Thune: Senate Republicans Work to Lower Energy Costs

“Republicans will keep working to build a more secure and more affordable energy future.”

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):

“Thank you, Mr. President.

“This week the Senate has focused on unleashing American energy.

“As I’ve said before, our country is facing some serious energy challenges.

“We need more power, or we face the possibility of a future defined by unreliable and unaffordable energy.

“Which is why President Trump declared an energy emergency on his first day in office – to produce more energy, build more infrastructure, and ultimately bring energy prices down.

“But our Democrat colleagues made it clear yesterday that they don’t believe such an emergency exists.

“The senator from Virginia called it a ‘sham.’

“Our colleague from New Hampshire said it was, and I quote, ‘an emergency declaration in search of an emergency.’

“And every Senate Democrat voted to deny the emergency that our country faces.

“I guess they haven’t seen the reports of the precarious state of American energy.

“Last year, a Washington Post headline read, and I quote, ‘Amid explosive demand, America is running out of power.’

“A recent report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation warns of, and I quote again, ‘mounting resource adequacy challenges’ in the next decade.

“So, Mr. President, whether Democrats want to acknowledge it or not, the signs of a rapidly approaching energy crisis are clear:

“There’s a threat of blackouts.

“Not enough power to meet demand.

“Heightened prices for gas and utilities.

“Apparently Democrats don’t think these are cause for alarm.

“But whether they’re willing to acknowledge it or not – and yesterday’s vote, I think, made clear that they’re not – we have a serious problem.

“And if we don’t do something about it, we face a future with an unreliable and unaffordable energy supply.

“Republicans, Mr. President, are taking action.

“This week, the Senate is working to prevent two of the Biden administration’s anti-energy policies from going into effect.

“On Tuesday, the Senate passed Senator Kennedy’s resolution to stop the Biden administration’s marine archeology rule.

“Offshore oil and gas producers have long been required to submit an archeological report before drilling if their project area was thought to include things like shipwrecks, settlements, or other archeological sites.

“But last year the Biden administration decided to require archeological reports for all offshore projects – even when there’s nothing to suggest the project will be near an archeological site.

“It’s just another way, Mr. President, to slow down production and heap more costs on producers – costs that consumers eventually pay.

“And it’s another part of the Biden administration’s efforts to close off America’s waters to conventional energy production.

“Under President Biden, offshore permits dropped to a two-decade low.

“The administration’s offshore leasing plan included only three possible leases – down from 47 in an earlier draft from the first Trump administration.

“And, of course, there was President Biden’s last-minute ban on oil and gas production in 625 million acres of America’s waters.

“Why would we so severely limit the use of our natural resources is beyond me.

“And under Republican leadership, we will be leveraging those assets to restore American energy dominance.

“Later today, the Senate will also vote on a resolution to block the $6 billion natural gas tax that was included in Democrats’ so-called Inflation Reduction Act.

“This tax would increase costs for energy producers and limit energy production, leading to higher utility bills for many Americans.

“And under the Biden administration’s implementation of this tax, it would hit smaller operations the hardest.

“On top of that, the tax puts tens of thousands of jobs at risk, including in natural gas-rich states like Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Texas, and North Dakota.

“The Senate will vote later today to stop implementation of this tax on energy producers.

“And I appreciate Senator Hoeven’s leadership on this issue.

“Thanks in substantial part to his efforts, energy producers will not have to worry about this unnecessary natural gas tax – and the American people won’t have to worry about it driving up their utility bills.

“Mr. President, it would be nice if Democrats would join us in our efforts – if not to avoid our rapidly approaching energy crisis, at least to promote more affordable prices for Americans.

“I’ve recently been hearing our Democrat colleagues express newfound interest in fighting inflation.

“If they’re serious about that, they should be joining us in blocking these anti-energy policies that are driving prices up.

“But with Democrats or without, Republicans will keep working to build a more secure and more affordable energy future.”