Brett Guthrie

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers on the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, first, I thank Congressman Evans for sponsoring the State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act. Let's go back to what this bill does. H.R. 3628 directs State public utility commissions to consider implementing measures that would ensure utilities retain sufficient reliable generation through their integrated resource plan to maintain the stability and affordability of their electric grids. We have had a lot of discussion. We have been debating for the last few months. The Affordable Care Act passed 15 years ago. Insurance rates have doubled since that passed, and now, we are debating whether to deal with the rising costs of health insurance or continue to subsidize the rising costs. We want to deal with the underlying costs of health insurance. We are talking about the affordability of green energy or clean energy. I am for all of the above, but if you remember what the Secretary said, he said he is for the best of the above. There are areas where the Sun shines and the Sun shines bright, and it shines bright on my old Kentucky home. There are areas for that. There are areas where solar makes sense, where wind makes sense, and where fossil fuels make sense. When he says best of the above, he doesn't mean we don't do all of it. We do what fits in the right place at the cheapest price for our citizens. When you talk about investing in your own utilities, if clean energy--they keep saying they are going to go for more expensive energy as opposed to the cleaner energy. That is what they say. I will say, I think our energy companies want to go to the most affordable energy. That is what they want to produce. What this does, if you look at the map, and a lot of people have looked at maps of energy prices, what are the highest cost electric prices in the country? I know my friend from Colorado pointed out to my other friend from Colorado that Colorado is up in the grid with California, New Jersey, and New York. They have higher energy prices, and it is because their general assemblies and their State governments have put additional climate issues in place, not to make energy more affordable, but it makes it more expensive. What we are saying here is that State planning commissions have to ensure in their plans that they look at affordability, reliability, and sustainability within their grids. That is what this piece of legislation does. I encourage my colleagues to vote for it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3638.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 3638, the Electric Supply Chain Act, sponsored by my colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta). This legislation directs the Department of Energy to conduct ongoing assessments and report to Congress on the components and infrastructure supply chain needed to secure the reliability and affordability of our bulk power system. It is no secret that we find ourselves in the middle of an electric reliability crisis that is threatening the integrity of our bulk power systems and an affordability crisis that burdens households with higher energy bills. Unfortunately, 4 years of the Biden-Harris administration and excessive litigation, permitting delays, and far-left regulatory decisions to attack baseload power sources in favor of expensive and unreliable wind and solar have handicapped the ability of our bulk power systems to respond to growing demands for energy. Historic projections of increasing electricity demand from domestic manufacturing, onshoring, and AI data centers have exposed systemic challenges facing our electric sector and the supply chain for components and infrastructure needed to power the system. Meanwhile, our overreliance on China for manufacturing and critical minerals has created a reliance on our own strategic adversary for our supply chain needs. Our electric grid is an essential tool for the national and economic security of our Nation. Simply put, we need to work with the Trump administration to make it easier to build in our country so that free- market investment for the electric supply chain flow into communities across the country, driving economic growth and creating good-paying jobs for households. That is why the Electric Supply Chain Act will ensure that our Federal Government remains in a proactive posture to assess, identify, and address any challenges to our supply chain grid for grid components. H.R. 3638 takes a comprehensive look at the supply chain for our electric grid and appropriately incorporates the advice and views of experts spanning the power sector. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta), the sponsor of this bill and the distinguished chairman of the Energy Subcommittee.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber), the vice chairman of the Energy Subcommittee of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chair, I appreciate my friend bringing up the enhanced or COVID- era premium tax credits that are expiring at the end of this month. Since we are talking energy tonight, we need to understand that they were set to expire, without a single Republican vote, to expire them in the Inflation Reduction Act, which was spent money on the Green New Deal. So when you put in context what President Trump said--when the premium tax credits were set to expire, we had a hearing on that and we were talking about it. We asked: Why in the world did the Democrats set them to expire? They said: We thought the price of insurance was going to go down at the end of 5 years. That is what somebody said in the committee. The price of insurance has gone up because of the policies they put in place. The price of energy has gone up because of policies put in their place. What President Trump was talking about--I don't know if it was that exact speech that was referred to, Mr. Chair, but a speech where he had a chart up to show where high energy prices are. They are in States with general assemblies that have progressive ideas on energy that have put restraints on energy that have driven up the price. Unfortunately, we have friends across the Atlantic we can look at. They put these kind of policies in place, and Europe has three times the energy prices that we have. What we are saying over here is that we need to have policies that lower the prices for everybody, not raise the cost and just subsidize it, but to lower the cost for everybody. That is what we are trying to do. That is what we are working to do. What frustrates President Trump is when we are trying to fix the problems that were created by the policies of the previous administration. They say we are not addressing affordability when they created the affordability crisis, when they made the premium tax credits expire. They didn't deal with the fact that health insurance premiums are continuing to rise. Here we are dealing with it and trying to get it right for the American people. When you say that wind and solar is cheaper and then complain because you took away the tax--people aren't doing it because you take away the tax credits and subsidies. If it is cheaper and more reliable, then you don't have to subsidize it. Those are the kind of frustrating things in the context of what President Trump was trying to say. Since States have a lot of influence in this, what we are doing here in the first bill is ensuring that States focus on how do you make it reliable and affordable, particularly in States like Colorado where my colleague, Mr. Evans, who put the bill forward, is from. Their rates continue to go up because of policies of their general assembly in their State. He just wants to ensure that their State factors in affordability when they make those kinds of decisions. That is what we are here to talk about. Then, in order to build again after years of delaying building, we have a supply chain that has to get reinvigorated. You can sit down and talk to AI companies and people that need data and need energy. I am one for every electron on the grid we can put on the grid, whether it comes from a solar panel or wind or hydrocarbons, as long as it is not subsidized. We need it all. My friend from Ohio has a bill saying that we know that it takes too long to get a generator, takes too long to get a transformer, takes too long to get turbine blades, and that we have to make sure our supply chain is in place, and also make sure that the Department of Energy is focused on it. I know they are. Secretary Wright is focused on it to make sure there is a statute that we have Congress saying the supply chain is important. Delivering energy at an affordable price is a priority. That is what these two bills today do. That is what this bill does, and I recommend that my colleagues vote for this bill. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition to the amendment, though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment from my colleague, Representative Houlihan from Pennsylvania. This amendment requires DOE to evaluate the potential role transitioning military servicemembers could play in meeting the workforce needs for the electric supply chain. Mr. Chair, while our efforts to reshore domestic manufacturing facilities bolster our national security, it is also important to recognize the economic benefits of attracting new opportunities for job-creating industries. Growing investments in the manufacturing sector create stable and good-paying jobs for households and drive economic growth in communities across our country. Our men and women seeking new employment after transitioning back to civilian life bring incredible skill sets and expertise to the table that could benefit companies of all kinds. By incorporating new consideration for DOE to evaluate the potential for transitioning servicemembers into the workforce as part of H.R. 3638, we can ensure our veterans have access to good-paying jobs. Mr. Chair, having served in the military, I know in the military we get specific skills. We can be diesel mechanics. We can be all these different things we learn in the military. Sometimes they directly translate actually, but some others don't. It creates the opportunity to reach out and find military members who are leaving the military and who have specific skills for these opportunities. Mr. Chair, I support this amendment. I was meeting with some people the other day in this kind of industry. They said if they advertise $120,000 a year for MBAs, they get a flood of applications. If they advertise $120,000 a year for skilled truck drivers, they barely get enough. They don't get enough applications. There are opportunities for people to make a good living and have a career. It is not just a wage but a wage that produces for their families and will let them--he or she--be extremely successful. I support this amendment. Mr. Chair, since we are talking military, I must say: Go Army. Beat Navy on Saturday. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Chair, I thank my friend from California for offering this amendment. This amendment would incorporate advanced transmission technologies into the supply chain considerations that the Department of Energy would also need to assess, as part of their responsibilities in this bill. In certain circumstances, advanced transmission technologies can help get more resources out of our current system by expanding the grid's electric load-carrying capacity. However, these are not one-size-fits-all technology, and there are important engineering complexities to consider to ensure the system operates efficiently. We must ensure they are implemented, when it is appropriate, and cost-effective so we can secure the grid without burdening ratepayers with unnecessary investments. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 175th anniversary of St. James Catholic Church in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Since 1851, the St. James Catholic Church community has served the residents of Elizabethtown and the surrounding area. In 1852, the first church was constructed, and twenty years later, St. Mary's Academy was established to educate the parish children by the Sisters of Loretto. Eventually being renamed after the church's patron saint, St. James School continues to serve parish families, providing a religious-based education. Seeing continued growth, the parish eventually constructed a high school, which still operates today as Elizabethtown Catholic High School. In 1969, the parish broke ground on a new church, which was completed in 1971. Since then, the parish has continued to expand its missionary work in the surrounding community. Saint James Catholic Church has proven to be a place where families can flourish in faith and fellowship. I am proud to recognize their incredible 175 years of commitment to faith, education, and service in their community.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Candance Castlen Brake on her retirement as President and CEO of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce. For decades, Candance has been a staple in the community, working to bring new investments and opportunities to the City of Owensboro and Daviess County. Before serving as President and CEO of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, she served our community as the Deputy Judge Executive for Daviess County, a government professor at Western Kentucky University, and on various boards and commissions. She also served three terms as an Owensboro City Commissioner from 2004 to 2010. Since taking charge of the Owensboro Chamber of Commerce as President and CEO in 2015, Candance has played a pivotal role in the growth and success. Under her leadership, the city has seen tremendous growth, the transformation of the Owensboro Riverfront, and so much more. Her efforts have, without a doubt, contributed to the success we see in Owensboro today. Since first coming to Congress, I have had the honor of getting to know and work with Candance on many occasions. She has been an incredible partner to support the residents of Daviess County and Owensboro. Again, I thank Candance for her dedicated service to our community, and I wish her well in her well-earned retirement.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate an extraordinary milestone of the Mammoth Cave Park Association. Today, we are celebrating not only 100 years of the Association, but a century of guardianship, protection, and partnership. The Mammoth Cave Park Association ensures one of the world's greatest natural wonders remains preserved and protected. Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world, with over 400 miles surveyed to date. Mammoth Cave is more than just a place, it is a testament to Kentucky's history. This natural wonder has inspired people for thousands of years, playing a foundational role in the culture of our region. Established as a National Park in 1941, it hosts incredible amounts of biodiversity and history. 40 years later, the park was named a World Heritage Site, and in 1990 a Biosphere Reserve. It encompasses approximately 52,830 acres in Hart, Edmonson, and Barren counties in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Mammoth Cave Park Association is deeply woven into the identity of our Commonwealth. It has witnessed thousands of years of human history from its discovery to the visitors that walk its passages today. To continue preservation of this national treasure, Senator McConnell and I introduced the bicameral Mammoth Cave National Park Boundary Adjustment Act to provide the park the ability to acquire an additional 551.14 acres of land from the Nature Conservancy. This newly acquired land would enhance protection in the Green River watershed, further conserving the area's wildlife and cultural heritage while generating additional tourism to Kentucky's 2nd District. I am proud to have introduced the Mammoth Cave National Park Boundary Adjustment Act to expand protection for the cave system's important biodiversity and rich history, ensuring that it can be studied, maintained, and enjoyed by future generations of Americans. From funding projects to community engagement, the Mammoth Cave Park Association has been a cornerstone of Mammoth Cave's success, thanks to the dedication of countless individuals who continue giving their time and heart to this cause. Their dedication is not overlooked, and we appreciate their hard work. They have helped ensure that both the cave and Kentucky's history are protected for future generations to come.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Kaitlyn Peterson for her service to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. A graduate of the University of Minnesota and native of Massapequa, Long Island, New York, Kaitlyn began her career in Washington, D.C. as a Staff Assistant and Deputy Scheduler for former Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Rep. Fred Upton (MI-06). She later became his Legislative Correspondent and Special Projects Director before joining the House Committee on Energy and Commerce as Lead Legislative Clerk for the Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security and the Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Minerals under Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers. She then joined my team and became Policy Analyst for the Subcommittee on Environment where she led the committee efforts behind H.J. Res. 87, H.J. Res. 88, and H.J. 89 which were signed into law in June of this year. After serving the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly four years, Kaitlyn will depart the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to take a position with the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, handling a portfolio of energy, fish, and wildlife issues. I thank her for her service to the committee and wish her well in her new endeavor.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 879, I call up the bill (H.R. 3109) to require the Secretary of Energy to direct the National Petroleum Council to issue a report with respect to petrochemical refineries in the United States, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3109.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the American economy is fueled by petrochemical refineries providing affordable diesel and gasoline to families, critical inputs for our manufacturers, and products imperative for the maintenance of our defense systems. The national security component of a viable refining industry cannot be overstated, and we must not forfeit these essential supply chains. Under the previous administration, we saw the impact of an energy retreat: higher prices for families and businesses, emboldened adversaries, sluggish economies, and increasing reliance on other nations. Unfortunately, this is still the case in States like California, where a hostile regulatory environment has forced refineries to reduce operations. In fact, the Golden State is expected to lose 17 percent of its capacity in the next year. This has led to an average gasoline price of nearly $5 per gallon, an increased fuel dependence on Asian producers, and jeopardizing the fuel supply chain of military installations in their State. We must not let this become status quo across the country. H.R. 3109 requires the National Petroleum Council to collect and examine information regarding the role of petrochemical refineries in the United States and their contributions to affordability, security, and reliability. The report will assess opportunities to expand capacity as well as current risks to refineries. H.R. 3109 will provide the Committee on Energy and Commerce the information we need to enact policies to deliver affordable, reliable, and clean energy to all Americans. I thank Representative Latta, the chairman of the Energy Subcommittee, for his leadership on this issue. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 3109, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. When I was a young man in the 1970s--when I was a kid, I guess, in the 1970s--I remember gas lines and having to push my father's car to get gasoline. At the time, everybody said we were going to run out of crude oil. That was the thing, running out of crude oil. I appreciate the gentleman bringing up the crude oil issue. It is actually because of the ingenuity of the American people that we have an abundance of crude oil. The issue isn't crude oil. It is the refining capacity. Since I was a kid, we found this abundance of crude oil in the Permian Basin, North Dakota, and all the places I can name. We have more oil than they have in the Middle East, which, when I was a kid, a lot of it was coming from the Middle East. Then, you have this chokepoint of refining capacity. We haven't built a new refinery in the United States since I was a kid, so that is the thing that we want to address. That is the issue we want to address. We do want prices to go down. We don't want it to be $5 a gallon. I was putting gas in a rental car in California, and I looked over at the guy next to me. I paid probably $2.60 a gallon in Kentucky, and I think it was $4.80 there. I said: Do you guys have any idea what the rest of America is paying for gasoline? We are here to address it, and we are addressing it by a bill authored by my good friend, the chairman of the Energy Subcommittee, a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and a leader in this arena. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta).

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. It is frustrating that we lost 42 days because our side of the aisle wanted to open the government and wanted to have the government operating. We wanted to sit down and work through the issues before us, not choosing to not fund the government. I was always embarrassed to even look in the eye--I voted for all of it--to go see a TSA agent at the airport in Nashville in my home State of Tennessee where I fly out of, the FAA people going to work at the airport. I was embarrassed coming here and seeing the people sitting in front of us here, the people guarding the doors of the Capitol building, with no respect, having them come to work without respect and paying them. That was extremely frustrating to me. It is just beyond pale that that happened. On the Epstein files, the Speaker tried to come and unanimous consent the Epstein files. Remember, last week he came down and said let's pass the Epstein files, and the other side of the aisle objected to it. I don't know why they would object to passing the files. They held it up for several days. I know there were a few rallies that happened, and then we all voted. It was 427-1. Were they trying to get the Epstein files out, or were they trying to make sure people got in town for their rallies? That is what I would like to know. The National Petroleum Council that we are referring to in this bill is a part of the Department of Energy. All through government, we have councils of people that are experts in their fields who come to D.C. The Department of Labor has them. People from the labor community come and have councils to give advice on bills. We know we have ample crude. We know the ingenuity of the American people to have ample crude. What we are talking about today is where 40 refineries in California have gone to 14. If you want affordability, not only do you have to be able to get the crude out of the ground, you have to refine it to where we can use it. As we are shrinking refining capacity in this country and increasing demand, if we don't increase supply, we are not going to have affordability. You can talk about affordability all you want, but you have got to have the supply to address it. That is what we are focused on doing today. We want the experts to give us their information. We don't have to do what they say. We want to take their information, take the good ideas and try to implement them into where we can provide lower prices. If you think this doesn't work, come buy gas in Kentucky. Then go to my good friends who are sitting here from California and buy gas in their State, then tell us what does efficient energy policy do for affordability. I will challenge them to do that. I will say you can buy the most expensive gas in Kentucky, and we will compare that to what is going on in California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), my good friend and very important member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my friend from California, and I actually do love going to California. I haven't been in the bay area in a couple of years, and we will figure out an opportunity to come there. My family tries to go to California as much as we can. I know he is from the beautiful bay area. Actually, when I was talking about the high price of gas, it was down in southern California, which has its own beauty, as well. I am a fan of California. Other than Kentucky, I think California is one of the prettiest States we have in the Union. From the redwoods to the Yosemite Valley, it is absolutely stunning. I absolutely would love to come back out to the bay area because it is beautiful, as well. In this bill, we are talking about electricity prices. China is building the electric car industry, but they are also building the power generation, like a coal plant a week, I think, to provide the energy for that. This bill we are talking about is on gasoline and diesel. Remember, everything that arrives to a store comes on a truck. Sometimes they come on a train, but the last mile is almost always or is always a truck. Diesel prices, fuel prices, matter in terms of food prices and about everything else that we consume. This is important to do. Electric affordability is also important to do, and we are committed. We will work together to get our prices down, but we have to produce more. That is what we are wondering. How do we efficiently, effectively, safely, and cleanly produce more gasoline and diesel? You can't do it without more refining capacity unless you decrease demand for it. That is not the avenue we have to go, either. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber), my good friend and the vice chair of the Subcommittee on Energy of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, other than the Commonwealth of Kentucky, California is one of those beautiful States in our--they are all beautiful, actually. We live in a wonderful country. There is nothing prettier than the tunnel view from Yosemite Valley. I don't know, with your lines changing so much, but I know my good friend from California used to represent our beautiful natural resources in the National Park of Yosemite Valley. He still does. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock), my good friend and a classmate elected the same year.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Fong), who is from Bakersfield, California, and was elected just recently to Congress.