Several of the top Democrats who voted to expand federal oil and gas leases under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) said on Tuesday that future Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) releases would likewise lead to additional leases. He was quick to criticize the tying Republican bill.
Legislators — Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz, Frank Pallone, DN.J., and Kathy Castor, D-Fla. — At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, he explained that he would be happy to support more leases in some cases, even after criticizing such leases as subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. We have long taken a tough stance against the production of new fossil fuels on federal land and waters.
“Regarding inflation control [Act]as for the bill that voted for mandatory sales, it’s a balancing process. [the IRA] It has historically provided the largest number of resources to address the real issue of the climate crisis and climate action related to those resources. That was the balance, that was the investment. ”
“There is no investment in HR 21, there is actually a withdrawal. That’s the difference,” he continued. It’s about finding a balance for the sake of it, and I’m glad I did that.”
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Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona), ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, gives closing remarks at the 2020 House hearings.
(Bonnie Cashpool/Getty Images)
Democrats organized a call to attack HR 21, the Strategic Production Response Act. This is a Republican-led bill that requires the Department of Energy to tap the SPR only if there is a severe disruption to the energy supply, and not until the Department of the Interior (DOI). Publish a plan to increase oil and gas production on federal land and waters. The bill is scheduled to be voted on the floor later this week.
But despite their criticism of the Strategic Production Response Act, Grijalva, Palone and Castor all voted in favor of the IRA, which President Biden signed into law in August.
The IRA, created by Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va., calls on the federal government to: Revive lease sales 257holds offshore lease sales covering 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico, and three other offshore lease sales that the Biden administration canceled over climate change concerns.
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The bill also makes new renewable energy leases Additional fossil fuel leaseUnder this bill, DOI would issue onshore oil and gas permits in the previous 120 days, unless at least two million acres of land had been leased for oil and gas development in the previous year. It is forbidden to issue wind or solar permits.
“What we’re trying to do as Democrats is Inflation control law Our main instrument is to promote renewable energy such as wind, offshore wind, solar and other renewable resources through tax credits and other instruments included in the Inflation Reduction Act. That’s one of the reasons he’s behind it,” Pallon, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told Fox News Digital on a conference call Tuesday.
“So we are trying to be responsible. We are moving away from fossil fuels and at the same time increasing our use of fossil fuels.
Frank Pallone, DN.J., a member of the House Energy and Natural Resources Rankings, will speak at the hearing on April 6, 2022.
(Aldrago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Parone too repeated general criticism It says there are now thousands of unused leases owned by energy companies, among proposals to increase fossil fuel production on state land.
And Castor, the former chairman of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, added that the Strategic Production Response Act has no “redeeming qualities.”
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“No comparison. HR 21 — no redeeming qualities here,” Castor said. Republicans are trying to disguise themselves as tied to the Strategic Oil Reserve. The Inflation Reduction Act is a landmark piece of legislation, with some elements of resource exploitation, but it is the most important investment in clean energy climate resilience in American history. ”
“Over time, we hope that our Republican colleagues will break through the ways they have to bow to the polluters and truly partner with us in solving the climate crisis and reduce costs for consumers. Because clean energy is cheaper energy: clean air, clean water, land that people need for biodiversity of species,” she continued. “So it’s simply not comparable.”
President Biden signed the Inflation Control Act into law on August 16th.
(Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
After the IRA was introduced, several environmental groups accused the bill of exacerbating climate change and squeezing oil industry profits.
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“This is a climate suicide pact,” said Brett Hartle, director of government affairs at the Center for Biodiversity, in July. “Handcuffing renewable energy development to large-scale new oil and gas exploration is self-defeating.”
“Friends of the Earth stands in solidarity with climate and environmental justice organizations and communities that have expressed deep concern or opposition to the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act,” said Erich Pica, President of Friends of the Earth. added at the time.
