Recognizing the benefits of natural gas to the United States economy and environment, and recognizing natural gas as an affordable and "green" energy.

Bill: 117-hres-1148
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Balderson, Troy [R-OH-12]
Introduced: 2022-05-31
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Energy storage, supplies, demand

Oil and gas
Latest action: action_date: 2022-05-31
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-05-31
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This resolution recognizes domestically produced natural gas as affordable, <i>green</i>, and necessary for energy independence while asserting that the United States should take a broad approach to meet energy needs.</p>

tv_txt: IV 117th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1148 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 31, 2022 Mr. Balderson submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce , and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Recognizing the benefits of natural gas to the United States economy and environment, and recognizing natural gas as an affordable and green energy.

Whereas proposals to implement punitive fees on methane emissions would result in a regressive tax on all Americans, including low-income and fixed-income Americans; Whereas a natural gas tax or methane emissions fee would result in higher bills on natural gas customers, including families, farmers, and small businesses; Whereas any natural gas tax or methane emissions fee would disproportionately impact natural gas producing regions, and businesses across the natural gas supply would be harmed by government-imposed taxes and fees; Whereas, since 2005, two-thirds of the power sector greenhouse gas emissions reductions are a direct result of the switch to natural gas; Whereas, because of increased innovation and technology in the natural gas industry, United States methane emissions were 10 percent lower in 2020 compared to 2005, despite the United States increasing production of natural gas by nearly 100 percent between 2005 to 2020; Whereas, according to the Energy Information Administration, using natural gas to generate energy results in fewer emissions of nearly all types of air pollutants, including carbon dioxide, compared to other fossil fuels; Whereas, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, since 1970, combined emissions of criteria and precursor pollutants have dropped by 78 percent in the United States; Whereas, on March 9, 2022, the European Commission approved a Complementary Climate Delegated Act that specifies certain nuclear and natural gas activities are covered by the European Union taxonomy and thus considered green investments; Whereas the European Commission’s Complementary Climate Delegated Act allows natural gas and nuclear energy activities to be considered as renewable or green investments, which will spur private and public investments in natural gas and nuclear energy and make Europe less reliant on Russian energy in the future; Whereas, on March 25, 2022, the United States announced an agreement with the European Union for the United States to supply the European Union with up to 15,000,000,000 additional cubic meters of liquefied natural gas by the end of 2022; Whereas, in 2021, 45 percent of the European Union’s natural gas imports were from Russia, accounting for 155,000,000,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas; Whereas the Biden administration and Congress must reduce regulatory burdens and increase the production of United States natural gas in order to export clean United States natural gas to help reduce the European Union’s reliance on Russian energy; Whereas increased usage of natural gas domestically will also reduce United States dependence on foreign energy and strengthen United States national security; and Whereas natural gas is abundant in the United States, and the Energy Information Administration estimates the United States has enough dry natural gas to last nearly a century, and the potential for even more with advances in technology and exploration: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) recognizes natural gas produced in the United States as an affordable and green energy; (2) recognizes that the United States should be committed to an all of the above approach to meet United States energy needs, and that natural gas is necessary for the United States to be energy independent; and (3) encourages the Biden administration, including the Department of Energy and the Department of the Interior, to support United States production of natural gas and natural gas infrastructure and identify and remove barriers to the production of natural gas.