Democrats Taking California’s Energy Failures Nationwide
‘[A]t home and abroad, our Democratic colleagues have been given sobering warnings of what not to do on energy… But this all-Democrat government has spent two straight years running head-on toward these bright red flashing warning signs. They’ve frozen new domestic energy leasing, cancelled new pipelines, and reinstated a maze of red tape designed to strangle entire domestic industries.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding energy:
“I’ve been talking all week about the ways that liberal policies hurt American families in their daily lives.
“After two years of total Democrat control in Washington, we’ve seen how reckless spending comes home to roost in the form of decades-high inflation and shrinking paychecks for working Americans.
“We’ve seen what happens when one of our two major political parties decides in its rhetoric, in its personnel, and in its policies that keeping our streets safe, our border secure, and criminals behind bars are not their priorities.
“And despite multiple glaring cautionary tales both at home and abroad, we are seeing the early warning signs of our Democratic colleagues’ hostility to an all-of-the-above American energy strategy.
“In Europe, some of America’s closest allies are reaping the painful effects of years of shortsighted ‘green’ policies. By swapping affordable and reliable domestic power for half-baked fads, our friends have placed themselves at the mercy of Vladimir Putin to meet demand ahead of another cold winter.
“Working families and small businesses are taking this trade-off on the chin. I saw one shop owner in Ireland explain she’s just had to pay almost as much for two months of electricity as she did throughout all of last year.
“Unfortunately, millions of Americans can already sympathize. An estimated 20 million U.S. households are already behind on their energy bills thanks to the Democrats’ runaway inflation.
“And in California, state and local Democrats have wasted no time taking things even farther in the wrong direction.
“Democrats have made California’s electrical grid into a giant experiment to try out all their misunderstandings about energy policy. It’s not going well. With hot-weather demand surging, California authorities are sweating potential shortfalls of up to 5,000 megawatts.
“California’s love affair with fickle, unreliable green energy could force its residents to put up with rolling blackouts just to conform to wealthy liberals’ preferences.
“The government had to send out an emergency message begging citizens to ration power. Ironically, just weeks after announcing a future ban on gas-powered automobiles, the state is now begging folks not to charge their expensive electric cars to avoid crashing the grid.
“So California Democrats don’t want you putting gas in your car, and they don’t want you to plug in your car either. That’s exactly where their war on energy would leave the American people: Going nowhere fast.
“President Biden’s Secretary of Energy, Secretary Granholm, literally said less than a week ago that, ‘California is in the lead and can show the rest of the nation how it is done’!
“So Mr. President, at home and abroad, our Democratic colleagues have been given sobering warnings of what not to do on energy. They’ve seen what happens when you wage war on abundant fossil fuels, abandon nuclear power, and go all-in on the least reliable energy sources.
“But this all-Democrat government has spent two straight years running head-on toward these bright red flashing warning signs. They’ve frozen new domestic energy leasing, cancelled new pipelines, and reinstated a maze of red tape designed to strangle entire domestic industries.
“As gas prices skyrocketed on President Biden’s watch, his Administration approved less new oil drilling than any since Harry Truman was in office.
“Our Democratic colleagues have doubled and tripled down. Last month, while they rammed through their reckless taxing and spending spree, they voted in lockstep multiple times against Republican amendments that would have helped shore up American energy and rebuild our independence.
“Europe in thrall to Putin’s gas supply. California talking about rolling blackouts. Exactly what further warning do our Democratic colleagues actually need?”
###
Related Issues: Energy, House Democrats, Economy, Democrats' Reckless Taxing And Spending Spree, Crime, Senate Democrats
Next Previous
