Washington, D.C. – In case you missed it, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik wrote the following opinion in The Ogdensburg Journal, highlighting House Republicans’ efforts to restore American energy dominance following the Biden Administration’s destructive Green New Deal policies that have left American families struggling to afford basic necessities.
Find the full opinion below.
New Yorkers Want American Energy Dominance
By Congresswoman Elise Stefanik
As the Representative of New York’s 21st Congressional District, it is my duty to bring the concerns of my constituents to the highest levels of government, and in recent weeks, I have once again heard the growing anxiety from Upstate New York and North Country families, including some of the 133,000 seniors on fixed incomes, farmers, and small businesses who are concerned about increased heating costs this winter. With NY21 already experiencing storms that have left thousands without power and the Farmers' Almanac predicting yet another freezing-cold, stormy, and snowy winter, I am focused on passing legislation to lower energy costs for hardworking North Country families.
The completely out-of-touch failed Biden Administration has made matters worse for Upstate New Yorkers and Americans across the country with President Biden’s radical Far Left Green New Deal agenda. Joe Biden's war on American energy, which ended our country’s energy independence and caused energy prices for hardworking Americans and fixed-income seniors to skyrocket to historic levels.
President Biden committed to destroying American energy dominance on the very first day of his presidency when he halted the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline instantly killing thousands of American energy jobs and preventing United States refineries from receiving up to 830,000 barrels of Canadian oil each day. I had proudly supported authorizing this pipeline as one of my first votes in Congress because I knew it would help reduce energy costs for Americans while enhancing our energy independence and strengthening our economic partnership with Canada.
Biden’s war on American energy has not only caused energy prices to skyrocket for Americans, but it has jeopardized our national security by taking extraordinary steps to prevent oil and gas drilling permits on federal lands and waters. Last September, the Biden Administration released plans for the smallest auction of offshore drilling rights ever. In a desperate attempt to alleviate the pain Americans were experiencing because of his radical Green New Deal agenda and war on American energy, President Biden drained our Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to its lowest level since 1984.
Here in Upstate New York and the North Country, we rely heavily on home heating oil, which is derived from crude oil, to heat our homes. In November 2020, during President Trump’s historic presidency, the cost of home heating oil in New York was $2.41 per gallon. In November 2023, only three years later, the cost skyrocketed to $4.43 per gallon - a whopping 83.6% under President Biden. The sky high utility and heating bills are crushing hundreds of thousands of Upstate families especially the hundreds of thousand fixed-income seniors in my district, many of whom are veterans.
The American people have had enough of Biden’s failed radical Green New Deal agenda and his war on American energy, which they know are to blame for our sky-high energy costs. That is why our district and the country elected House Republicans to the majority in 2022 to fight Joe Biden’s war on American energy, unleash American energy dominance, and drive down energy costs for hardworking Americans.
Since gaining the majority, House Republicans have hit the ground running. We passed H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, which unleashes American energy and lowers costs by increasing domestic energy production, reforming the permitting process for all industries, and reversing the anti-energy policies advanced by the Biden Administration. We also passed legislation that would prohibit our SPR from being used for reasons other than a severe energy supply interruption.
I will continue to advocate for American energy independence to lower energy prices for every family, farmer, and small business in our district.
