John Cornyn: “I want to thank our friends from North Dakota, from West Virginia, and from Nebraska for being here today to talk about…”

“I want to thank our friends from North Dakota, from West Virginia, and from Nebraska for being here today to talk about producing low-cost energy, which would reduce emissions. I am from an energy-producing State. In Texas, we are an ``all of the above'' State. We actually generate more electricity from wind than any other State in the Nation. While I know many people think of the Lone Star State as being primarily an oil and gas producer, which we are, we really are an ``all of the above'' State because we found that, for example, when the wind doesn't blow and the Sun doesn't shine, then you need a baseload from some source, whether it is nuclear, whether it is natural gas. We have even had instances where, because of very, very cold weather, 100-year cold snaps, even natural gas does not supply that baseload. But here again, it is a reminder of how vulnerable we all are to a secure and affordable energy supply. If we needed a recent historical reminder, when Mr. Putin invaded Ukraine and threatened to cut off the sole source of energy for essentially all of Europe, they had to scramble for alternative sources and diversify their energy supply. That ought to be a lesson to us that we should not put all of our eggs in one basket, but we should pursue an ``all of the above'' energy strategy. One of the biggest hurdles to energy development in America today, whether it is fossil fuels or green energy, is the permitting process.…”