Washington, D.C. — Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, & Grid Security Chairman Jeff Duncan (R-SC) delivered opening remarks today at the first hearing of the committee in the 118th Congress on flipping the switch and unleashing American energy. 

Below are excerpts and highlights of his opening remarks: 

“I want to start by congratulating Chair Rodgers on holding her first hearing as Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee. 

“She has been a champion of expanding all forms of American energy and I look forward to working with her and the rest of this committee to deliver affordable and reliable energy to all Americans. 

“I also want to thank all the Democratic members that voted for the SPR last week. It was a true bipartisan bill that was voted on the floor. 

“I also want to thank our four witnesses for being here today, I look forward to your insights on the state of American energy.” 

UNLEASHING AMERICAN ENERGY PRODUCTION 

“America became the global leader in crude oil and natural gas production while also leading the world in emissions reductions. 

“We did this by encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit in the private sector. 

“The shale revolution is a perfect example of this. It is estimated that the shale revolution saved US consumers $203 billion dollars annually, breaking down to $2,500 dollars for a family of four. 

“It also lowered energy-related greenhouse gas emissions by 527 million metric tons per year, the most in the world. 

“American energy production and emissions reductions are not mutually exclusive. 

“Unfortunately, Democrats and President Biden’s regressive energy agenda takes a whole of government approach to phase out the oil and gas industry and that’s just wrong. 

“Their agenda discourages investment, and the top-down aggressive regulatory approach seeks to create a government-controlled economy and energy sector. 

“Republicans on Energy and Commerce have solutions to reverse the Democrats’ regressive energy agenda. It starts with unleashing all forms of American energy by creating a regulatory structure that encourages investment and innovation to bring all forms of energy online.” 

ENERGY AFFORDABILITY 

“Energy is the foundation of our economy and impacts every aspect of American life. 

“High energy prices hit low-income and middle-class Americans the hardest. 

“According to the EIA, one-third of American households struggle to pay their energy bills. 

“One in five households have to forgo basic human necessities like food and medicine in order to keep the lights on and heat their homes. 

“The Democrat’s ‘rush to green policies’ are making energy unaffordable. 

“High energy increases the price of everything and contributes to rising inflation. Our policies put the American consumer first, so they don’t have to decide between putting food on the table or keeping the lights on.” 

SECURING OUR ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE 

“Ensuring we not only have affordable energy, but also reliable energy is critical. 

“There is no question, a secure and resilient power grid is necessary for national security and a strong economy. 

“For these reasons, our energy grid is an attractive target for our adversaries. 

“Pipelines, refineries, and other energy infrastructure are also extremely vulnerable to attack. 

“Our policies must prioritize strengthening and hardening our grid and energy infrastructure.” 

AMERICA’S VITAL ROLE IN ENERGY 

“Energy security is national security and our ability to export plays an important role in this. 

“Since Congress lifted the crude oil export ban in 2015, we have seen the benefits of free trade and open markets in the energy sector. 

“When America is a world leader in energy production, the world is a safer place. We can and should export to energy dependent countries who rely on corrupt nations. 

“We have seen how Putin has used energy as a political weapon to keep his stranglehold over Europe. 

“The best way to decrease the leverage of OPEC and Russia and the best weapon against Putin is more U.S. energy production. 

“Nuclear energy also plays a critical role in energy security. Exporting our nuclear technologies gives us the ability to set global nuclear norms. 

“Many of our adversaries recognize this and are prioritizing building up their nuclear sector. 

“It is time the United States takes a hard look at the regulatory obstacles that stand in the way of nuclear advancement in this country. 

“Republicans have solutions to bring more nuclear online by addressing inefficiencies in the permitting process while also maintaining our global gold standard in nuclear safety. 

“I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to bring more nuclear online so we can once again be a global leader. 

“The Ranking Member mentioned China. There’s no doubt that China is adding wind and solar and other renewables to their energy matrix. 

“They’re also building a heck of a lot of coal fired power plants, fossil fuel generation, mining rare Earths that they need for all the technology which is very detrimental to the environment. 

“We’ve got to address those issues and China will be a big part of that. 

“Thank you again Chair Rodgers for holding this timely hearing. It is time we flip the switch, unleash American energy production, and achieve energy dominance.”