SAYING 'YES' TO ENERGY AND JOBS

Date: July 4, 2014

By: Bob Goodlatte

We all remember those family road trips. There were long hours in the car on the way to the beach or a theme park, but they are memories that you will never forget.  As families prepare to pack up the car and head out of town this summer, many folks are probably thinking about gas prices and how rising energy prices make it a little harder to hit the road each year. 

If Congress wants to focus on solutions to the struggles families face, part of it is ensuring access to affordable energy. We have so many resources available to us in the United States and in North America.  If we’re going to invest in energy sources outside of the U.S., it should be through approving the Keystone XL pipeline that will give us access to oil from Canada.  However, many energy projects remained stalled by bureaucratic red tape in Washington. 

As part of the energy solution, the House of Representatives recently passed three bills that would help America realize its full energy potential. The bipartisan North American Energy Infrastructure Act would modernize and consolidate the approval process for oil and natural gas pipelines and electric lines crossing international borders. It would also eliminate the need for a Presidential Permit for these projects.  This would make working on energy infrastructure projects with Canada or Mexico much more efficient. 

Another bill, the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act, would speed up exports of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, from the United States to our allies that are currently delayed. Following an environmental review, this bill would place a 30-day deadline for the Department of Energy to act on an application instead of slow-walking the process. Boosting natural gas production is estimated to create roughly 8,953 jobs in Virginia by 2035 and strengthen America’s position in the international market. 

The Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act expands oil production in federal areas and asks the federal government to create a new plan to tap into resources off the coast of the U.S., including Virginia’s coast. It also increases our energy security by ensuring that other sources, like wind, solar, and hydropower, are all part of the mix. 

It does not make sense for the U.S. to continue building our own roadblocks to energy production. Instead, let’s cut through the red tape and get the projects that have been sitting idle moving as part of a real all-of-the-above energy policy. The Senate has stalled long enough. Saying yes to unlocking American energy is saying yes to American jobs.