Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 1 - Lower Energy Costs Act

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(House Rules)
(Rep. Scalise, R-LA, and 43 cosponsors)

This Administration is making unprecedented progress in protecting America's energy security and reducing energy costs for Americans - in their homes and at the pump. H.R. 1 would do just the opposite, replacing pro-consumer policies with a thinly veiled license to pollute. It would raise costs for American families by repealing household energy rebates and rolling back historic investments to increase access to cost-lowering clean energy technologies. Instead of protecting American consumers, it would pad oil and gas company profits - already at record levels - and undercut our public health and environment. The Administration strongly opposes this bill.

H.R. 1 would double the cost of energy efficiency upgrades that families need to reduce household bills and would repeal the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that will cut energy costs and boost economic development in rural and urban communities across the country. H.R. 1 would also empower big companies to skirt the Clean Air Act by lifting pollution control requirements, weaken emissions requirements and worker protection for refineries using toxic chemicals, modify requirements under the bipartisan Toxic Substances Control Act for determining the safety of chemicals used in the energy sector, and repeal $1.5 billion in investments focused on curbing methane leaks that harm surrounding communities.

The Biden-Harris Administration is advancing an unparalleled expansion of American-made energy that will reduce costs, secure supply chains, and create good-paying jobs. The Administration has made dramatic progress in every area. Both oil and natural gas production in the United States are projected to reach record highs this year, the President has authorized the use of the Defense Production Act to strengthen our supply chains, and the Administration is making historic investments to deploy clean energy, accelerate permitting, and create jobs. The Administration wants to work in bipartisan manner with Congress to address lowering energy costs, permitting reform, and addressing energy challenges. However, H.R. 1 would take us backward.

Therefore, if presented to the President in its current form, he would veto it.