Coalition of 25 oil and natural gas trade associations support the Lower Energy Costs Act
A coalition of 25 oil and natural gas trade associations Tuesday sent a letter to leadership in the U.S. House to show their support for House Resolution 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act.
The bill compiles 17 existing bills on energy, commerce, natural resources, transportation, and infrastructure into a single Act.
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It’s sponsored by Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and co-sponsored by Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), and Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.). It includes legislation led by 25 individual members, according to the bill summary from the Office of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.
It is likely headed for a floor vote next week.
According to a statement from Western Energy Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma, the Act will help reverse what she says is the Biden administration’s agenda of interference with energy markets.
The Act, said Sgamma, “is the antidote to the Biden Administration’s agenda of interfering with energy markets and using regulatory obstacles to hamper oil and natural gas development.”
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At least one environmental group vigorously disagrees. Three other environmental groups did not respond to a request for comment before press time. Neither did Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ office.
“Undermining environmental review and desperately trying to ramp up drilling and mining on and beyond public lands as quickly as possible under the guise of climate-friendly solutions is an insult to the public,” according to The Wilderness Society in an article on its website. “If passed, this legislation will keep us tied to an unstable and unhealthy dependence on fossil fuel energy and irresponsible mining development while filling the pockets of fossil fuel executives, lobbyists and their allies in Congress and doing little to actually lower costs for communities.”
Industry trade representatives say fossil fuels will be needed into the future and that America cannot sacrifice energy independence and security.
“Real, lasting change comes from bipartisan, common-sense, economically-sound solutions,” said Mike Sommers, President, and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute in a release. “We all share the common goals of providing reliable energy to Americans; enhancing our energy security; cementing our energy independence for years to come; and making energy safer, cleaner, and more affordable.”
Provisions in the long and complex bill would overhaul federal permitting processes and laws that industry advocates say stifle energy production.
“The red tape we have experienced over the past few years is not intended to protect the environment but to handcuff American oil and natural gas production in a misguided attempt to quickly transition to an alternative reality that does not exist,” according to the the letter to McCarthy and Scalise.
The Act also updates the National Environmental Policy Act which details the steps required for projects that may affect the environment by streamlining the process.
“The measures to restore common sense to NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) analysis would have positive impacts throughout the entire economy by enabling infrastructure projects to move forward, whether for pipelines or roads and bridges,” Sgamma said.
The trade association emphasized that reopening federal mineral leasing both onshore and offshore would restore 25% of U.S. oil and gas production federal mineral leases produce.
“The Biden Administration has spent two years discouraging American energy production and putting critical infrastructure projects through endless permitting delays,” said the summary of H.R. 1 from McCarthy’s office. “These misguided policies have increased costs for every American and weakened our national security – and made the rest of the world more reliant on dirtier energy from Russia and China. The Lower Energy Costs Act is critical to growing our economy and restoring American energy leadership.”
The group includes Colorado’s Western Energy Alliance and the Colorado Oil and Gas Association.




