Chuck Fleischmann

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman of Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, pursuant to House Resolution 756, I offer amendments en bloc.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the amendment.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, the Upper Colorado River and San Juan River Endangered Species Program enjoys bipartisan support in the region, providing for a collaborative approach to species management, avoiding a heavy-handed ESA listing. This program enables robust power production at Glen Canyon Dam, and I support the gentleman's amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, similar to my colleague's previous amendment, this program enjoys broad bipartisan support and enables robust hydropower production that provides electricity to benefit the entire region. Mr. Chair, I support the gentleman's amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I share some of my colleagues' concerns about the excess spending at EERE, particularly in light of the billions in increased spending provided in past appropriations bills, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. EERE still has billions in unobligated funds, and that is exactly why this bill, the bill that we have before the House, includes a large reduction to this account. However, in my view, respectfully, my colleague's amendment would go too far to practically eliminate the EERE account. This would impact the important work performed by the national labs and universities to implement the research and development goals of EERE. These goals include advancing energy efficiency solutions for the manufacturing of cement, steel, and iron; creating and improving battery technologies; and developing critical mineral alternatives. While I am a supporter of EERE, I also recognize fossil fuels are going to be an important resource for many years to come. However, I don't believe these two accounts need to be at odds with each other. I personally favor an all-of-the-above approach to meet the Nation's future energy needs. That approach includes strategic reductions to EERE that prioritize research activities like the goals I mentioned earlier. My distinguished colleague's amendment, in my view, upends that strategy and goes too far, respectfully. For these reasons, I must oppose the amendment and urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I thank the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy) for filing this amendment, but I respectfully oppose the same. I do share some of my colleague's concerns about the excess spending at EERE. I would also like to emphasize that EERE received over $16 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and many of these dollars are still unobligated. These reasons are exactly why the original bill reduced EERE by $466 million below the fiscal year 2023 level and why I offered further reductions in this bill of $1 billion. In total, these reductions would bring EERE below the fiscal year 2016 level. However, my colleague's amendment goes too far in eliminating EERE. I am a supporter of the EERE program and the work they do to advance research and development on renewable technologies, advanced manufacturing, and battery improvements. That includes essential work on critical minerals that will help lay the groundwork for technologies that will reduce our reliance on foreign supplies. I think this is an issue that we all can support. I support strategic reduction to EERE, but I am not in favor of eliminating the account and walking away from its ongoing work. For these reasons, I must respectfully oppose the amendment, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the ranking member.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I thank my good friend from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) for filing this, but I must respectfully oppose the amendment. The Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations is primarily responsible for implementing and managing over $21 billion provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. I am keenly aware of the scale of that sum of money and the importance of our oversight responsibility to ensure taxpayer funds are correctly administered. That is exactly why the House bill includes no funding--and I repeat no funding--for the office to conduct new demonstrations and instead, only includes funding for program direction for staff to provide project management oversight. My colleague's amendment would eliminate that function, preventing the office from ensuring that our taxpayer dollars are being used effectively and efficiently. That would directly impact the success of important programs within the office's jurisdiction like the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. The Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program enjoys strong bipartisan support. The program is essential to the deployment of advanced reactors, ensuring our Nation's energy security and regaining U.S. leadership in nuclear energy. We can't abandon our oversight responsibilities and risk the success of programs like these. For these reasons, I must respectfully oppose the amendment, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I thank my dear friend and colleague from South Carolina (Mr. Norman) for filing this, but I must respectfully rise in strong opposition to the amendment. My colleague's amendment would eliminate the Advanced Research Projects Agency, or ARPA-E. ARPA-E's mission is to fund projects that are not yet addressed in the private sector but can bring about transformational shifts in current energy technologies. Nearly 75 percent of ARPA-E awards go to small businesses and academia. ARPA-E projects have led to over 1,000 patents being issued and have attracted more than $11.5 billion in follow-on funding from the private sector. These projects push the envelope on what is possible in the energy sector and will continue to play an important role in maintaining U.S. leadership to develop the next generation of energy technologies. I believe these are goals that all of us can support. I, therefore, must respectfully oppose the amendment and urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the amendment.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I thank my distinguished friend from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) for filing the amendment. My great State of Tennessee, which I represent the Third District of Tennessee, our State and other States greatly benefit from the Appalachian Regional Commission. This amendment would eliminate the Appalachian Regional Commission which provides funding for hundreds of cost-shared projects, partnering with private industry to bring needed jobs to this depressed region. The energy and water bill maintains funding for the ARC at the fiscal year 2023 level of $200 million. These communities, and many of which I represent, cannot afford to lose millions of dollars in private investment this Commission leverages. Mr. Chair, I respectfully urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the amendment.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, once again, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for filing this amendment, but I must strongly oppose it. This bill provides $31.1 million for the Delta Regional Authority. This small investment targets hundreds of depressed communities in the Mississippi River Delta region. These communities cannot afford to lose the millions of dollars in private investments this commission leverages. Mr. Chair, I respectfully urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.