Biden's Unilateral Executive Orders Are Harmful

Floor Speech

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, when the gentleman says perspective, the part I would like to highlight is that it is about balance. I am going to speak to that in a little bit, but before my comments get drowned out in some of the prepared statements, making sure there is balance benefits all, and it is something that I am really passionate about and Utahns are passionate about.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to call on the Biden administration to reverse its unilateral orders, including Executive Order 14008 pausing new oil and gas leases on Federal land; Secretarial Order 3395 suspending mineral leasing and permits; and Executive Order 13990 revoking the Keystone XL pipeline permit.

Utah, as the gentleman mentioned, has the second highest percentage of federally owned land at about 65 percent. Approximately 10,000 Utahns rely on the oil and gas industry for their employment and livelihoods. These orders will result in Utah families losing their jobs and will reduce crucial funding for conservation programs that protect the natural wonders of my home State and our great country.

They will make our country more reliant on imported energy from other countries with lower environmental standards than our own and weaken our national security foothold. Restricting extraction has real costs for our schools, our first responders, and public services. The Keystone pipeline's MOU with North America's Building Trades Unions will provide $10 million in renewable energy job training for union workers and invests a total of $1.7 billion in renewable energy infrastructure, proving that a productive balance of development and conservation can be achieved.

Rushed executive actions do not allow for collaboration with the people who are directly impacted by these decisions. Utahns will feel the negative effects of these orders.

I encourage the administration to reverse these actions and work with a bipartisan group of legislators on solutions that both protect and develop our cherished lands. I ran on a sincere desire to work with the administration to promote productivity over partisanship, and I stand by that commitment today.

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