Subcommittees

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, wrote letters to eight Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) grant recipients. “The Committee has had concerns about the GGRF program since its creation—including the program’s unusual structure, a potential lack of due diligence in selecting award recipients, and the recipients’ ability to manage the large influx of federal dollars they received from the EPA. A recent Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing examined these issues and the speed with which money was pushed out the door by the Biden Administration’s EPA, which raised additional questions about certain GGRF recipients.” said Chairmen Guthrie, Palmer, and Griffith. “ This investigation is key to evaluating whether these funds were awarded fairly and impartially to qualified applicants and determining how the federal funds are being used.”   Background:  The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) authorized the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create and implement a $27 billion GGRF program. Of this appropriation, $20 billion was awarded to just eight grant recipients; with $14 billion awarded to three grant recipients under the National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF) program and $6 billion awarded to five grant recipients under the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) program.    Letters: National Clean Investment Fund Program Recipients Coalition for Green Capital Climate United Fund Power Forward Communities   Clean Communities Investment Accelerator Program Recipients Justice Climate Fund Opportunity Finance Network Inclusiv Native CDFI Network Appalachian Community Capital Read the story here . ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, released the following statement after Mark Meador was confirmed by the Senate to serve as a Commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission: “In the last administration, the FTC abandoned its rich bipartisan tradition and historical mission, in favor of a radical agenda and partisan mismanagement. The Commission needs to return to protecting Americans from bad actors and preserving competition in the marketplace,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Bilirakis. “We trust that Commissioner Meador, along with Chairman Ferguson and Commissioner Holyoak, are capable of restoring America’s trust in this institution and returning the Commission to its former position as the country’s premier consumer protection agency focusing on transparency and accountability.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, led a full committee hearing titled Converting Energy into Intelligence: the Future of AI Technology, Human Discovery, and American Global Competitiveness. “On Energy and Commerce, we have a broad jurisdiction. From energy to telecom to health care applications, AI touches it all. That is why it is critical for our committee to lead in fostering a regulatory environment that leaves room for innovation and allows us to produce the massive amounts of energy needed to support AI development,”  said Chairman Guthrie.  “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure the United States wins the race to AI dominance, and we won’t let it pass us by.” Watch the full hearing here . Below are key excerpts from yesterday’s hearing : Congressman John Joyce (PA-13): “AI is the defining technology of the next several decades. It will have a revolutionary effect on all aspects of our lives. It will be integral in everything from high-level data analysis to the use of a search engine. In industries as diverse as energy production and healthcare, AI is already making significant inroads. As a doctor, we see AI integrated into innovative medical devices, helping to translate the information collected by the device into clinical guidance. In medical practices, AI can help streamline administrative tasks, allowing doctors to ultimately spend more time with their patients. This is just the beginning of the capabilities that AI will give us, and it is why it is critical that the US leads the way in the deployment of this technology.” Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12): “I'm proud to represent one of the largest clusters of data centers in the country. Google, Amazon Web Services, Meta, QTS, Vantage, and more have data centers in central Ohio and my district. In total, power demand from data centers will reach 5,000 megawatts in central Ohio by 2030 based on signed power agreements. Just last month, Williams announced a $1.6 billion investment to build two new natural gas fire plants in Lincoln County with a combined capacity of 400 megawatts. This reliable base load power generation is critical to meet growing demand in central Ohio. Dr. Schmidt, in order to alleviate strain on the electric grid, I'm curious what role or involvement you think these tech companies should have in helping to bring in new generation to secure the massive amount of power needed for their facilities. And how should these companies partner with grid operators or power providers to ensure we can properly account for tracking, growing, tracking demand?” Dr. Schmidt: “When I was at Google, we made a bet on Ohio and we built the largest data center at the time in the world, which was massive. The data centers you're describing are 10 times larger than anything I ever built way back when I was doing this, only 7 years ago. It gives you a sense of the scale of the investment in what you're doing. The best thing to do is to have a strategy within your state where everybody agrees to solve the energy power problem. We found in working in Ohio that we were able to get access to the high voltage lines that we could not get access to elsewhere. We built our own substations which are also massive. That's what it takes. That's what every one of you is going to have to do to have your states be a center for AI in the AI revolution.” Congressman Gabe Evans (CO-08): “My district is truly an all of the above energy district - 83% of the oil, 56% of the natural gas in Colorado. The largest wind generating, the wind turbine manufacturing facility actually in the United States, is headquartered in my district. Geothermal, solar - we truly are an all of the above, but specifically with gas plants. One of the things that I've heard there is that there's a major backlog in getting the gas turbines. So can you speak a little bit more to the timing of retiring the coal generation if you don't have a gas alternate immediately ready to go?” Dr. Schmidt: “The reason the natural gas plants have become more expensive is demand, which is sort of what we want, right? We want more of everything and then the market will react. The problem is that these things take years with backlogs to get to you. That delay in natural gas plants will hurt AI competitiveness because it's the best source of power in certain situations.” ###