Debbie Lesko: “I thank Representative Hastings for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself as much time as I may…”

“I thank Representative Hastings for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, energy is a critical driver of the American economy and quality of life. Its production creates thousands of well-paying jobs. Energy is needed in almost every aspect of our lives, from fueling the trucks that transport our goods to stores, to powering the servers that make the internet possible. The United States cannot reach or sustain our potential without large-scale access to developing our energy resources, but today, we are debating three bills that put American energy, American quality of life, and American national security at risk. This majority wants to pass sweeping bans on harnessing domestic energy resources. They want to ban American energy from the Pacific, ban American energy from the Atlantic, ban American energy from Alaska. They want to ban it all, and American families will pay the price. These bills ignore the economic benefits of domestic energy production. Energy development brings high-paying jobs, facilitates manufacturing and investment, and provides government revenues. Energy development in the United States also makes energy more affordable for everyone. The average salary paid in the natural gas and oil development fields is $113,000 per year, and the energy industry supports 300,000 jobs in the United States.…”