OPINION:
North Dakotans are a major contributor to increased U.S. energy production and we help the United States lead in emissions reduction across the world. Despite the narrative coming from the environmentalist left, the United States has proven that the best way to reduce emissions is to empower innovation and technological advancements, not double down on onerous regulations that do nothing to keep the air and water clean.
In North Dakota, our energy sector has been the driver of our state’s economic prosperity for years. Our resources have strengthened national security and have helped our country achieve energy independence.
However, it has become abundantly clear that President Biden is waging a full-on war with the energy sector. The administration has put the agenda of radical environmentalists above hardworking Americans and their families. The administration’s policies have forced the world to become more reliant on energy from our adversaries, which has damaged American energy security and advancement.
This administration has consistently shown that it will disregard commonsense and kowtow to the radical left.
President Biden’s ban on LNG exports in February, for example, was an insult to American energy producers and a gift to our adversaries. The ban benched our leading energy producers just as we were stabilizing global demand while meeting record emissions standards.
The decision to take U.S. LNG exports offline created a void that was quickly filled by our adversaries. As the rest of the world continues to use natural gas, it is now being supplied by Russia and Middle Eastern countries that produce energy less responsibly and fund anti-American activities around the world.
As a response to the ridiculous ban, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing in February titled, “Politics Over People: How Biden’s LNG Export Ban Threatens America’s Energy and Economic Security.” During this hearing, I spoke about how the Biden administration’s decision to ban future permits for LNG facilities decreases incentives for U.S. energy producers, which will undermine our domestic energy supply and national security.
More recently, I was proud to support House Resolution 987 “Denouncing the harmful, anti-American energy policies of the Biden administration.” This resolution would condemn the energy and federal land policies of the Biden administration. It also encourages the domestic production of reliable and affordable energy generation sources.
Fortunately, House Republicans have taken other proactive measures to combat the Biden administration’s war on energy, including efforts like introducing H.R. 1121, the “Protecting American Energy Production Act.” This legislation would prohibit the President from unilaterally declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing. This bill would also express the sense of Congress that states should maintain regulatory primacy of fracking on state and private lands.
States like North Dakota know how to responsibly manage our energy resources, just like we have done in the Bakken Formation. This bill ensures that authority remains in the states. We don’t need the federal government undermining our ability to develop these domestic energy reserves.
From oil and gas, to coal, biofuels, hydropower, and renewable power, North Dakota is part of the solution to meet domestic and global energy demand, not the problem. Our state has helped pave the way toward American energy independence while we feed and fuel the world.
This is the message I carried as I led a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to the United Nations climate summit, known as COP28, in Dubai.
During COP28, we met with leaders from around the globe and I shared how North Dakota, as well as other states in the U.S. are leading the charge to clean, affordable, and reliable energy.
It was important to spread this message at COP28 because the world needs to understand how Americans have responsibly utilized our domestic energy resources while reducing emissions. We should be engaged in the conversation, and more importantly, rural communities should be involved in the global discussion.
I was encouraged but not surprised to learn that leaders in developing countries view us as an example as they look to responsibly develop their resources and improve the quality of life for their citizens. These leaders are hungry for energy and for the technologies needed to produce it. Therefore, we must engage with developing countries, hold the line against our adversaries, and keep holding the Biden administration responsible for weakening our energy sector.
• Rep. Kelly Armstrong has represented North Dakota in the House since 2018. He serves on the House Energy and Commerce and Judiciary Committees. He previously served in the North Dakota State Senate.
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