Chair Rodgers Opening Remarks at Energy Subcommittee Markup of 17 Bills to Secure Reliable, Clean, American Energy

Statement

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"The Energy and Commerce Committee is at the forefront of securing America's energy dominance, encouraging innovation that produces clean, affordable, and reliable energy.

Today's markup builds on these efforts and Energy and Commerce's rich history of plowing the hard ground necessary to legislate.

That is our focus this afternoon so we can deliver bipartisan wins for the American people.

I want to thank Ranking Member Pallone and all of my colleagues who are making sure the U.S. continues to be the number one place for clean energy and innovation, while also taking meaningful steps to improve people's lives and reduce emissions.

This is important work to help usher in the next era of U.S. energy leadership."

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"Twelve of the bills we'll consider reflect our bipartisan work to restore America's nuclear dominance.

That was the central goal outlined in the bipartisan letter the committee sent to stakeholders this past April.

We all agree that a robust and growing nuclear industry is critical for reducing emissions, providing reliable, affordable, clean energy to Americans, and for building durable economic and strategic relationships around the world, especially as the influence of China and Russia in this industry, grows.

Fortunately, we know our allies are eager for American leadership and technology, and our nuclear industry is ready to lead.

These solutions will reform the licensing processes at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy to encourage innovation and enable industry to deploy safe, reliable nuclear energy.

While we are still working through some areas of disagreement, the goal is ultimately to continue building bipartisan solutions that we can advance out of Committee."

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"Other solutions today will help further strengthen reliability, while also protecting people's freedom to choose which energy sources and appliances work best for their lives.

The GRID Act, led by Chair Duncan, enhances interagency coordination and makes sure the policies of federal agencies, particularly EPA, are prioritizing reliable, affordable power.

Mr. Hudson's bill strengthens supply chains for transformers, to help minimize the risk of blackouts and service disruptions and make sure new transformers are available to replace those damaged by fires and floods.

We'll also consider important measures by Mrs. Lesko to ensure Americans, not the federal government, are deciding for themselves what home appliances best meet their needs.

Dr. Bucshon has a related bill that reins in DOE's abuse of standards that threaten to drive up costs of manufactured housing.

Finally, we will advance our bipartisan work to update the laws concerning hydropower, America's most abundant clean, reliable, and renewable energy resource.

With the policy reforms in my bill, we could double hydropower production in the United States.

We need to modernize an outdated permitting process, promote next-generation hydro technologies, and eliminate barriers to new dam development."

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"Our energy dominance and entrepreneurial spirit keeps our energy resources reliable and powers our way of life.

For more than 100 years, generations of Americans have come to rely on clean, affordable energy, to the point where most of us don't even think about it anymore.

Critical resources like electricity not only keep the lights on but heat our homes in the cold winter months and cool them in the summer.

Access to affordable energy is the reason we have fresh produce at the grocery store.

It's how we drive our kids to school, and it's how we're able to stay connected to our friends and loved ones.

It's fundamental to every sector of our national defense and the economy--from health to technology to banking.

By continuing to embrace our abundant resources, we can raise the standard of living, drive technological progress, and improve people's health.

These solutions--mostly bipartisan--will further unlock American energy and make sure people have an opportunity for a better life and an affordable energy future.

I again thank my colleagues for working across the aisle.

Together, we are delivering the results the hardworking people of this country are counting on us to deliver."

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