Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, this bill is about protecting our strategic reserves and ensuring American energy production, which we do cleaner than any other nation in the world. If we are serious about addressing global climate risk and preserving and expanding the prosperity of the American people, we should focus on American security and American energy. This amendment is not necessary. I urge opposition. Vote ``no.'' Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Will the gentleman yield?

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Chair, this amendment is a savings clause. It states that nothing in H.R. 21 impacts existing legal restrictions on oil and gas leasing in the North Atlantic Planning Area. This will ensure that this bill is not interpreted to make changes there. Mr. Chair, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the amendment.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would require the Secretary of Energy to consult with the EPA Administrator and the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the required leasing plan. I rise in opposition to the amendment because it expands the scope of EPA. EPA does not oversee Federal lands; the Department of the Interior does. Further, this amendment is duplicative. H.R. 21 already requires the Secretary of Energy to consult with the Secretary of the Interior. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is in the Department of the Interior and falls under the Secretary's purview. Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``no'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentleman bringing this amendment forward. It would simply require the plan to be submitted to Congress. It is a good amendment, and I urge our colleagues to support it.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment. This amendment would further allow the President to abuse the SPR by draining it without declaring an emergency under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. The statute is clear, and emergency triggers to use SPRs are well defined. The law requires the President to declare that a severe energy supply interruption exists. The statute defines a supply interruption as follows: One, ``an emergency situation exists and there is a significant reduction in supply, which is of significant scope and duration''; Two, ``a severe increase in the price of petroleum products has resulted from such emergency situation''; Three, ``such price increase is likely to cause a major adverse impact on the national economy.'' SPR is a critical national security asset and should only have been utilized in accordance with the law. This amendment would create a new loophole to allow the President to continue raiding SPR for political purposes. I urge a ``no'' on the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentlewoman yielding. I appreciate the gentlewoman offering this amendment that I believe will actually bring greater transparency and oversight to the plan for managing the balance of fuel stored in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for domestic emergencies, and I urge support.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 22.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 22, the Protecting America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act. America is suffering through the worst energy crisis in decades. President Biden and the Democrats' radical rush to green agenda is making life unaffordable for people all across this country. It is driving record inflation, straining household budgets, and weakening our electric grid. Under President Biden and the Democrats' control of Congress, gas prices rose to the highest levels in history. Some were forced to pay more than $6 per gallon. Gas prices are still 40 percent higher today. Diesel prices are up almost $2 a gallon more than when President Biden took office. The Federal Government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers, especially when it makes us more dangerously dependent upon China for critical minerals, solar panels, and batteries to produce our own energy and electricity, and strengthens Russia and OPEC's grip on world oil and gas markets. Now, to cover up his failed policies driving our energy and inflation crisis, President Biden drained our Nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve at an alarming rate. America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, once the world's largest stockpile, has been depleted to the lowest levels since 1983. President Biden released an unprecedented 250 million barrels of oil in less than 2 years, more than all former Presidents combined. As we know, much of that oil went to China because our refineries and pipelines are full. It now has nowhere to go here. In April, the Biden administration sold a million barrels directly to a state-owned Chinese company. Millions more barrels went to overseas traders, who eventually sent it to China. We also know that China is ramping up its purchases of crude oil from Russia and the U.S. to boost its own reserves. China now controls the world's largest government-controlled stockpile of oil, with almost a billion barrels, at the expense of American taxpayers and our energy security. America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve is meant for true energy supply disruptions, like those caused by hurricanes and natural disasters, not to help China. Draining our strategic reserves for political purposes and selling portions of it to China is a significant threat to our national security. The administration is not just hurting our own ability to respond to emergencies and national security events; they are actively bolstering the oil reserves of our most dangerous geopolitical adversary, the Chinese Communist Party. This is unacceptable, and it must stop. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and prohibit the sale and export of Strategic Petroleum Reserve crude oil to China. H.R. 22 prevents the Secretary of Energy from selling any products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to any entity owned by or under the control or influence of the CCP, or selling to any other entity that intends to export to China. Enacting H.R. 22, preventing the Biden administration from wasting our strategic reserves, is the first step toward flipping the switch and unleashing American energy production. America has led the world in reducing carbon emissions and promoting innovation by utilizing our abundant, clean, affordable, and reliable energy. We can restore this leadership without sacrificing our energy security or making everyday life unaffordable for people. That starts by enacting smart, workable, all-of-the-above strategies that build on this legacy by lowering costs and emissions across the country. It includes making our infrastructure and electricity grid more resilient and unleashing innovation for cleaner natural gas, emissions-free hydropower and nuclear power, and carbon capture technologies. Republicans support a level playing field with a balance of energy sources but without handing the keys of our energy future over to the Chinese Communist Party. It is time to cut the red tape, expand energy production here at home, modernize our infrastructure, invest in new technologies, and create opportunities for jobs and economic development right here in the United States of America. I look forward to passage of this bill today, and I am eager to get to work with my colleagues on additional solutions to make energy cleaner, more affordable, and more reliable for all Americans. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), a leader on energy.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, just to correct the record. The language is very clear, if you look at subsection two: Such petroleum products will not be exported to the People's Republic of China. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 5, I call up the bill (H.R. 22) to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from sending petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, we should be banning exports to Russia, North Korea, and Iran. I would just note that President Biden has wanted to import from Russia and Iran. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Curtis), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the House majority leader and also a longtime member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew).