WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Tiffany (WI-07) delivered the following floor remarks during the Special Order on President Biden’s recent changes to energy policy.

“Mr. Speaker, the first steps taken by the Biden administration have undermined national security, economic security, and job security for millions of Americans. First came the White House decision to shred the Keystone XL pipeline permit – a slap in the face to our friends in Canada, and a pink slip for countless Americans who rely on this strategic energy security project for their livelihoods.

“Then came the moratorium on federal oil and gas leases, the prospect of a long-term drilling ban on public lands, and even steps to halt energy projects on private land. The White House has also pushed the U.S. back into the UN’s Paris Climate Treaty –subjecting American interests to the whim of international bureaucrats, killing family-wage American jobs that can’t be outsourced, raising prices at the pump, and draining trillions of dollars from the US economy.”

“All of this was done with a stroke of the President’s pen, and without approval from Congress. And the ramifications will be disastrous.”

“Mr. Speaker, when it comes to national security, it is no coincidence that we have seen peace ‘break out’ in the Middle East over the last few years. The diplomatic achievements of the Trump administration in that troubled region are a result, in part, of policies that have made American energy dominance a reality. We have reduced our reliance on OPEC, thus limiting the energy-related entanglements that have drawn us into costly foreign conflicts.”

“By turning-back-the-clock on these historic gains, the new administration is putting more American lives and treasure at risk.  Closer to home, the economic costs will also be direct. The cancelation of the Keystone Pipeline and new energy restrictions have put Wisconsin jobs on the chopping block – including more than 2,000 jobs at Michels Corp. and Precision Pipeline. And these companies will not be the only victims of the Biden administration’s ‘Great Leap Backward’ on energy.”

“Thousands of ‘downstream’ companies provide support services to pipeline firms – businesses like parts suppliers, steel workers, fracking sand mine operators, and even restaurants, taverns and other Main Street businesses who count energy industry workers among their customers.”

“All of these businesses are now in the crosshairs for another economic hit: This one inflicted by their own government in Washington – not a pandemic from Wuhan. Even more galling was the administration’s glib response that these hardworking Americans should simply ‘suck it up’ and ‘find better jobs.’ Is this what “unity” looks like, Mr. Speaker? By taking aim at Americans who work in oil and gas, the Biden administration will cripple a key stream of revenues for state and local governments – funding that they rely on to pay for schools, road repairs, first responders and public health services.”

“In Wisconsin alone, the loss of revenue associated with the cancellation of Keystone is estimated to hit $3 billion. This makes no sense. While people in our communities are struggling to pay their bills and find work, this administration is killing jobs and making their lives more expensive. While our friends on the other side are pushing a $350 billion state bailout, the White House is choking off their revenues.”

“And while our nation faces rising threats from foreign adversaries, my friends on the other side are taking active steps that will make America less safe, less secure, and less self-reliant. American workers are tired of being lectured about carbon emissions by people who fly around the world on private jets, like President Biden’s climate czar John Kerry, who admitted that even if U.S. emissions dropped to zero, it would make no difference because 90% of CO2 comes from other countries. In fact, 1/3 of total global emissions come from China.”

“The bottom line is that access to affordable, abundant, and reliable energy is essential to a dynamic economy – supporting millions of good, ‘Made in the USA’ jobs in American manufacturing.”

“Mr. Speaker, when the White House attacks home-grown energy jobs for purely political gain, China wins and America loses. American workers deserve better than this.”

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