Energy and Environment
The energy sector is crucial to our economic growth and high-energy costs have a negative impact on every American. While I believe we must continue to look for alternative sources of energy, I continue to support an all-of-the-above energy policy that utilizes all North American resources to provide safe, stable, and affordable energy to all my constituents.
America should continue to develop its domestic energy sources to keep prices reasonable for consumers at home and at the pump. We have an abundant supply of natural resources in America that we must use to meet our nation’s energy needs, and these resources should be utilized responsibly. However, the current administration has done nothing but increase the cost of doing business and hold up common sense infrastructure improvements like the Keystone XL Pipeline. The Keystone Pipeline would create 15,000 manufacturing jobs and 118,000 spin off jobs that would help put Americans back to work. I have co-sponsored two bills that would remove red tape and streamline the Keystone Pipeline approval process, H.R.3 the Northern Keystone XL Route Approval Act and H.R.334 the Keystone for a Secure Tomorrow Act. When President Obama took office gas prices across the U.S. were around $1.90 a gallon, but his policies have created uncertainty for the market leading to higher energy prices, slower economic recovery, and a severe lack of employment opportunities for the average American.
Recently, President Obama has decided to extend a series of executive orders to increase the cost of producing domestic energy since his legislative agenda has failed to gain support from elected officials in Washington. This top down approach will increase the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority to regulate carbon emissions from new and existing coal burning power plants. Public utilities across the U.S. have made significant efforts over the past 10 years to diversify their portfolios and have upgraded systems to decrease emissions and implemented new technologies as they have become available. However, this administration does not understand or does not care about the impacts that these rules will have on ordinary Americans. Such drastic changes will put billion investments at risk of closing down and increase the cost of electricity that will unduly burden the middle and lower class citizens across the U.S. Instead of working with Congress and the power generation industry, this administration is pushing a “Washington knows best” policy that could have detrimental effects on average Americans.
While continuing to develop our domestic energy sources, it is also critical to diversify our domestic energy portfolio and encourage innovative research that will lead to technologies that will meet the growing energy demands of the 21st Century. I have supported efforts at the University of Missouri to promote small modular nuclear reactor technology research initiatives. This public/private partnership could bring cutting edge research to the state and help provide high paying advanced manufacturing jobs in Missouri. If this promising technology were developed, small modular nuclear reactors would produce safe, reliable energy that is both cost effective and environmentally friendly. It is time for the U.S. to step up and lead on these new technologies instead of falling behind countries that have made significant investments in these fields.
In addition to providing safe, affordable energy to all Missourians, I believe we should be good stewards to the environment. As a lifelong farmer, caring for the land and all God’s creatures is extremely important to me, and I believe that we need to make a conscious effort to decrease pollution and improve the environment. However, I have serious concerns about the regulatory overreach at many federal agencies. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to advance burdensome regulations that threatens our energy independence, stifles our recovering economy, and forces employers to expend resources on unnecessary regulations. Many of these regulations are implemented without scientific justification or proper cost-benefit analysis and all too often arbitrarily pick winners and losers. The following three examples are bills that I am co-sponsoring to push back on the EPA’s overregulation.
H.R.311 – Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act – the EPA has issued a rule that requires every farmer to build a large, concrete containment facility around every fuel tank on their farm. To give relief to small farmers, this legislation would provide a common sense minimum size for fuel tanks that would need to comply with the regulations.
H.R.935 – Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act – the EPA currently requires multiple National Pollutant Discharge Elminiation System (NPDES) permits for applicators of pesticides. This legislation streamlines the process and ensures applicators can apply and receive proper permits in a timely manner.
H.R.1422 – EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act – the EPA Science Advisory Board was created to provide insight and advice on rules moving through the agency, but recently, it has moved away from its core mission and concerns have been raised about the objectivity of the board. This legislation provides additional transparency and ensures more stakeholders have a seat at the table, which will help ensure future regulations are science-based and have input from a broader range of interests.
I will continue to support common sense reforms to our environmental policy that balance progress with practicality while avoiding unfunded mandates and reliance on untested technologies that increase cost to consumers.
As long as I continue to represent the people of Missouri’s Fourth District, I will fight for energy policies that allow America to harvest its own resources while being responsible stewards of the land. I will look for energy alternatives to reduce our foreign dependency, improve environmental quality, and supply the energy required to create the family-supporting jobs we need.
For more information concerning my work and views on the issue of Energy, please contact my Washington, DC office.
I look forward to your feedback.
Thank you.
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