[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 54 (Friday, March 29, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E291-E292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 OPPOSITION TO H. RES. 1121, H.R. 6009, H. CON. RES 86, H.R. 7023, H. 
                        RES. 987, AND H.R. 1023

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 29, 2024

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1121--
Protecting American Energy Production Act; H.R. 6009--Restoring 
American Energy Dominance Act; H. Con. Res. 86--Expressing the sense of 
Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States 
economy; H.R. 7023--Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act; 
H. Res. 987--Denouncing the harmful anti-American energy policies of 
the Biden administration and for other purposes; and H.R. 1023--To 
repeal section 134 of the Clean Air Act, relating to the greenhouse gas 
reduction fund.
  Republicans have dubbed this their Energy Week. And the American 
people would be better off if Congress really was undertaking a broadly 
focused energy week where we came together to discuss innovative 
strategies to diversify our energy supply and ensure our energy sources 
and grid are resilient for decades to come. Instead of having those 
meaningful policy debates, however, the House is wasting this week 
considering bills that undermine bedrock environmental laws, jeopardize 
our clean energy future, and prioritize big oil and gas corporate 
profits.
  Republicans are once again putting polluters over people. Let's be 
clear about what these bills do:
  H.R. 1121 would prohibit any president from banning hydraulic 
fracturing for oil and gas--or fracking. Neither President Biden nor 
the Secretary of the Interior have proposed a ban on fracking, but 
Congress should not take away any of the tools that the executive 
branch has at their disposal to combat the climate crisis, including 
fracking bans if necessary.
  H.R. 6009 would reverse long overdue fiscal reforms passed in the 
Inflation Reduction Act to ensure taxpayers don't pick up the bill for 
big oil and gas production on public lands. This is a Republican gift 
to big oil and gas corporations, who could walk away from public lands 
that need to be cleaned up and reclaimed after drilling and leave 
taxpayers on the hook.

[[Page E292]]

  H. Con. Res. 86 is frankly a waste of our time. With this resolution, 
it's clear that Republicans have no plan to address the climate crisis 
or issues that matter to working families. They're too busy shutting 
down even the possibility of considering solutions if they might reduce 
the corporate profits of carbon polluters.
  With H.R. 7023, Republicans are attempting to roll back over fifty 
years of clean water protections. Thanks to the years of attacks from 
Republicans and an anti-regulatory majority on the Supreme Court, clean 
water protections have already been weakened. Congress should be 
considering legislation that restores Americans access to clean water, 
not further undermining the clean water protections that are still in 
place.
  H. Res. 987 denounces efforts taken by the Biden administration to 
address the climate crisis, protect our natural resources, and invest 
in our clean energy future. Thanks to Biden administration polices, 
Xcel Energy is building Minnesota's largest-ever solar project in 
Becker, transitioning the site from coal generation. Thanks to Biden 
administration policies, Canadian solar panel maker Heliene Inc. has 
invested $145 million to open a plant in the Twin Cities. But 
Republicans falsely claim the policies that created these investments 
are ``anti-American energy'', because they reduce our dependence on 
fossil fuels.
  H.R. 1023 would repeal two critical Inflation Reduction Act programs, 
the Methane Emissions Reduction Program and the Greenhouse Gas 
Reduction Fund. These programs cut climate pollution and promote clean 
air for our communities. Repealing these two provisions will only help 
big oil and gas corporations and take away resources from local 
communities.
  Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to reject this slew of Republican 
bills that put polluters over people.

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