It is time we right that wrong and advance renewable energy without forced ties to fossil fuels.

So, I ask again, as our communities lose jobs to volatile oil companies, whose security is really at stake when we talk about energy security and independence?

We owe American workers energy stability and protection, not hollow promises.

The current arguments characterizing energy independence lose credibility when you discover that the United States is currently exporting 50 percent more oil and gas than we did in 2019.

Our public lands and waters contribute nearly a quarter to those emissions.

The urgency to address Federal fossil fuel development is undeniable as we endure the sixth straight week of record-breaking heat waves.

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez pointed to the boom-and-bust cycle of our industry and the layoffs that have occurred.

The generational scars that have been left on my people, the land, and the waters we hold sacred in the name of industry are still painful today.

What we're fighting for is the right of the people of Louisiana to remain in their homes and have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink.

The stakes are high. The health of the planet and the well-being of the workforce and future generations hang in the balance.

Rather than maintaining the status quo and propping up the fossil fuel industry, let's invest in the cleanup of the thousands of miles of abandoned pipelines and countless abandoned wells and rigs to create jobs and protect the environment.