Countering President Biden’s unprecedented war on American energy

OPINION:

Since Day One in the White House, President Biden has consistently made policy decisions based on the views of the extreme climate lobby — disregarding their impact on everyday Americans. From cancelling the Keystone XL Pipeline to revoking leases for oil, gas, and mining across the West, it is clear the president’s unprecedented war on domestic energy producers has put the United States in a vulnerable position.

This is not a surprise, given the president’s campaign promise to “end fossil fuels.” However, decreasing our own domestic production does not “end” fossil fuels — it just displaces jobs and economic output to other countries for our own needs. And worse, it has increased energy costs for Americans.

During the recent Energy Week, the House passed several pieces of legislation denouncing the harmful, anti-American energy policies of the Biden Administration, outlining all the shortfalls of his “green” policy decisions, and taking action to protect domestic energy production.

If the United States is to be at the forefront of energy production and innovation, as we historically have been, we must pursue an all-of-the-above energy approach, utilizing all available sources of energy, both traditional and renewable. This means investing in renewable energy technologies like nuclear, wind and hydropower while innovating our oil, natural gas, and coal resources responsibly. The United States can expand our domestic capabilities, but in order to do so, the Biden Administration must cease its attacks on domestic sources.

On Day One of his presidency, President Biden increased our reliance on foreign adversarial nations for energy and increased costs for consumers and producers. One of the president’s first actions this year was to pause all future liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminal permits under the guise of climate change, limiting our ability to export LNG to our allies. This move came directly after the United States became the global leader in LNG exports for the first time in 2023. Thankfully, House Republicans passed H.R. 7176, the Unlocking Our Domestic Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Potential Act of 2024, less than a month later. This legislation repeals all restrictions on the import and export of natural gas. Limiting future LNG exports is a gift to Vladimir Putin, and denying future permits would jeopardize our national security, as well as global energy markets.

President Biden also killed the Keystone XL Pipeline, which could be supplying over 830,000 barrels of oil from Canada to U.S. refineries. This would have helped keep our energy costs lower and would have been more environmentally friendly than importing from less efficient producing countries. Instead, the president chose to cave to the extreme climate lobby and increase imports from countries like Venezuela, committing an energy security blunder so large we still feel the effects of it today.

Increasing our reliance on foreign adversaries is only the most recent attack on American energy producers by the Biden Administration. This administration has also acted to cancel oil and gas leases in Alaska and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, even though these leases were mandated under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, ensuring responsible resource development is of the utmost importance to me, which is why I have been advocating for both energy independence and multiple-use mandates on our federal lands across the west. The regulatory assault this administration has pursued destroys any incentive for domestic energy producers to invest in America’s resources, destabilizing our energy market and spurring higher prices. The United States produces the cleanest and safest energy in the world from traditional resources like oil and natural gas, discouraging investments that would create jobs and expand our supply of domestic natural gas in the name of climate change is delusional.

The Biden Administration’s war on clean, safe, and affordable energy is not sustainable. Americans cannot afford to continue compromising our national security to appease extreme environmentalists. While we in the House Republican majority continue to pass common-sense energy solutions, I urge the president to reflect on his decisions and swiftly change course to ensure an energy independent future.

• Rep. Dan Newhouse is a lifelong resident of Central Washington and a third-generation Yakima Valley farmer. He served four terms as a legislator in the Washington State House of Representatives, representing the 15th Legislative District from 2003 to 2009. From 2009 to 2013, Dan served as Director of Washington State’s Department of Agriculture. Dan attended Washington State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee where he sits on the Agriculture, Energy and Water, and Homeland Security Subcommittees.