Jeff Duncan

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber).

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Fulcher).

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, my friend and colleague from South Carolina, Trey Gowdy, when he served in Congress said this: There is a stubborn thing about facts. It is that they are facts. This resolution is facts. Things the Biden administration has done to hurt American independence are costing Americans more of their hard-earned dollars to pay their basic utility bills and transportation fuels to go to work, take their kids to school, to ball games, or to go to their houses of worship. It is costing them more today to fill their tanks than before the Biden administration took office. In fact, as we pointed out, on day one, the Joe Biden administration started a war on American energy by stopping the Keystone pipeline. He has had fewer lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico than any other President in decades. He had three. President Obama had 20 lease sales. As the majority leader said, instead of President Biden getting on Air Force One after the invasion of Ukraine when energy prices were going up and we were approaching a congressional election cycle, President Biden, instead of getting on Air Force One and going to the OPEC cartel in Saudi Arabia and begging them to produce more fossil fuels--they claim to hate fossil fuels--but we are going to beg OPEC to produce more so that we can consume more. Instead of going to Saudi Arabia in the Middle East, President Biden should have got on his plane and gone to North Dakota, or gone to Pennsylvania to the Marcellus shale, or gone to Louisiana, or gone to the Permian Basin in Texas and begged American producers to produce more so that Americans could use American-produced resources. That is a winning strategy for America: to be energy independent. I am glad the Democrats on the other side of the aisle are talking about energy production being up right now; it is, but it has nothing to do with the Biden administration policies. There is not a single policy or regulation that the Biden administration has put forward that has done anything to help American producers produce more and increase that production. All that production is the result of the Trump administration and past administrations that have leased more property and produced more resources. It takes years to produce a well. It takes years to go out and find the resources, develop that well, and get that oil and gas online. That didn't happen overnight, and it didn't happen in the last 3 or 4 years. It has happened because of policies in the past. I thank my friend for praising President Trump's ability to unleash American energy potential. That is a winning solution. Americans know it. They know what they were paying at the pump before the Biden administration, and they know what they are paying now. This bill points it out. These are the facts, and the facts are undisputed. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H. Res. 987, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for doing this Special Order hour on energy. Mr. Speaker, there is no national security without energy security. I didn't come up with that. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that, and Americans know it. Energy is foundation to everything in American life. Americans really take our energy for granted. They expect the lights to come on when they flip the switch, they expect their refrigerator to have a cold beverage in it, and they demand that they have affordable energy. Whether it is power generation or transportation fuels, the gas and diesel fuel that they put in their cars to travel to work to earn the income that is taxed by this government or to take their kids to school or attend a ball game or go to their house of worship, they know now that they are paying more for their transportation fuels than they were before the Biden administration. They know now that they are paying higher utility rates than they were before the Biden administration. So, Mr. Speaker, you have to ask yourself: Why? It is because President Biden on day one declared war on energy. Actually, before day one, on the campaign trail, he was going to end fracking. He was going to target the fossil fuel industry, and he did. On day one, they canceled the Keystone pipeline that would bring Canadian oil down to the refineries in the United States to be refined into all of the miraculous products that come out of a barrel of oil or hydrocarbons. It is not just gasoline and diesel fuel, but it is all sorts of miraculous products that help us have items like these glasses. These are things that help make our homes safer and things we utilize to make our lives better. He ended the oil and gas leases on Federal land both offshore and onshore. Just recently, because he was required by law to do so, they issued a 5-year drilling plan on Federal lands offshore on the OCS. In that 5- year plan they issued a plan that will only have three lease cells, the fewest lease cells on the OCS, the Outer Continental Shelf, and the Gulf of Mexico in the history of the country. There is no leasing off the coast of Alaska. They don't want us to go after the National Petroleum Reserve, the oil and gas that is in Alaska in a small sliver of property set aside for energy production to help Americans lower their energy costs. Before Biden came into office, America was a net exporter of oil. We have so much natural gas in this country that it is immeasurable. That means we can't really tell you how much it is, Mr. Speaker, because it is so much. America could be, once again, a leader of exporting oil and natural gas. Now, the Democrats are going to say that it was Putin's price hike. When gas prices went up it was because Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. Yes, that caused some volatility in the world that affected gas prices, but gas prices and energy prices in general already were on the rise before Putin invaded Ukraine because of the Biden policies and their attack on American energy production. There are four things we have to think about when we think about energy production and energy in this country, and that is production. Let's produce the resources that we have in oil and gas in the Marcellus shale formation, the Permian Basin, off the coast of Alaska, onshore in Alaska, other Federal lands, and in the Gulf of Mexico. Anywhere we can find those resources, let's produce those but then we have to deliver those resources, and that is where pipelines come in. Pipelines deliver resources in the safest mode and manner, whether it is liquid fuel or gas, than any other mode of transportation of those resources. We can produce those resources and deliver those resources either to the refinery to be refined into the miraculous products that we have in oil and gasoline, but then utilize those resources to produce that electricity that we talked about 1 minute ago that Americans expect. We don't have intermittent power here in this country. They do in South Africa, and they do in many places in Europe where at certain times during the day the power is not on. It goes off. They have a brownout and a blackout. The Democrats' policies are doing away with reliable and dispatchable energy such as oil and gas and natural gas-fired generators. They are moving more toward renewables. I don't know a Republican on our side of the aisle who doesn't like renewable energy. I like the fact we can harness the sun and harness the wind and create energy. I think it is groovy. Nonetheless, I also know that in South Carolina we have renewables. We have solar generation in South Carolina. Guess what, Mr. Speaker? It starts at zero every day, but when the sun comes up it starts generating power. Guess what, Mr. Speaker? When the sun goes down, then it goes back to zero. It starts at zero and ends at zero every day so that at least one-half of the day, solar isn't producing any energy, and the utilities need to provide that energy that we expect, so they need to have dispatchable energy, stuff that they can ramp up and down and draw on when it is needed. That is why natural gas-fired power plants are so important in this Nation as a supplemental to the renewables or renewable is supplemental to gas to save money. Nonetheless, we need to produce more resources here in this country. We need to deliver those through pipelines. We have a tremendous need to build our pipeline infrastructure in this country to send those resources to where they can be utilized by the utilities or the refineries for the products that we need; produce, deliver, and utilize. Be that as it may, then we have such an abundance of natural gas that we could help improve the quality of lives of folks all around the globe by exporting American-produced and cleaner burning natural gas to help folks in Africa finally have stable and reliable electric generation. There is energy poverty in this world, and we could help solve that by exporting cleaner burning, American-produced natural gas that burns cleaner than any other natural gas. It definitely burns cleaner than Russian gas. When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, Europe looked West to the United States and said: Send us your gas. Send us your LNG so we can lessen our dependence on a foreign adversary, Russia. Actually, Mr. Speaker, U.S. gas burns cleaner so you are helping your carbon emissions as well, if you approach it that way. However, because of the Biden policies, they couldn't count on the United States. We just saw a pause in LNG terminal permitting. What did they do? They looked to Norway, and Norway built a pipeline across the ocean to Poland in 1 year's time. Mr. Speaker, imagine building a pipeline in this country in 1 year's time that length and that magnitude. We need to export more LNG. We need to help our friends and allies around the globe, help American energy producers create American jobs, and help the climate because American gas has actually helped us lower our carbon emissions in this country. We can continue to do that through cleaner burning natural gas and something that is dispatchable that will always be there and always be on. This is energy week, and we have approached a number of things. We just had a big markup on the Pipeline Safety, Modernization, and Expansion Act where we can actually start building out pipelines and improving pipelines that are in existing rights-of-way and providing that resource to the utilities that much need it. In energy week, we just passed a no fracking bill so that future Presidents and this President can't ban fracking in this country because fracking has actually helped our energy revolution. There is so much we can do, and I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, Republicans are focused on returning America to energy dominance to lower your prices at the pump, to lower your utility bills, and provide reliable, affordable, and cleaner energy in this country for moms, dads, and businesses so that America can be successful. We do it starting with energy, because if we don't have low energy prices, then I promise you, Mr. Speaker, you are paying more at the grocery store and at other retailers because most goods around this country are transported by something that runs on diesel fuel. Diesel fuel is a product of refining that fossil fuel we produce here. However, when diesel fuel goes up, that cost is passed on to the consumer. That is why we are paying higher prices. It is because the Biden administration has driven up energy prices in this country and limited our production in this country. This has hurt us on the global stage because countries are going to get energy from somewhere, and they will get it from adversarial countries like China, Russia, Iran, or Venezuela when they can get energy from the United States. We can be a global leader again. We will be, and I look forward to the day that America reasserts its dominance in the energy sector. I appreciate the gentleman for yielding to me today, and we are going to continue to focus on American energy.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Presbyterian College Women's Basketball team and Coach Alaura Sharp. The Blue Hose, as they are known, made history after beating the third-seeded Radford Highlanders to claim the Big South Championship title for the first time ever. Now, they are in the Big Dance. They play tonight, and I wish them the best of luck in their game tonight.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta).

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3277) to amend the Department of Energy Organization Act with respect to functions assigned to Assistant Secretaries, and for other purposes.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on this bill.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3277, the Energy Emergency Leadership Act. Sponsored by Representatives Walberg and Blunt Rochester, H.R. 3277 has strong bipartisan support, passing out of the Energy and Commerce Committee 48-0 last May. The bill is necessary to strengthen the Department of Energy's important energy emergency mission. It does so by requiring that the well-established energy emergency and cybersecurity functions at the DOE are organized under the leadership of an Assistant Secretary confirmed by the Senate. This bill amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to establish in law this Assistant Secretary level of leadership at the Department of Energy's emergency response and cybersecurity functions. This bill will ensure the Department has focused and accountable leadership to protect the public more fully from fuel and electricity supply disruptions against natural or manmade hazards, including emerging threats from our foreign adversaries to the Nation's electric grid. Under this legislation, the DOE will carry out its responsibilities in coordination with other agencies with improved coordination across the Department, better interagency collaborations, and greater accountability to the United States Congress. Establishing accountable leadership of this DOE mission is an important step in the face of increased threats, vulnerabilities, and interdependencies of energy infrastructure and end-use systems. Protecting energy security requires defense in depth. This means a strong energy sector, strong State capabilities, and ensuring sector agencies like the Department of Energy have the tools that they need to respond to energy emergencies. A vote for H.R. 3277 is a vote for ensuring accountable DOE leadership over energy emergencies for the benefit of public safety and welfare and for stronger cybersecurity protections within the energy systems. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), one of the authors of the bill.

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, it is an important time to address cybersecurity in this Nation. The energy infrastructure that we have is vulnerable. The gentleman from Michigan mentioned the Colonial Pipeline incident, which affected my State of South Carolina. Republicans generally aren't about growing government, creating new positions, and whatever, but it is important to raise this to the level of Assistant Secretary to put the emphasis where the Nation needs it to be at the Department of Energy. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg) and the gentlewoman from Delaware (Ms. Blunt Rochester) for authoring this bill. I thank the minority on the Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as the majority members, for supporting this through the full committee, and I would love for all of my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6544) to advance the benefits of nuclear energy by enabling efficient, timely, and predictable licensing, regulation, and deployment of nuclear energy technologies, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), the chair of the Subcommittee on Health.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 6544, the Atomic Energy Advancement Act. I first thank my colleague and friend, the ranking member of the Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee, for leading this effort with me, Congresswoman Diana DeGette. Madam Speaker, this is a package of nuclear bills and is comprised of the work of many members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce on both sides of the aisle. I thank them for their work in advancing the use of nuclear energy here in the United States. The Atomic Energy Advancement Act will advance durable, bipartisan policy that will expand nuclear energy and its many benefits for the Nation, while maintaining the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's global gold standard for safety. Our goal is to bring America's nuclear promise back into alignment with the goals that Congress established when passing the Atomic Energy Act. This ushered in the age of the peaceful use of the atom, demonstrating American leadership around the world and the amazing benefits of nuclear power. The NRC Mission Alignment Act provision in this bill, which I authored, does just that. It directs the NRC to update its mission statement to include that its licensing and regulation of nuclear energy activities will be conducted in a manner that is efficient and does not unnecessarily limit the potential of nuclear energy. The NRC should not be an impediment but rather a facilitator of nuclear advancement in America. There are many provisions in this bill that modernize the NRC and advance nuclear technology deployment, including American technology exports. For example, the bill requires the NRC to provide efficient, timely, and predictable reviews; strengthens the NRC workforce to address the new technologies coming down the pike; reduces hourly fee rates for advanced nuclear reactor licenses; avoids duplicative environmental reviews; updates the DOE's nuclear expert reviews; and extends the critical liability protections necessary for nuclear investment. Now more than ever, it is essential that America lead in nuclear energy, especially as our adversaries work actively to undercut our strength. Russia and China are seeking to dominate the nuclear markets and supply chains for these technologies. America can and must continue to set the global nuclear standard, and the Atomic Energy Advancement Act will ensure that we do. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, as well as all who have had input on this bipartisan legislation. I thank them for their work and dedication. Madam Speaker, I urge support for this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC, February 6, 2024. Hon. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Chair, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC. Dear Chair Rodgers: Thank you for consulting with the Committee on Foreign Affairs on the text of H.R. 6544, the Atomic Energy Advancement Act, and incorporating requested edits. I agree that Foreign Affairs may be discharged from further consideration of the bill, so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House Floor. This agreement is made with the understanding that it does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, or prejudice our jurisdictional prerogatives on this measure or similar legislation in the future. I would appreciate it if you could include this letter in your committee report on the bill, or place it into the Record during Floor consideration. I look forward to continuing to work together as this measure moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Michael T. McCaul, Chairman.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, Ranking Member Pallone and his staff have been very good to work with the majority staff on this bill, and I thank them for that. Last year, when I was given the opportunity to chair the Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee, Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and I had a lot of talk about nuclear energy. This is a culmination of a lot of that initial discussion. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. Rodgers), the chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I agree that with fusion SMR advanced nuclear technology, the nuclear renaissance is right before us. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber), my good friend.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce).

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), who will probably talk about what is going on at Plant Vogtle, the newest reactors to have been constructed in our lifetime.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Georgia.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As you have heard today, the Atomic Energy Advancement Act is really setting America up to get ready for what is next. What is next is advanced nuclear reactors and small modular reactors. As the gentlewoman from Massachusetts said, the possibility of fusion is very exciting. There are the industries that could be set up around the nuclear hub of these advanced reactors, jobs that will be created, keeping that intellectual property here in America, and addressing our supply issues for critical components, enriched uranium, the fuel that is necessary to make these reactors work. Lessening the Nation's dependence on Russia and China for nuclear technology or nuclear fuel just makes sense to a lot of folks in America. In order to get ready for that nuclear renaissance that I mentioned earlier, we have got to make sure that the government agencies, specifically the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is truly prepared as they move into the 21st century in the advancement of nuclear energy in this country. We have got friends and allies who are looking to the United States to export the technology to help their countries meet their energy independence needs, to be cleaner in their energy production, and lessen their dependence on foreign adversaries. For example, we were in the Czech Republic last spring, and they commissioned both small modular reactors and traditional light-water reactors. They were looking to the United States. They were looking to the NRC. They were looking to America to lead and help them as they develop their nuclear technology and their nuclear energy development in their countries. Poland was the same way with light-water reactors, the future of SMRs. I think about what is going on in this country with SMR development. I think about what our neighbors in Canada are doing up in Ontario with probably the first SMR that will be full-scale brought online. Nuclear development is important to the cleaner energy future for America. Madam Speaker, I don't have other speakers on this side, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen), who represents Augusta, Georgia, where Plant Vogtle is.

Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Georgia.