09.15.23

Sullivan, Hageman Introduce Bill to Hold Administration Accountable for Regressive Energy Policies Targeting Rural and Low-Income Americans

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Representative Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) introduced legislation this week that would curtail inflationary pressures caused by higher energy costs and defend communities most at risk of energy poverty, particularly rural, elderly, minority, and low-income Americans. The Energy Poverty Prevention and Accountability Act, featured in Fox News Digital this morning, requires the federal government to show how new regulations and proposed energy projects would affect costs for communities at risk of energy poverty.  

The legislation was filed a week after the Biden administration shut down millions of acres of land for resource development in Alaska’s North Slope, threatening the livelihoods of the predominantly Alaska Natives residents who live in the region. 

“The people most negatively impacted by the Biden administration’s war on American energy have been those in our rural, elderly, and lower-income communities,” Senator Sullivan said. “Under the guise of ‘environmental justice,’ the Biden administration’s hypocritical and short-sighted policies have increased costs on hard-working Americans and disproportionately harmed the very people, particularly Alaska Native communities, this administration so often claims to champion. Just last week, the Department of the Interior announced it was locking up millions of acres of land set aside for resource development, ignoring the objections of the Alaska Native people who live in the area and threatening their economic future.  

“I’ve introduced the Energy Poverty Prevention and Accountability Act which requires federal agencies to be transparent about how their regulations drive up energy costs for at-risk communities. Alaskans are faced with some of the highest energy costs in the nation. This legislation will put a spotlight on how this administration's reckless energy agenda harms our?communities and will give them a voice to fight back.”  

“Supply versus demand is the most basic economic concept,” Representative Hageman said. “Yet, Congressional majorities and presidential administrations led by climate crazed politicians, rather than statesmen, have artificially destroyed supply while demand for energy resources continues to grow. Whether it was President Biden or Obama, Speaker Pelosi or Leader Schumer, these so-called leaders have waged war against American coal and oil and gas, all the while knowing they cannot replace the very energy resources they are undermining.  

“These same officials roll out strategies promoting “environmental justice” and “economic equity” (while never defining either).? Yet, it is ultimately our fellow Americans who struggle to make ends meet when the price at the pump goes up, energy bills reach record highs, and the grocery bill doubles. My bill would expose this culture of false promises by requiring the government to disclose how it currently and in the future will inflict disparate economic pain on at-risk communities across this country.??  

“America’s natural beauty comes from our clean, abundant resources which has provided a quality of life and level of prosperity humanity has never previously seen. Today, Americans suffer from government-imposed wretchedness, and we must chart a new course. The Energy Poverty Prevention and Accountability Act will empower the People and their elected representatives to identify those bad actors intentionally turning off the lights, while holding these officials and their policies accountable. Reform is needed, and this legislation will identify the perpetrators of this government created crisis.” 

ENDORSEMENTS:

  • “At-risk communities take on added economic burdens with the ever-fluctuating rules and regulations aimed at the energy industry which results in increased vulnerability and economic setbacks. USOGA urges Congress to increase transparency by mandating analyses by the Office of Management and Budget, the Government Accountability Office, and the Congressional Budget Office on the effects of new energy policies.” – Tim Stewart, President, U.S. Oil and Gas Association   
  • “U.S. energy producers can deliver affordable and reliable energy for all Americans, however, government regulations targeting the energy industry have caused increases in energy costs that disproportionately impact at-risk communities. The Energy Poverty Prevention and Accountability Act ensures our U.S. energy companies can produce reliable and affordable energy to meet demand, while guaranteeing energy security for the communities that need it most.” – Tim Tarpley, President, Energy Workforce & Technology Council 
  • “Skyrocketing energy costs are crushing the livelihoods of vulnerable populations such as low-income, minority, rural, elderly, and indigenous communities…The Energy Poverty Prevention and Accountability Act is the right step toward curbing the out-of-control costs of regulation and government overreach driving the epidemic of energy poverty in this country.” – Derrick Hollie, The Energy Poverty Prevention Project 
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  • “For the past few years, DEPA has been attempting to inform Congress, press, and the general public about the economic risks to disadvantaged communities when bad policies increase energy prices. The US is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, and we should develop those resources so every socio-economic group (especially the disadvantaged ones) in this country benefit from low cost, reliable energy that is the lifeblood of our economy.” - Domestic Energy Producers Alliance 

BACKGROUND:


The Energy Poverty Prevention and Accountability Act does the following: 

  • Requires the comptroller general and the director of the Office of Management and Budget to jointly submit to Congress a report that identifies at-risk communities experiencing energy poverty and the barriers preventing at-risk communities from accessing reliable and affordable energy. This report will provide recommendations to agencies on actions they can take to reduce energy poverty. 
  • Instructs the director of the Congressional Budget Office to, when reviewing a bill, identify if that bill directs an agency to take action that could affect access to reliable and affordable energy in an at-risk community. 
  • Directs the Department of the Interior to conduct a study on how any proposed executive activity – including the leasing or permitting of an energy or mineral development project, pipeline project, or transmission project on federal land – is likely to alleviate energy poverty in at-risk communities. 
  • Requires any agency promulgating any energy rule or guidance to include a statement certifying that the rule or guidance will not result in energy poverty in at-risk communities. 

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