Lowering Energy Costs
Dear Friend,
Over the last couple of years, it has become increasingly evident that there is an energy crisis. All you have to do is look at your power or gas bill and you’ll quickly realize we’ve got a major problem. Over the last couple of years, energy prices have skyrocketed, and while they may have fluctuated here and there, that’s no consolation for opening a bill that has tripled. Folks across North Missouri are hurting as a result. Something must be done.
That’s why last week I joined Majority Leader Steve Scalise and my colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee to introduce the Lower Energy Costs Act. That’s what Republicans are committed to doing and that’s why we introduced this bill, recognizing what others won’t—this is truly a crisis.
I’ve said all along that the key to solving the energy crisis rests in American energy independence. Increasing our domestic production capabilities is critical to getting this done. That means pursuing every possible avenue to make it happen.
The first step can’t get more obvious—we’ve got to be able to drill for more oil here at home. Not only that, but we also need to stop disincentivizing folks from doing it with onerous taxes and fees. It’s not only drilling, but also mining for minerals which are critical for our energy independence. We’ve got an abundance of riches here in America and there is no reason we shouldn’t take advantage of that fact.
It’s not just at the gas pump. Natural gas bills have been particularly devastating for homeowners and business owners this past winter. Repealing restrictions on importing and exporting natural gas is just the first step to ensuring this problem doesn’t continue to grow.
The key to moving any of these energy projects forward is getting the bureaucracy out of the way. The government permitting process should be limited and focused, removing the opportunity for activists to hijack the process which keeps projects from getting done. This bill does exactly that, streamlining the permitting process and ensuring that it isn’t weaponized against energy projects.
So, if the solutions are so obvious, why aren’t we doing it? It’s not too hard to figure out. Fringe Green New Deal devotees are more interested in their ideology than lowering our energy costs. To the average American who pays the price of our ongoing energy crisis, these ideas aren’t controversial at all. We’ve got to get the government out of the way and take advantage of the resources that God has blessed us with to solve the problem.
Sincerely,
Sam Graves