We must support – not vilify – American energy producers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Pat Fallon (R-Texas) today delivered opening remarks at a field hearing in Plano, Texas titled “Drilling Down: Oversight of the Challenges and Opportunities Facing U.S. Energy Production”. Subcommittee Chairman Fallon discussed how the Biden Administration has pushed green-at-all-costs policies that have undermined American-made energy and raised energy costs.
Subcommittee Chairman Fallon’s remarks appear below.
Today’s hearing is a unique opportunity to bring the economic, energy and regulatory affairs conversations in Washington to the great state of Texas. Texas has long been a leader in energy production, helping to provide the world with the affordable, reliable energy that many of us take for granted.
From turning on a light switch to the plastics and goods we use daily, the uses of hydrocarbons – the basis of fossil fuel energy sources such as petroleum and natural gas – are everywhere you look.
We have our energy producers and workforce in Texas and across the country to thank for that.
In 2019, the U.S. became a net-energy exporter for the first time since the 1950s.
This simply does not happen without strong leadership and significant technological innovation.
Strong leadership by President Trump slashed red tape and enabled companies to invest in production instead of fighting government bureaucracy.
Technological innovations, such as those used in the development of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, helped us gain access to resources thought to be unreachable prior to the Shale Revolution.
American leadership in energy helped dramatically reduce global energy prices and brought significant economic prosperity to both the communities supplying these resources and communities across the globe who have experienced improved standards of living.
This is no small feat, and one that we should take an immense amount of pride in as a country.
Unfortunately, the Biden Administration and congressional Democrats has sought to vilify the oil and gas industry for contributing to climate change, and they blame hard-working folks, like those here in Texas, for their problems.
In 2019, the Biden Administration promised to “end fossil fuel and has since sought to push green-at-all-costs policies that are often more expensive and make us more reliant on Chinese supply chains to sustain our way of life.
The Administration wants Americans to believe wind and solar energy alone can support the grid right now.
In reality, we will be relying on fossil fuels for many years to come.
From canceling pipelines to banning LNG exports, the Biden Administration believes that caving to whims of climate activists and billionaire donors will make the world a better place.
This couldn’t be any farther from the truth.
Over the past 200 years, and with the rise of modern energy production, human life expectancy has risen from 30 to 70 years and the percentage of the global population living in significant poverty – surviving on less than $2 per day – has dropped to less than 10 percent.
There is no wealthy country in the world that does not require a significant amount of energy to sustain their way of life.
And there is no impoverished country that can improve their standard of living without stable and affordable energy.
None of these achievements would be possible without the hardworking men and women within the energy industry, many of whom work long hours and spend years learning and perfecting the skills necessary to meet growing energy needs.
Technical programs across the country – such as Coterra Energy’s partnership with Lackawanna College’s School of Petroleum and Natural Gas – saw the need to improve access to skills training within their communities and jumped into action to help fulfill this need.
For folks wanting to pursue a career in energy, we need to provide them with the opportunities to do so right now.
Regardless of what the Biden Administration tells you, we have – and will – rely upon fossil fuels well into the future, and we will all be better off for it.
I thank each of our witnesses for being here today.
I look forward to learning more from each of you about the opportunities and challenges faced by the energy industry, both here at home and abroad.
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