Energy

The Commonwealth of Kentucky relies heavily on fossil fuels, and our coal resources provide our state thousands of jobs and deliver over 83 percent of our electricity. This allows Kentuckians to enjoy some of the lowest average electricity rates in the nation. It is imperative that our country work towards energy dominance and strong economic growth and security by rolling back onerous regulations and allowing for the innovation and development of fossil fuel technology. Throughout my time in Congress I have supported legislation to do just that. My efforts to promote American energy independence and economic growth through energy dominance include:

• Adamantly and actively opposing the Green New Deal and the elimination of carbon-based fuels from our energy grid, which would jeopardize our national and economic security.
• Strongly supported and voted for H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, legislation that would end the Biden Administration’s war on domestic energy production by unleashing U.S. energy businesses to mass produce cheap and reliable energy.  This landmark bill would: 
                   
  o Fast-track the approval process for American energy production on federal lands and waters. 
  o Expedite hardrock mining, streamline manufacturing, and make it easier to transport and export cleaner American natural gas by repealing the natural gas tax and speeding permitting for these critical projects.
  o Makes the U.S. energy dominant again and no longer reliant on China, Venezuela, and other adversarial countries to provide our country with the energy resources we need. 

• The Lower Energy Costs Act also includes my legislation, the National Security Through America’s Resources and Permitting Reform Act of 2021. This legislation would add projects related to the extraction, recovery, or processing of critical minerals, rare earth elements, microfine carbon, or carbon from coal, coal waste, coal processing waste, pre-or post-combustion coal byproducts, or acid mine drainage from coal mines to the list of “covered projects” under FAST-41, enabling the United States to decrease our dangerous dependence on China for critical minerals used to support our defense. 
• To protect our great Kentucky farmers, I’ve also cosponsored and voted legislation to nullify the Waters of the United States rule, an outrageous and crushing regulation that discriminates against our farmers. 
• In addition, I’ve also used my role as a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee to lead the way in combatting the politicization of access to capital and the dangerous environmental, social, governance (ESG) movement. While the ESG investing crusade primarily jeopardizes financial returns for investors, it also limits capital for energy producers.  In the first year of the Biden Administration, investment in oil and natural gas exploration dropped by 25%.  To read more about my work on enhancing access to capital, click here or visit my financial services section of this website.