Energy

Today, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden announced the selection of U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, to Chair the Subcommittee on Energy. “My home state of Michigan is a national leader in promoting 21st century energy policies having just enacted long-term, bipartisan energy legislation. We must work to do the same here at the federal level. Energy solutions have always been a priority and we will continue to promote “all-of-the-above” strategies. Whether it be assurin... Read more

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today released the following statement on the announcement that Palisades Nuclear Power Plant, owned by Entergy Corporation and located in Covert, Michigan, would be decommissioned and closed in 2018: “Palisades has been part of the fabric of our Southwest Michigan community since 1971. They’ve employed thousands of workers – who in turn became respected leaders and so it’s important we do not turn our back on these hardworking folks now. They’ve also invested... Read more

“As Michiganders, pipeline safety is an issue that hits especially close to home. Pipelines are critical to the essential transportation of our energy resources, but when a catastrophe can strike in the blink of an eye, we must be prepared and we must hold those responsible accountable. In the wake of this tragic spill, we got to work on new standards – the toughest on the books – to ensure something like this can never happen again, anywhere. I applaud our local leaders and all of the stakehold... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, yesterday joined his colleagues on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Energy and Power in unanimously approving a Discussion Draft of the Pipeline Safety Act of 2016. The Discussion Draft contains spending authorizations for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and targeted mandates to increase transparency and accountability, complete overdue regulations, and improve safety. “We can ... Read more

The world we live in today is rapidly changing, highly interconnected, and uniquely threatened in ways not thought possible when our electric grid first came online. When it comes to keeping our country safe, nothing is more under-the-radar yet crucial to the nation’s well-being than our electric grid infrastructure. Everything from cyber-attacks to electromagnetic pulse waves, severe weather to seismic events has the potential to shut down or disrupt parts of the grid. The results of these disr... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today joined the majority of his House colleagues in advancing H.R. 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act by a bipartisan 249-174 vote. The innovative legislation, sponsored by Upton, focuses on updating the United States’ energy policy to properly reflect the changing energy landscape. “How can it be in the 21st century with incredible energy abundance we can’t get energy to consumers in some parts of the country? T... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today joined the majority of his House colleagues in voting to advance the conference report for H.R. 22, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which authorizes federal surface transportation programs through fiscal year 2020. The legislation was approved by an overwhelming 359-65 bipartisan vote. “You don’t have to look both ways to see that this is a big time win for Southwest Michigan drivers, businesses, and families,... Read more

The United States is in the midst of an energy revolution like we’ve never seen before. Thanks to technological advances and American ingenuity, we have unlocked a wealth of new energy resources and are now one of the world’s leading energy producers. However, more can, and should, be done to capitalize on our newfound energy abundance. The Energy and Commerce Committee has worked over the last year and a half on a vision I call the Architecture of Abundance. It’s a plan that seeks to usher Amer... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today joined the majority of his House colleagues in advancing legislation, H.R. 702 – To Adapt to Changing Crude Oil Market Conditions, that would lift the 40-year-old ban on crude oil exports. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, lifting this ban would generate $1.4 billion in profits to the federal government during the next 10 years from oil and gas leases. Additionally, data from the Government Accountability Offi... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today joined by his colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, advanced key energy legislation to the House floor. H.R. 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act was approved by the full committee by a bipartisan vote of 32- 20. Today’s vote marks another important milestone in the multi-year, multi-Congress effort to modernize the nation’s energy laws. “Today’s vote that says ‘yes to energy’ marks an importa... Read more