WASHINGTON, D.C. (LOOTPRESS) – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor voicing her concern with President Joe Biden’srecent climate Executive Orders.
HIGHLIGHTS:
SO MUCH FOR UNITY: “In his first actions, President Biden managed to kill thousands of jobs and paralyze America’s energy industry. His order yesterday put a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands. This is an economic, energy, and national security disaster in my view. This order moves America from energy independence back to relying on foreign sources for fuel. And a lot of times these are the countries who have much laxer environmental policies than we have right here in the United States.”
OBAMA PLAYBOOK OF EMPTY PROMISES: “So, my skepticism when I hear this administration talk about giving industry time to transition and give workers clean energy jobs, that’s where I found myself thinking ‘I’m in Back to the Future. I’ve heard this before.’ I vividly remember the empty promises of the past. This is a deeply personal issue for me because I’ve lived through this. I’ve seen this playbook before. So, back to the future: The Obama administration said the very same things to West Virginians. In fact, I remember the same people saying those same things. I remember the utterly unachievable regulatory requirements that Gina McCarthy created in her positions at the EPA that decimated my state. I remember the thousands of jobs lost—and still lost—and the hopelessness and the succeeding opioid epidemic that followed. I remember begging the Obama EPA to come to West Virginia to see how these regulations—with no time to transition—were destroying more of our state’s economy. They were destroying families. They didn’t really seem to care. The only response I got in one of my hearing was that they’d come to Pittsburgh. Well, that’s not coming to West Virginia.”
WHO’S IN CHARGE HERE?: “President Biden’s nominees Michael Regan, Jennifer Granholm, Brenda Mallory at CEQ, Janet McCabe, and even Pete Buttigieg have all been tasked with addressing climate. They’re going to be tripping over each other before you even consider those avoiding the Senate confirmation process all of this together. McCarthy – Kerry – and a whole host of other czars who aren’t accountable to Congress. So who is really going to be making decisions? I think from yesterday’s press conference it’s pretty clear what the answer to that question could probably be. Will this Cabinet actually wield any power – or will the decisions be made in the White House – in an effort to avoid public and congressional scrutiny? The American people really need to know.”
ADDRESSING CLIMATE TOGETHER: “I want to be part of the solution. I am not a climate denier. We all need to take care of our planet. We must be good stewards of our earth and water. We know it’s the right thing to do…We can address climate change together though innovation and technology. We already have new markets for coal—carbon products. We know investing in carbon capture utilization and storage is critical for a lot of reasons. It’s a win-win on both sides. We know new technologies are progressing every day. We’ve been working on this issue in a bipartisan way…But I am very concerned that President Biden’s climate Executive Order yesterday really alienated key players in the conversation. I don’t think that’s the way to build unity. Here we go, back to the future, picking winners and losers. That’s pitting American jobs against one another. That’s can create and will create resentment across the country. I urge President Biden, let’s tackle our climate challenges together.”
