[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 58 (Thursday, March 30, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H1682-H1683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RESTORING AMERICA'S ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Kiggans) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise to highlight the 
passage of H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, which I voted for today, 
and this Chamber passed only minutes ago.
  Over the past 2 years, we have seen record increases in energy prices 
coupled with inflation cause countless hardships for families in my 
district and across the country. In fact, gas prices have risen nearly 
every single month of President Biden's term, long before Putin's 
invasion of Ukraine. That is not to mention the fact that, in 2021, 
U.S. imports of Russian oil nearly tripled.
  Despite these facts, this administration has consistently opposed 
American energy development.
  Rather than restricting domestic energy and mineral production, we 
need to unlock American resources to provide energy security here at 
home and for our allies abroad.
  H.R. 1 allows our domestic energy industry to flourish and puts us 
back on the path to energy dominance by removing unnecessary, 
complicated permitting regulations and modernizing outdated laws.
  Many of the problems America's energy industry faces today stem from 
burdensome permitting requirements, the outdated NEPA process, and 
endless litigation over already leased lands and projects currently in 
progress.
  H.R. 1 tackles these challenges head-on, unleashing American energy, 
reforming our broken permitting process, and imposing filing deadlines 
on litigation concerning energy and mining projects.

[[Page H1683]]

  By doing so, this bill not only helps us slash energy costs for 
working families but also reduces our dependence on foreign fuel 
sources, which, in turn, benefits our environment and bolsters our 
national security.
  America continues to be one of the cleanest energy producers in the 
world. For example, Russian natural gas exported to Europe has a 
lifecycle emissions profile 41 percent higher than U.S. liquefied 
natural gas exported to Europe. In fact, if the European Union switched 
all of their natural gas imports in 2021 from Russian to U.S., it is 
estimated that global emissions would have been reduced by over 218 
million tons.
  That is not to mention that the U.S. is at least 50 percent import 
reliant for 48 different mineral commodities, 24 of which come from 
China and 6 of which come from Russia.
  Our energy security is national security, and it allows our Nation to 
deliver greater global emission reductions that substantially lower 
energy prices.
  Madam Speaker, I am glad to say that not only will this bill benefit 
the people of my district at the pump and on their energy bills, but 
thanks to my amendment, I have guaranteed that it also protects the 
beautiful coastal waters that southeast Virginians call home by 
ensuring the existing moratoriums on drilling off the coast of Virginia 
are not affected.
  We have worked very hard on the Natural Resources Committee to ensure 
this bill will directly benefit the American people.
  We must restore strength in our economy, and that starts with 
restoring America's energy independence. Republicans are leading on 
this issue, and it is my hope that this bill will make its way to the 
President's desk and be signed into law so all Americans can benefit.


                     Honoring the Gallaudet Eleven

  Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
Gallaudet Eleven and highlight their important yet seemingly unknown 
contributions during the space race, contributions that led to 
invaluable scientific knowledge and, eventually, the successful Apollo 
11 Moon landing.
  Before NASA could send humans to space, the agency needed to better 
understand the effects of prolonged weightlessness on the human body.
  So, in the late 1950s, NASA and the U.S. Naval School of Aviation 
Medicine established a joint research program to study these effects. 
They recruited 11 deaf men from Gallaudet University: Harold Domich, 
Robert Greenmun, Barron Gulak, Raymond Harper, Jerald Jordan, Harry 
Larson, David Myers, Donald Peterson, Raymond Piper, Alvin Steele, and 
John Zakutney.
  All but one of these men had lost their hearing early in their lives 
due to spinal meningitis, which damaged the vestibular system of their 
inner ear in a way that made them immune to motion sickness.
  Now known as the Gallaudet Eleven, these men underwent extensive 
testing over the course of 10 years, pushing their bodies to the limits 
to advance our space program.
  The testing and experiments included living 12 days straight inside a 
20-foot slow rotation room, which remained in a constant motion of 10 
revolutions per minute, a 200-mile journey on the choppy seas off the 
coast of Nova Scotia, and a series of zero-G flights in the notorious 
``vomit comet'' aircraft.
  The decade's worth of experimentation gave researchers critical 
insight into how the body's sensory system works when gravitational 
cues from the inner ear aren't available, as in the case of space 
flight. This insight helped give researchers the information they 
needed to safely send other men to space.
  We cannot ignore that the space race played a significant part in the 
Cold War. Americans and Soviets competed to prove their technological 
and intellectual superiority by becoming the first nation to put a 
human into space.
  When we landed on the Moon, our astronauts were seen as the ultimate 
American heroes, a distinction they would not have enjoyed without the 
contributions of the Gallaudet Eleven.
  The service of these 11 men to the United States embodies a legacy of 
bravery, dedication, and love of country.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in expressing gratitude to the 
Gallaudet Eleven for their honorable service to our Nation.

  I hope that by highlighting the critical contributions of these 
unsung heroes, I have helped ignite an effort to provide them with the 
recognition and credit that they are due.


               Problems Caused by Navy Dry Dock Closures

  Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address my 
grave concerns with the recent closure of four Navy dry docks that are 
responsible for maintaining our Navy fleet and sustaining our Naval 
seapower and maritime strength.
  Approximately 7 weeks ago, the U.S. Navy closed three dry docks at 
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton and another at the nearby 
Trident Refit Facility in Bangor, Washington.
  One of these dry docks that was closed was the only dry dock on the 
West Coast certified to repair a nuclear aircraft carrier.
  Without this vital infrastructure in place, our aircraft carriers in 
the Pacific are left completely vulnerable. We are now left with one 
dry dock on the East Coast that has the capacity to repair an aircraft 
carrier.
  Combined, these shipyards used to have 22 dry docks. With 4 out of 
commission, we are down to 18 and have lost 22 percent of our critical 
Naval support infrastructure. We are now left with one dry dock on the 
East Coast that has the capacity to repair an aircraft carrier.
  As a result of significant divestment in the 1990s, our Nation has 
only four public shipyards: Puget Sound and Pearl Harbor on the West 
Coast and Norfolk and Portsmouth on the East Coast.
  As you can see here in this graph, the U.S. now has the fewest public 
shipyards than any other time since the end of World War II. 
Additionally, we now have 36 percent of the Navy's attack submarine 
fleet either in or waiting for maintenance.
  This backlog is due to a multitude of factors, including workforce 
challenges, but having fewer shipyards and dry docks is a significant 
part of the problem.
  This problem impacts the readiness of our submarines and aircraft 
carriers and our entire Navy fleet, the men and women who crew them, 
the defense industrial base, and our national defense as a whole.
  Without the basic infrastructure needed to support our Navy, how can 
we possibly provide adequate defense capabilities if called upon to 
engage with our adversaries.
  If we were to engage in conflict with a near-peer adversary such as 
China, we need to have infrastructure at the ready to repair damaged 
vessels in a timely manner and return them to their area of operation.

                              {time}  1230

  Increasing our maritime industrial base, including dry docks, is 
absolutely critical for our Navy to be able to effectively defend the 
United States and must be prioritized in our national defense budget.
  I came to Congress to restore Americans' strength. I look forward to 
working with my colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee from 
both sides of the aisle to ensure that we support and invest in our 
public shipyards in order to protect and defend our great Nation.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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