[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 72 (Friday, April 28, 2023)] [House] [Pages H2093-H2103] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-28
Chamber: HOUSE
Mr. BLUMENAUER: I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in opposition to this resolution. My Republican friends continue to be in a state of denial of the climate crisis, the real and urgent sense that we have now. Last month, in Houston, I had an opportunity to meet with two dozen leaders of the renewable energy sector. They weren't concerned about rolling back the things that we have done. They want to accelerate it. The chairman and my Republican colleagues have spoken at length about the importance of increasing accountability for China's unfair trade practices and maintaining protections for American workers. It is interesting, though, that these same individuals voted against Democratic provisions to strengthen our antidumping and circumvention laws and reauthorize the Trade Adjustment Assistance in the America COMPETES Act. They all voted against the Inflation Reduction Act's provision to incentivize clean energy domestic manufacturing. In fact, 2 days ago, they voted to repeal these provisions. This resolution would undermine America's hard-fought wins in the Inflation Reduction Act.  There are problems. No doubt, the Chinese are likely cheating.  President Biden struck the right balance by instituting a temporary freeze on these solar tariffs. This approach is how we fix the long- term problem. Importantly, he has said that he does not intend to extend the freeze beyond June 2024 and that he will veto this resolution if it gets to his desk. My friends on the other side of the aisle are concerned about working men and women. I would point out that the President's position is consistent with the leaders in organized labor from IBEW, from LIUNA, the Carpenters, and the Operating Engineers, people who represent these hardworking Americans, as well as organizations in the environmental community and the National Taxpayers Union. This is a 2-year bridge that gives the solar industry the time needed to reorient supply chains away from China and produce panels domestically. We can't do that overnight, but we are committed to making that change. For too long, the United States has lacked a cohesive renewable energy manufacturing policy. As a result, we have outsourced far too much of our production. In 2021, there were only 7 gigawatts of domestic manufacturing capacity. That is the reality. But the Inflation Reduction Act marks a significant departure from those flawed policies of the past. This legislation bakes in domestic content bonuses in clean energy credits to incentivize the industry to onshore production. But that takes time. It also revives the advanced manufacturing credit and creates a new manufacturing production tax credit. The Inflation Reduction Act has already led to the announcement of more than 45 gigawatts of domestic solar manufacturing capacity. Again, my Republican colleagues voted to repeal all of those incentives just 2 days ago. Ending the President's temporary initiative here would immediately institute high, retroactive tariffs in the hundreds of percent that would hurt solar development, increase energy costs, and lead to a supply reduction at exactly the moment when the climate crisis means that we need to ramp it up. Many of us in Congress worked for years to achieve the policy victories contained in the Inflation Reduction Act. The clean energy tax credits are projected to reduce carbon emissions 40 percent by 2030, giving us a legitimate chance to meet the goals contained in the Paris climate agreement. We should resist these efforts to undermine this hard-won victory for America. I would encourage my colleagues to take a hard look at the legislation and then reject it when it comes before us for a vote. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.