrong, and I appreciate his leadership.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman and 
appreciate his comments.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin), my 
colleague and friend from the Doctor's Caucus.
  Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman and 
good doctor from Pennsylvania for this initiative tonight, this Special 
Order.
  Madam Speaker, amidst Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and 
historically high gas prices here at home, I have got a radical idea 
for President Joe Biden; how about you ask American workers to produce 
American energy sourced right here in America?
  I know that is a radical idea for you, but this would increase 
American jobs, strengthen America's economy, and lower grocery and gas 
prices for all Americans. Not to mention, we would be producing some of 
the cleanest oil and gas in the world today.
  So how do I tell my constituents the truth? The truth is this: The 
Biden administration would rather invest in foreign energy and make us 
more reliant on hostile nations and war criminals than to bring 
domestic production here in America back up to par.
  Let me repeat that. Instead of supporting American ingenuity and 
affordable energy, the left wants your tax dollars to line the pockets 
of tyrants in Communist countries like Iran and Venezuela, who hate 
America and everything that we stand for. This kind of stupidity is 
hard to comprehend.
  Tonight, I am calling on President Joe Biden to put what is best for 
America first for once, and immediately unleash American energy.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Texas.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), 
my colleague and friend.
  Mr. WALBERG. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Pennsylvania.
  Madam Speaker, today, Michigan's average fuel prices are mere cents 
away from the all-time high in the Motor State--not seen since the 
middle of the Great Recession. On Thursday, Triple A (AAA) data showed 
that Michigan had seen the highest State-wide average increase over the 
last week of any State in the Union.
  Today, a gallon of regular unleaded gas costs 61 cents more than it 
did just one week prior. Diesel, which helps fuel our State's thriving 
agricultural industry, has increased even more.
  Since this time last year, the cost of diesel is up 58 percent. In 
2022, the price of natural gas is expected to reach an 8-year high. Not 
only does this increase families' costs to heat their homes, but it 
also further raises the already-inflated price of essential fertilizers 
that help grow Michigan crops.
  Clearly, President Biden's war on American energy independence has 
created an energy crisis and made us more dependent on adversaries like 
Vladimir Putin, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. The crisis continues 
to hit our homes, our farms, and our businesses, and it grows in 
severity week after week.
  Recently, I sat down with some farmers in my home State. They 
lamented how the rising prices of energy and overall production costs 
is hurting

[[Page H1362]]

their livelihoods and trickling down to Michigan consumers. The data 
shows the same U.S. farm income is expected to drop 8 percent 
this year, all while prices at the supermarket reach historic highs. If 
we don't unleash American energy, this cost will continue to 
reverberate in our agricultural industry and at Michiganders' kitchen 
tables for years to come.

  Madam Speaker, I implore the Biden administration to take the 
necessary steps to increase our energy production at home. We have the 
capacity, we have the drive, we have the capability and tools to do 
so--for the sake of consumers in Michigan and around the world.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Michigan.
  Madam Speaker, one issue that needs to be addressed tonight is how 
the rising cost of gas disproportionately affects rural Americans who 
drive longer miles to get to work, to get to the grocery store, even to 
get to their kids' schools.
  Today, the average cost for a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania is $4.23 
a gallon. And now it is estimated that the average family will pay an 
extra $1,300 for gas this year alone. It is unaffordable. And it is 
time to unleash American oil drilling to help bring the prices down and 
once again establish American energy dominance.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), 
my friend.
  Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, look at what is happening 
right now. We are dependent upon foreign sources of energy from 
volatile places around the world. We are bringing in energy from 
African nations. We have recently brought in energy from Venezuela, 
from Russia, from Iraq.
  Madam Speaker, we have these resources in the United States. The 
President stood in this very room and talked about buying American. Why 
can't we buy our own American energy?
  Tonight and tomorrow, we are going to be talking about banning 
Russian oil. Well, I welcome folks to this discussion. We have been 
trying to do this for years. And unfortunately, my friends on the other 
side of the aisle have opposed our efforts, have opposed efforts to ban 
Russian oil.
  You can look at history. Whenever you stop producing in the United 
States, it doesn't change demand. All it does is it causes you to get 
the energy from somewhere else. This is affecting people all across 
America.
  As a result of President Biden's strategies, as a result of Democrats 
impeding good policy, we are now to a point where we have the highest 
gasoline prices in American history. We watched under President Biden 
where we nearly tripled our dependence upon Russian crude oil--nearly 
tripled it.
  Madam Speaker, it has greater emissions. They have greater 
environmental impacts. And again, why can't we buy America's resources? 
These are flawed energy strategies that are impacting those people the 
most that can least afford it.
  ``Buying American,'' we support that term. We support American 
energy. We support putting Americans back to work.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes), my 
colleague and friend.
  Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for hosting this 
Special Order.
  Madam Speaker, for the past year, we have seen policies from the 
Biden administration devastate families and small businesses across the 
country. Moms in my district, like Meghan, have seen the cost of 
filling up their tanks and heating their homes continue to climb.
  The average American family will spend an extra $1,300 in gas this 
year. And Biden's Green New Deal energy policies have left us weak 
abroad and crushed us economically at home. The national average for a 
gallon of gasoline is now $4.17--the highest ever on record. There is 
nothing to stop that number from going even higher as we head into the 
summer.
  But the prices at the pump today are not the result of just the 
recent events in Eastern Europe. If we look at gas prices on January 
21, 2021, just one day after President Biden took office, the national 
average was $2.40.
  One year later, on January 20, 2022--before Putin ruthlessly invaded 
Ukraine--the national average was already $3.33. President Biden and 
the Congressional Democrats are solely responsible for the year-over-
year increase. And the anti-American energy agenda prevented the United 
States from maintaining our energy independence at a critical moment in 
history.
  That is why it is so important that we have good, permanent policies 
in place that encourage production here at home, keeping our prices low 
for American families and small businesses, and ensure that we maintain 
stability when bad actors disrupt the world.
  We should buy American first. We should buy American oil first. When 
the United States isn't reliant on foreign oil, we can better address 
the global threats of tyrants and dictators.
  Madam Speaker, it is time we prioritize American energy production 
again that will put American families first and keep our country safe.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Kansas.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Meuser), the energy-rich Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
  Mr. MEUSER. Madam Speaker, I thank my very good friend, Dr.   John 
Joyce from Pennsylvania.
  Madam Speaker, we are witnessing horrible brutality by Vladimir 
Putin. He is killing civilians and committing war crimes while Zelensky 
has ordered his troops to ``not cross the line between humanity and 
animals.''
  Zelensky requested aircraft, military supplies, and for credit card 
processing to be cut off. Mastercard and Visa stepped up and cut off 
their services the day that he asked, on Saturday. And I hope the 
aircraft is on its way, as was planned. He also asked for the U.S. to 
impose an embargo on Russian oil. Finally, the Biden administration is 
taking this important step.
  Madam Speaker, 14 months ago, this would have been a simple ask as 
we, the United States, were in fact energy independent. Because of the 
Biden administration's reckless anti-domestic fuel energy policies, it 
is far more complicated. At a time when we should be ramping up 
domestic production, the Biden administration is sending officials to 
Venezuela and Iran in a desperate attempt to buy oil from these rogue 
nations.
  The historic gas prices we are all facing are a direct result of the 
Biden administration's foolish domestic energy policy. Producing oil 
and gas here at home doesn't just keep prices low but serves as a 
strategic global advantage.
  Madam Speaker, regarding Ukraine, we must lay out our own terms to 
Putin: Get out of Ukraine or be subject to war crimes and every 
crippling sanction imaginable, as well as to fortify the Ukrainians.
  This war is about tyranny versus freedom, oppression versus liberty, 
totalitarianism versus democracy, and injustice versus justice. The 
rest of the world is watching. This is a pivotal moment. Glory to 
Ukraine.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for his remarks.
  Madam Speaker, right now, our thoughts and prayers are with the 
people of Ukraine and their fight against Putin's unlawful war. 
Refusing to buy Russian oil will go a long way towards showing Putin 
and his corrupt Russian oligarchs that they will pay a steep price for 
this war.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the State of Minnesota 
(Mr. Stauber), my colleague and friend.
  Mr. STAUBER. Madam Speaker, I thank Dr. Joyce for holding this 
Special Order.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss how high energy prices due to 
choices made by Joe Biden and his administration are placing an undue 
burden on Americans and how it doesn't have to be this way.
  On his very first day in office, President Biden made a conscious 
choice to declare war on American energy.

                              {time}  2030

  As the ranking member of the Energy and Mineral Resources Committee, 
I know that it does not have to

[[Page H1363]]

be this way. One year later it is clear to every American that 
canceling the Keystone XL pipeline and halting leases on Federal lands 
were devastating for the American people.
  Today, gas prices nationwide are averaging over $4 a gallon. Instead 
of ending hostility to American energy, Joe Biden is choosing foreign 
energy sources to lower prices in America. Folks, there is a better 
way. We need to return to American energy independence. Our blue-
collar, middle-class workers are ready, willing, and able to help us 
achieve this.
  America should never rely on foreign nations for our energy security, 
and we can be the source for our allies instead of reliance on 
adversarial nations like Russia. One way to speed up our return to 
energy dominance is to enact meaningful permitting reform to remove red 
tape and duplicative processes to speed up domestic production.
  Do not buy the press secretary's rhetoric. Even if a company has a 
lease, the administration slow-walks every right-of-way, every 
approval, and every permit. From an administration that claims to care 
about Tribal consultation, they sure disregarded an indigenous voice in 
Mayor Harry Brower and the North Slope Borough when it comes to the 
Willow Project in Alaska.
  Madam Speaker, I urge the administration and my colleagues across the 
aisle to join us on permitting reform. Energy security is national 
security. The war in Ukraine has made this clearer than ever before. We 
cannot wait any longer to return to American energy dominance.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
his excellent remarks.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud), my 
colleague and friend.
  Mr. CLOUD. Madam Speaker, I am here to let you know that the people 
of Texas stand ready. I represent the 27th District of Texas which 
includes a number of ports including the Port of Corpus Christi, our 
Nation's number one energy export port.
  Texans stand ready to help American families struggling with 
inflation, including high gas prices. We stand ready to help ensure 
that Europe is not beholden to tyrants for their energy supply. We 
stand ready to help restore our economy and support the energy 
byproducts like fertilizer, pesticides, and even tractor tires that 
help produce our food supply.
  How insulting and arrogant it is for the American worker that the 
Biden administration would rather go to dictators to fill the energy 
vacuum than the American people, in spite of the fact that the American 
workers produce energy much more clean and responsibly than these other 
nations.
  To the casual observer this may seem like a tragic miscalculation. In 
2017, as Vice President Biden said, ironically, in a speech he gave in 
the Ukraine, he said this: We are trying to create a multipolar world. 
In other words, he envisioned a world where the United States was not 
the premiere influence in the world. Well, tragically, that is the 
world we see forming before us day-by-day in the news.
  Madam Speaker, I have no idea what the carbon footprint of a missile 
going into a Ukrainian's home is, but I do know that the human toll is 
tragic, and that it is the result in part of acceding American energy 
dominance.
  We must stop in this Nation selling away generations of progress made 
by American workers and innovators and restore American energy 
dominance.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
his comments.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Mrs. Bice), 
my friend and colleague.
  Mrs. BICE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, the anti-energy policies of the 
Biden administration have targeted oil and gas production and 
eliminated American energy independence. Since day one, the Biden 
administration has embarked on an agenda of regulatory overreach.
  Something you might have heard from the White House press secretary 
recently is that there are 9,000 untapped drilling permits that 
companies are not using. While this is in part true, they are being 
dishonest and purposefully leaving out crucial context and factors that 
cause companies to wait to drill those wells.
  For starters, many of the wells produced predominantly natural gas, 
not oil. In addition, drilling can't begin overnight as leases can take 
months or years before companies actively drill.
  Furthermore, the Federal permit to drill is not the only government 
approval required. Rights-of-way can take years to acquire before 
companies can access leases. Most companies cannot drill before 
pipelines are in place, and the delayed approvals have resulted in 
companies developing drilling access at much slower rates.
  This administration is taking up to three times the amount of time to 
approve Federal permits than the Trump administration, and that is if 
they approve them at all. The American people are tired of the 
Democrats' blame-shifting while they ignore the real causes of crushing 
gas prices.
  We must unleash American energy and lower gas prices domestically. In 
addition, restoring American production will remove Putin's control of 
the energy market and end his leverage over Europe.
  To solve the crisis, President Biden must immediately end the Federal 
freeze on all new oil and gas projects, fast-track pending LNG export 
permits, expedite approval of all pipeline and energy development, and 
stop the regulatory assault on American energy development and 
financing.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman 
from Oklahoma.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jacobs), 
my colleague and friend.
  Mr. JACOBS of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Joyce 
for holding this very important event today.

  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the millions of Americans who are 
facing pain at the pump and around the Nation. On his first day in 
office, President Biden signaled to the world that American energy 
independence was no longer a priority. He canceled the Keystone XL 
pipeline on day one. He made regulatory changes to make new domestic 
production incredibly punitive. He put a moratorium on all new drilling 
on Federal lands.
  The President's actions set the high prices we are seeing today in 
motion. Long before Russia invaded Ukraine, Americans were getting 
squeezed by the inflationary tax caused by careless and unrealistic 
policymaking. In fact, the national average for a gallon of gasoline 
had risen over a dollar in the year before Russia took this malign 
action.
  International events have sent prices higher in the past week, but 
the administration cannot hide from the fact that their policies have 
amplified this financial crisis. The solution to this crisis is clear--
American production and energy independence are the best protections we 
have at our disposal.
  The President must reverse the course of his administration 
immediately and allow the full force of the U.S. energy industry to be 
unleashed in Americans' time of need.
  Banning Russian oil imports out of principle is one thing, but it 
rings of hypocrisy when the administration turns around and immediately 
begins negotiating with vile dictators in Iran and Venezuela. The 
solution is no better there, and simply expands our dependence on 
hostile foreign nations for our economic and national security.
  Madam Speaker, perhaps the administration does not want to admit 
their early anti-energy moves were wrong, but American energy and 
financial security cannot hinge on the egos of the President and his 
staff.
  It is time to get out of the way of American production, allow our 
producers to increase capacity, and deliver affordable energy to the 
American people free from malign influence. Our future prosperity and 
national security depends on it.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
New York. One thing is abundantly clear from the speakers tonight, 
there is a growing need to utilize American innovation. Americans and 
our know-how have always stepped up and bend the individuals who can 
get us through crises.
  Yet, we are not utilizing the resources that are under the feet of 
Americans. American ingenuity is the answer. American businesses have 
already cut our energy emissions by

[[Page H1364]]

more than any other country over the past 20 years. We were able to do 
this because of new and innovative technologies that our American 
businesses produced.
  The answer is clear: we need to bring more American technologies to 
market as soon as possible. That message has been reiterated by my 
colleagues throughout tonight's Special Order.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
LaMalfa), my colleague and friend.
  Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I am still trying to figure out what the 
priorities of this Biden administration are. When you look at the 
different world events going on--when John Kerry comes out and says: 
Oh, we hope this Ukraine intervention does not interfere with the 
progress the U.S. is making with Mr. Putin on climate change--you 
wonder what are the priorities?
  Indeed, I would have to remind you that if CO2 is a 
priority of this administration, the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, 
it represents only .04 percent of our atmosphere. You see all the other 
gases in our atmosphere are represented by much larger percentages.
  If indeed John Kerry and this administration's big priority is 
CO2, what are they doing to help remedy that for the energy 
this country needs? Well, my home State of California it shutting down 
both nuclear power plants that we had at one time in the State, Santa 
Onofre first and Diablo Canyon coming up pretty soon.
  It is tearing up hydroelectric dams, like up in my district, on the 
Klamath River; both of those provide CO2-free electricity, 
if CO2 indeed is the big priority. No, it is something else. 
It is some other agenda. They are not doing much to help. If we had 
more nuclear power plants in this country, we wouldn't have the fuel 
for them.
  We produce only 9,000 pounds of uranium, yet our needs in this 
country for our power plants, military ships, and even medical is about 
45 million pounds. That is 9,000 versus 45 million. It doesn't seem to 
be the priority of this administration to have America's needs, the 
people of this country's needs, our energy independence when you look 
at just the production of electricity, let alone oil and gas, which are 
so critical for everyday needs for everyday Americans.
  We need to really focus on what this country needs and we need to 
help steer this administration into that focus instead of the fruitless 
direction we are going.
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
his excellent remarks. I would like to thank all the Members who have 
been here tonight. When I proposed holding this Special Order, we 
received an overwhelming response. Perhaps that is exemplified by the 
number of Members who stayed late into the evening to discuss the 
energy crisis that right now is affecting every American.
  This truly shows the commitment that congressional Republicans have 
to working to revitalize American energy dominance. It is a testament 
to how important this issue is. We truly have been able to discuss the 
issues that have dreadful effects on so many American families right 
now, this evening. This energy crisis that President Biden created is 
impactful tonight, tomorrow, and until we use American innovation to 
respond correctly.
  Madam Speaker, what we have shown here tonight is a road map back to 
American energy dominance.
  It is a plan to increase innovation. It is a plan to rebuild our 
energy grid. It is a plan to cut harmful regulations and a plan to 
ensure that the American people have safe, reliable, and affordable 
energy.
  So, once again, Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their 
remarks, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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