“Front line communities across this country have been sounding the alarm on fossil fuels for decades upon decades,” said Grijalva. “These communities, majority black, brown, indigenous and poor, have been sidelined for too long on this very, very important issue. Their voices are finally being heard.”
Grijalva called the Republican resolution a “love letter” to the fossil fuel industry. The Arizona Democrat said the fight last year against H.R. 1 wasn’t enough. “In response to this LNG pause, we’ll have energy week brought to you by the Republican majority in the House, rehashing the same fights over H.R. 1.”
Grijalva said Democrats will “lay out why the climate crisis demands an urgent and wholesale transition away from fossil fuels” and remind Republicans of the “health impacts and disparities” caused by the “polluting industry.”
Originally published in Bloomberg Government by Kellie Lunney.
House Republicans are launching a campaign against the Biden administration’s energy agenda to culminate with votes the week of Feb. 12, Democrats warned Thursday.
The Rules Committee on Thursday approved a teed up rule for a non-binding GOP resolution denouncing Biden energy policies, sparked in part by the White House’s recent pause on pending applications for liquefied natural gas export approvals. Additionally, Republicans could use legislation (H.R. 1130), which Energy and Commerce reported out last March, as a vehicle to reverse Biden’s LNG pause, Rep. Raul Grijalva, the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee said.
Republicans may also use the week to bring to the floor other energy priorities. The office of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said nothing official has been announced yet.
That bill, sponsored by former Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), would repeal restrictions on natural gas imports and exports, including those related to free trade agreements. It also would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission exclusive authority to approve or deny LNG facility permits.
The GOP campaign comes almost a year after the House passed H.R. 1, its signature energy legislation, aimed at increasing domestic energy production and security. President Biden last week announced a temporary halt to pending applications related to LNG exports and expansion of facilities on the US Gulf Coast while the Energy Department conducts economic and environmental reviews of the projects.
Climate activists and progressive Democrats on Thursday gathered at the Capitol to cheer the decision but also to warn that the fight against oil and gas pollution isn’t over.
“Front line communities across this country have been sounding the alarm on fossil fuels for decades upon decades,” said Grijalva. “These communities, majority black, brown, indigenous and poor, have been sidelined for too long on this very, very important issue. Their voices are finally being heard.”
Roishetta Ozane, founder of the Vessel Project of Louisiana and an activist from Southwest Louisiana, was among the climate advocates in Washington Thursday. The group was headed to the White House Thursday afternoon following the Capitol Hill press conference.
“The people behind me are mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, land protectors, water protectors. We represent the communities that are at stake here,” said Ozane, a mother of six children. “We represent the people who are literally dying because of decisions that are made here in D.C.” The Vessel Project is a community-driven mutual aid and disaster relief organization. Southwest Louisiana is home to multiple LNG facilities.
Grijalva called the Republican resolution a “love letter” to the fossil fuel industry. The Arizona Democrat said the fight last year against H.R. 1 wasn’t enough. “In response to this LNG pause, we’ll have energy week brought to you by the Republican majority in the House, rehashing the same fights over H.R. 1.”
Grijalva said Democrats will “lay out why the climate crisis demands an urgent and wholesale transition away from fossil fuels” and remind Republicans of the “health impacts and disparities” caused by the “polluting industry.”
Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said she was heading to the community of Port Arthur, Texas on the US Gulf Coast this week with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) “to see firsthand the devastation that has been left behind by the LNG plants and operations.”
Jayapal said she would use the trip as an opportunity to “continue to fight for additional executive actions to help the communities that are already affected but also to make sure we get the right results out of this pause and this review.”