Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-WA) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee markup of seven bills.

Excerpts and highlights below:

STRENGTHENING AMERICA’S CRITICAL MINERALS SUPPLY CHAINS AGAINST CHINA

“This markup builds on our work this morning in the Energy subcommittee.

“We will consider an additional seven bills for affordable, reliable, and secure energy for all Americans.

“These solutions protect the environment, support energy expansion, and increase domestic manufacturing with reforms that reduce both costs and emissions.

“Four of the bills today reduce regulatory red tape for critical energy resource facilities without compromising environmental protections.

“We know that the demand for critical minerals is expected to double by 2040, and these bills would support American jobs to meet that demand.

“For example, Representative Carter’s bill avoids years of likely delays under the Solid Waste Disposal Act, also known as RCRA, by granting interim permits that are subject to EPA review.

“Representative Joyce’s bill requires the EPA Administrator to review and update as necessary the flexible air permitting program, so it works better for critical energy resource facilities.

“Used by EPA since 2009, flexible permitting provides more predictability, timely permitting decisions, and ensures environmental protections.

“Representative Pence’s bill provides the EPA Administrator a new, and important, tool to address shortages of critical minerals and energy materials that threaten national security or energy security.

“Representative Curtis’s bill addresses well-known delays by EPA in meeting legally required deadlines to approve new critical energy resources and new uses of existing critical energy resources.

“Streamlining permitting for critical energy resources is especially important, given these resources are, by definition, particularly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.

“As a Department of Energy assessment notes, China’s control of key materials in renewable energy is ‘across the board,’—80 percent of rare earths production and refining that are key to direct drives in wind turbines, 60 percent of lithium refining needed for EVs and battery storage, and 100 percent of processing for the graphite in battery anodes.

“We must work harder to reduce reliance on adversaries like China for critical energy resources.

“We need to remove unnecessary barriers to domestic production, processing, and refining.

“We cannot cede our energy leadership to China.”

ROLLING BACK BIDEN’S RUSH-TO-GREEN

“Two of the bills today repeal reckless spending provisions included in the Democrats’ partisan rush-to-green reconciliation package.

“Representative Pfluger’s bill would lower energy costs by repealing the natural gas tax and rescind the remainder of $1.5 billion in federal funding.

“The shale revolution drove down American emissions dramatically and strengthened our global standing by enhancing energy security.

“We should be leveraging our ingenuity to reduce carbon emissions, not picking winners and losers in the energy industry or making life more expensive for the hardworking people of this country.

“Furthermore, Representative Palmer’s bill would repeal the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

“This is the $27 billion green bank slush fund that EPA is using to funnel taxpayer funds to banking and finance entities, which keep all the proceeds.

“Transparency and accountability of federal funding is key to good government.

“This program was rushed into law with no accountability or oversight necessary for taxpayer stewardship.

“Finally, Representative Crenshaw’s bill would protect American refining by addressing significant overreach by the EPA.

“Refineries that depend on HF alkylation represent 50% of total US refinery capacity, and preventing existing refineries that use the proven technology from operating would be detrimental to the energy economy.”

EXPANDING AMERICAN ENERGY AND REDUCING EMISSIONS

“Our solutions today are a starting point to encourage energy expansion across the country.

“We must create an energy system in the United States that is affordable, reliable, and secure, while maintaining our high environmental standards to ensure clean air, water, and soil–and these bills do just that.

“By embracing abundant energy sources here at home, we can advance prosperity for American families, enhance our own security, and reduce emissions.

“I look forward to advancing the legislation before the subcommittee today to help us unleash American energy, lower energy costs, and strengthen supply chains.”