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.”
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