Alaska's Right to Produce Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, Mr. Huffman, for yielding the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 6285.

Mr. Speaker, while Democrats are working hard to lower the cost of living for Americans and protect our communities, House Republicans seek to make their lives much more expensive. They seek to pillage the places that make America special, the special places that we value.

In doing so, here is the dirty secret: They are simply carrying the water for powerful special interests and polluters that have way too much power and influence here on Capitol Hill.

Fortunately, H.R. 6285 has no chance of becoming law, but it does provide a glimpse of the GOP's alliance with polluters over the best interests of the American people.

Whether we are talking about the Arctic refuge or my beautiful part of the country along the Gulf of Mexico, Republicans simply are aiming to sell out America's public lands and waters to their friends in Big Oil and the NRA.

One of the six bills that were considered today would roll back the Biden administration's rules supporting conservation on public lands. Another would prohibit the government from regulating the use of toxic lead in ammunition. That is the single-largest source of unregulated lead discharged into our environment. The so-called Trust in Science Act would make it easier to hunt and kill the endangered gray wolf.

The bill currently before us would threaten millions of acres of wildlands by mandating unfettered oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, regardless of the impacts on wildlife and nearby communities or what it will do to increase the costs of the overheating planet.

We have to ask ourselves if this is really what the American people are asking the Congress to do right now. Does the average American really want to see Congress make it easier to pollute and needlessly develop our special places, our wildlife refuges? I don't think so.

There is an incredible contrast right now in our country between when it comes to who is on the side of the people and who is standing up to the polluters. We just celebrated the 54th Earth Day. Look at the actions of President Biden compared to the Republican pro-polluter messaging bills.

First, last week, the Department of the Interior finalized a new rule that would protect more than 13 million acres of irreplaceable wildlife habitat in the Western Arctic.

Then, President Biden announced the creation of the American Climate Corps, kind of modeled after the Conservation Corps of decades ago. It is a groundbreaking initiative that will put more than 20,000 young Americans to work, protecting our communities, building environmental infrastructure, and helping us to lower costs and be more resilient to the rising costs of the overheating climate.

Last but not least, the EPA rolled out awards under a new Solar for All initiative, a $7 billion grant to help deliver cleaner, cheaper energy across this great country, especially to working-class communities that really need help on their electric bills. This is going to be a godsend in my State, the so-called Sunshine State. We are going to help families put rooftop solar on their roofs, lower their electric bills.

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Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Because I couldn't help our good friend from Louisiana when he was talking about how unfettered oil and gas will really help lower bills, on the front page of my hometown paper today, the Tampa Bay Times, was a story about why our electric bills are so high. Do you know why they are so high? Because in the so-called Sunshine State, 75 percent of electricity is generated from gas. Our utilities are keeping us hooked on gas.

That is why Solar for All, helping to unleash the abundant, free energy from the sun to help lower electric bills, is vital.

It is time for the House to get serious about cleaner, cheaper energy. Enough with these messaging bills. Let's move to bipartisan legislation that will help us achieve a prosperous, sustainable future. Banning offshore oil drilling off of the beautiful Florida coast is where we should start.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit.

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Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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