WASHINGTON - Today, Subcommittee on the Environment Ranking Member Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) opened today’s joint forum with the Congressional Western Caucus on “Holding the Biden Administration Accountable for Skyrocketing Prices & Failing Energy Policies" by stating Congress must focus on the energy issues impacting Americans and emphasized the consequences of the Democrats’ unrealistic climate agenda.
Instead of conducting meaningful oversight over the Biden Administration’s disastrous decisions, he emphasized Democrats push policies that dismantle good paying jobs and affordable, clean energy for all Americans. Subcommittee Ranking Member Norman noted the United States has an abundance of natural resources and lawmakers should use those resources to advance American interests while continuing to lead the world in emissions reductions. He concluded by championing advancements in the American energy industry and the importance of enacting policies to provide reliable and affordable energy to the American people.
The remarks as prepared for delivery are below:
Thank you to Western Caucus Chairman Newhouse and Ranking Member Comer for convening this crucial forum on American energy.
The folks represented before us today run organizations that provide good paying jobs and secure affordable and clean energy for all Americans- something that the Biden Administration and Democrats in Congress are trying to dismantle.
I sit on the Oversight Committee as the Ranking Member on the Environment Subcommittee, and I’ve learned first-hand that Democrats are focused on destroying our domestic energy industry and the jobs it provides to distract us from the fact they have no plan to preserve our energy workforce or energy independence.
That’s why it is so critical to convene this forum. Members of Congress need to start focusing on the issues that are impacting everyday Americans and the consequences of an unrealistic climate agenda that has been forced on our country by President Biden.
This Administration’s out-of-control spending is causing inflation to skyrocket. As a result, Americans are now paying more for goods and services while taking home less money in their paychecks. Just last week the Department of Labor stated that over the past 12 months inflation has increased by 7 percent.
The President continues to do nothing about the supply chain crisis that Americans are facing. “Bare Shelves Biden" is focused more on dismantling procedural rules in the Senate than he is on getting food quickly and affordably on the tables of American people.
Meanwhile, China and other countries around the world continue to pollute at record levels while the United States continues to reduce emissions.
Do Democrats really believe that putting the oil and gas industry out of business will suddenly make China less of a polluter? I’m afraid extreme proposals by Democrats will do nothing but destroy good paying American jobs and ruin our economy.
The price of gasoline today is over a dollar more than it was at this time last year. I’m glad that we’ve got some folks here today to talk to us about how they think we can ease the burdens on everyday Americans when it comes to energy costs.
I’m looking forward to working with these folks and the great American companies that they represent to assist them in growing jobs and providing affordable domestic energy to our nation.
The oil and gas industry provides good paying jobs that help Americans reliably heat their houses, power their cars, and keep the lights on through the storm and when the sun doesn’t shine.
The United States has abundant clean energy natural resources. We must use those resources to advance American interests while continuing to lead the world in emissions reductions. This is the path forward, but Democrats want to block it at every chance they get.
I look forward to hearing from our esteemed panel today to learn about how they are voluntarily reducing emissions and how we can work with them to enact policies that assist them to grow their businesses - providing good-paying jobs and affordable energy to the American people.
