Bruce Westerman: “It is great to represent the great State of Arkansas. I want to say thank you to the HEAT Team and to Mr. Joyce for…”

“It is great to represent the great State of Arkansas. I want to say thank you to the HEAT Team and to Mr. Joyce for holding this Special Order on the Democrats' assault on American energy. As gas prices have recently reached the highest level since 2014, Americans are seeing the effects of the decisions that were made on day one by President Biden. In the Natural Resources Committee, Democrats continue to attack safe and reliable energy production, spend millions to kill American energy jobs, impose new taxes and fees on working families, and make our Nation more reliant than ever on foreign adversaries for critical minerals and energy resources we could be producing more cleanly, cheaply, and effectively right here at home. One glaring example of that--and there are many--is in the Natural Resources Committee when we marked up this atrocious, now $5\1/2\ trillion, spending bill that the Democrats are trying to push through Congress. There is actually a line item there, a $350 million line item to close down a copper mine. Now, Madam Speaker, how can you talk about green energy when you want to close down copper mines in the United States? Now, this copper mine is in Arizona, and it was agreed to on a bipartisan bill by Senators Harry Reid and John McCain. The mine is being developed. As a matter of fact, the owner of the mine has spent $2 billion developing this mine. It is 7,000 feet below ground, but Democrats want to yank that lease out of their hands.…”