OPINION:
My home state of Kentucky has been on the front lines of Democrats’ war on American-made energy for years. The decline of coal production and closure of coal-fired power plants in the Commonwealth has made our grid less secure and resulted in the loss of thousands of good-paying jobs, causing ripple effects across our communities that are still felt today.
The United States must reverse course and reassert our leadership in global energy production and innovation. As a senior member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee and a member of the Conservative Climate Caucus, I believe we can achieve this goal by using the abundant natural resources we have in the U.S. We can accomplish this by increasing domestic energy production, as well as developing and deploying new technologies that will help us diversify our energy portfolio and ensure we continue to be good stewards of our environment.
Demand for energy is growing in the United States, and the time to reclaim our role as a leading energy producer is well overdue. Like many states, Kentucky is home to one of our best resources: proud and tested energy workers. That’s why I introduced the Nuclear for Brownfields Site Preparation Act, which I am happy to report recently passed the House as part of the Atomic Energy Advancement Act. This helps to make use of our existing infrastructure and our critical energy workforce while bolstering our grid with the increased energy we need to power our economy.
The Biden administration’s rush-to-green agenda continues to force electrification over other methods of generating power, meaning demand for electricity will grow even stronger than it already is today. We must embrace an all-of-the-above energy agenda to return to the energy dominance we experienced under the Trump administration. In addition to expanding nuclear energy production, we must also increase American oil and gas production, including LNG production and trade, and look for options to increase hydropower and other low-carbon sources of energy.
From Day One of the Biden administration, Washington liberals have been working to limit key methods of transporting domestic energy safely, efficiently, and affordably to everyday Americans. That is why under Chair Rodgers and Chair Duncan’s leadership, Energy & Commerce Republicans have included key reforms in the pipeline safety reauthorization act to help expand and modernize pipeline infrastructure in the U.S. for the 21st century.
We must also be vigilant of adversaries and other bad actors who seek to do us harm. Renewable energy supply chains, such as solar and wind, are heavily dominated by the Chinese Communist Party, as are critical mineral supply chains needed for electric vehicle batteries. The Biden Energy Department has even acknowledged the real threat posed by the technology inside EVs that China has exported across the world.
To compete in the 21st Century, we must continue our work to achieve permitting reforms that will enable critical minerals to be mined right here in the United States. Congress passing H.R. 1070 as a part of the Lower Energy Costs Act, which enhances our ability to develop critical energy resources by improving the environmental permitting processes at critical minerals refining and processing facilities, was a strong start to achieving both goals.
We also must bolster our infrastructure against cyberattacks to protect against significant disruptions to the grid, which could not only impact Americans’ ability to keep the lights on, but also undermine our health care industry and farmers’ ability to feed the nation. Even the rural utility providers, which are the backbone of the grid in so many communities across the country, work every day to fend off attacks from foreign adversaries. We can further assist them by ensuring our providers have the trusted technology made by American companies to help limit the reach of foreign adversaries. Protecting our grid and our infrastructure is essential for Americans and our national security.
Finally, we need to get the government out of the business of picking winners and losers and allow American innovators to do what they’ve done for centuries: find solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow.
The future of America is on the line. By embracing these America-first energy policies, we will reestablish American energy independence, lower energy costs, and keep the lights on and homes heated across the country. This begins with an all-of-the-above energy approach that builds on our energy infrastructure and the abundant natural resources we already have, while continuing to innovate to develop future energy technologies that will power our nation for generations to come.
• Rep. Brett Guthrie represents the Second Congressional District of Kentucky. Following his military service in the Army, Guthrie joined a manufacturing business based in Bowling Green, Kent., that was started by his father and represented the 32nd District in the Kentucky Senate. Guthrie was elected to the House in 2008 and currently serves as the chair of the Health Subcommittee on the House Energy & Commerce Committee and as a deputy whip within the House Republican Conference.
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