Houston, TX - This morning, The Houston Chronicle published an op-ed from Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The full op-ed is below.
Chairman Manchin wrote:
European conflict, global crises, persistent inflation, rising energy prices and the fear of a coming recession have placed America and the world at a critical crossroads, with much of these challenges centered on one defining issue: energy security. Now, as energy leaders from across the world are gathered in Houston for the annual CERAWeek conference, the issue of America’s energy security and the role of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to address this challenge will no doubt be top of mind.
The fact is that the IRA was and is shaped to achieve one goal - energy security- by utilizing all our nation’s abundant resources. While the Biden Administration has continued to play political games and incorrectly frame the IRA as a climate change legislation, the truth is that the IRA is about securing America’s energy independence for the coming century. If implemented as the law was written by those who have been entrusted to follow the law, the IRA will not just bolster the role of fossil fuels and renewables; it will help fuel a new century of progress for American manufacturing - and yes, emissions reductions.
Let me be even more direct, the IRA is critical to America’s energy security because it codifies an all-of-the-above energy policy that invests in energy innovations, rather than energy elimination. This critical legislation is not a political weapon to be used by any party or politician to garner partisan votes or serve a narrow political agenda - it must be about ensuring and promoting America’s energy security.
As written, the IRA promotes the importance of using all fuel types in the cleanest way possible while also reducing emissions. It holds the administration’s feet to the fire by ensuring that they, by law, cannot issue leases for renewable projects unless they’ve first held lease sales and issued leases for oil and gas projects. Over the long-term, this could help increase production of renewable and fossil fuel energy, reduce energy costs for hard-working Americans and provide the means for America to support our most energy-vulnerable allies.
Despite the promise and progress offered within the IRA, the Biden administration continues to ignore congressional intent on critical components of the IRA. Instead of following the legislation designed to ensure America's energy security, they have chosen to illogically advance a partisan climate agenda and appease radical activists. In fact, over the last few months, both the Department of Treasury and Department of the Interior have explicitly and unabashedly violated the letter of the law, the intent of the law, or both, in an effort to elevate climate goals above the energy and national security of this nation. This is wrong and it must stop.
For example, the Department of Treasury has grossly mishandled the implementation of the electric vehicle tax credits designed to curtail China’s dominance over this critical industry. Instead of abiding by the law, the department pandered to climate activists. With this in mind, I was unable to support Danny Werfel, the administration’s nominee to serve as commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service.
The Biden administration must begin to implement the IRA that was passed, not the law they wanted but did not get. Let me be clear: If they choose to continue down this path there will be consequences now and in the future.
Today, I have also decided, as chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, that I will not be moving forward the nomination of Laura Daniel-Davis as assistant secretary of the Department of Interior. Daniel-Davis approved higher royalty rates for the Alaskan Cook Inlet sale, which were explicitly designed to decrease fossil energy production at the expense of our energy security. Even though I supported her in the past, I cannot, in good conscience, support her or anyone else who will play partisan politics and agree with this misguided and dangerous manipulation of the law.
Going forward, each and every proposed nominee I will review will be judged through one prism: Are they political partisans first or Americans first?
No matter what corner of America we live in, this is a defining moment for our nation. The IRA has positioned America to lead the way to ensuring a more energy secure future for our children and grandchildren. However, if we continue to ignore the energy realities before us to achieve partisan goals, we risk becoming a prisoner to not only extreme domestic agendas, but to those adversaries and competitors around the world who wish to destroy or weaken us. This cannot happen.
The world needs America to reaffirm its status as not only a global military and economic superpower, but as the global energy superpower. This was the defining purpose of the IRA, because, make no mistake, energy security is national security. Ignoring this simple fact to win an election will carry the gravest of geopolitical and domestic consequences for decades to come.
