On the recordFebruary 11, 2020
Madam Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding, and I join the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko) in urging my colleagues to defeat the previous question so we can consider H. Res. 659. Hydraulic fracturing provides enormous benefits to the American people, including energy security, national security, economic growth, and reduced carbon emissions. The Baaken oil patch, stretching across western North Dakota, is an essential contributor to producing 1.5 million barrels of oil per day and over 2 billion cubic feet of associated gas per day. The United States is uniquely situated in the world economy. We are one of the very few if not the only country that is both food and energy secure. I am proud that North Dakota is a big part of that energy security. Let us not forget that a mere 10 years ago, if Iran would have shot down a U.S. drone, seized the British ship in the Strait of Hormuz, conducted a terrorist attack on a Saudi oil facility, and shot rockets at U.S. troops in Iraq, oil would have skyrocketed to over $115 a barrel and stayed there. Do you know what happened the day after those attacks? Oil went down $1.29. Fracking directly employs over 2 million Americans, including 35,000 people in my home State. In 2020, the U.S. is expected to become a net energy exporter. In 2019, we doubled our natural gas exports.…





