Below are Ranking Member Norman’s remarks as prepared for delivery.
Thank you, Chairwoman Maloney. I must say - I am truly baffled to be sitting here again to participate in a hearing that has one singular goal.
Do you know what that goal is? To put oil and gas companies out of business forever.
At a time when we should be using the abundant natural resources that we have to advance American interests, the Biden Administration wants to bankrupt the very same companies who are working to provide energy security to all Americans.
This Administration’s out-of-control spending is causing inflation to skyrocket. Gas is one dollar more expensive than what it was this time last year. As a result, Americans are now paying more for goods and services while taking home less money in their paychecks. The Department of Labor recently stated that over the past 12 months inflation has increased by 7 percent.
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. In fact, it has already happened. At our prior hearing, we heard from an unemployed Keystone pipeline worker.
As the Ranking Member mentioned in his opening statement, we held a very informative roundtable with the Western Caucus a few weeks ago to discuss solutions to the ever-growing energy crisis America is facing.
In that roundtable, we heard from a variety of industry experts working to ensure that Americans have access to reliable and affordable energy. These industry experts all want Americans to have the opportunity to heat their homes and fuel their cars with affordable energy.
But today and during this investigation, Democrats have done nothing but undermine the efforts of the energy industry.
As a result, we see the consequences everywhere.
According to a study performed by the U.S. Census Bureau, “Nearly 28% of Americans had to forego expenses for basic necessities, such as medicine or food, to pay an energy bill in at least one of the last 12 months."
That is a frightening statistic that bears repeating. In the past year, over one quarter of American citizens had to forego purchasing medicine to pay a home heating bill.
I don’t know about y’all, but that is not the America that I want to live in.
Every day the Biden Administration seems to create a new problem. We are dealing with increasing gas prices, record high inflation, and the Democrats only solution is holding hearings to attack the industry striving to find actual energy solutions.
Today is yet another example of Democrats refusing to conduct meaningful oversight of the Biden Administration’s failed policies.
All the Democrats seem to care about is distracting us from the fact they have no plan to recoup our energy workforce or our energy independence.
This Committee should start focusing on the issues that are impacting ordinary Americans.
Because Americans should not have to bear the consequences of an unrealistic Biden climate agenda.
In my view, we should praise the oil and gas companies for providing good paying jobs that help Americans heat their homes, power their cars and secure American energy independence.
I thank the witnesses for their participation today, and I yield back.
