WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, joined America Reports with John Roberts and Sandra Smith on Fox News to discuss his plan to implement an Operation Warp Speed to increase American energy production and address high gas prices. Earlier this month, Cassidy released a landmark energy and climate Policy outline for “Resetting American Energy and Climate Policy” through an Energy Operation Warp Speed. Cassidy’s plan would include streamlining the permitting process for energy production and import projects.
Cassidy on his plan:
“Just like the Trump administration took a process that was thought to take two, three and ten years to produce a safe vaccine against coronavirus, this administration could use an ‘Operation Warp Speed’ to shorten the permitting time to safely—in an environmentally sound way—develop oil and gas and renewable resources. You send that signal to the markets and future prices begin to go down. Let me give you an example. I’m speaking to a person in charge of production of oil and gas off the shore of Louisiana. This person tells me that they’ve got five permits pending before the federal government. They expect two to three years for these to be fulfilled. If she had them tomorrow—they’ve been sitting for months—if she had them tomorrow, she could have oil and gas actually being refined in Louisiana within a year.
“Another fellow who is ready to do an [liquefied natural gas] export facility. If he had his permits he would be able to send natural gas to our allies within a year, and might I say create a lot of jobs for a lot of Americans in the process. We need a regulatory environment that works for the consumer and for our allies, not against us all.”
In response to the White House’s claim that there are thousands of energy leases not being used by energy companies:
“…you don’t have the permit. You can have a lease, but until you get the permit to do seismic testing, the permit to do the drilling, and many permits in between, you can’t actually drill. And you’ve got to get those permits approved by somebody who doesn’t seem to care about approving it.”
On the urgency to implement an Energy Operation Warp Speed:
“The Russian-Ukrainian war may be a catalyst to move away from dream thinking that, ‘oh my gosh we are going to be able to run a modern economy on wind and solar,’ which we can’t—into a dose of reality. The Germans are depending upon us to provide them with more natural gas so they can become free of Russian energy. They need more coal, they need more oil and if they don’t get it from us or someplace, I’m told that the average German will pay five to six thousand euros more next year. You are going to lose political support for sanctions against Russia. If we want to keep a geopolitical strategy together we have to help the economy of our allies. We do that with the oil and the gas, as well as the renewable technology that we can export.”
On Democrats’ refusal to strengthen U.S. oil and gas development:
“There is nothing like a hanging to sharpen a man’s mind. And so they are going to lose big time in November if they are totally insensitive to the average family unable to afford to fill up their pickup truck. You’ve got to start sending signals to the futures market ‘we are going to ramp up production.’ Then those prices start to come down and then the price at the pump comes down. If you are totally ignorant of the pain the average family is feeling you deserve to lose.”
Background on Cassidy’s recent work to support American energy production:
- March 15, 2022: Cassidy delivers floor speech outlining the need for a global Russia-free energy future by implementing an Energy Operation Warp Speed to streamline federal permitting and increase domestic energy production.
- March 9, 2022: Cassidy releases landmark energy & climate policy outline on how the U.S. can successfully reset energy and climate policy and create a global Russia-free energy future.
- March 1, 2022: Cassidy introduces No Most Favored Nation Trading with Russia Act to revoke Russia’s most-favored-nation status, which currently shields Russia from being subject to U.S. tariffs.
- February 28, 2022: Cassidy called on Congress to pass his “Expediting Natural Gas Exports to Allies Act to support American LNG exports to Europe to undermine Russian influence.
- February 24, 2022: Cassidy spoke to the Washington Examiner arguing the Biden administration has worked to increase the price of oil and gas internationally and here in the United States, while propping up Putin’s influence in Europe.
- February 19, 2022: Cassidy joined Cavuto Live on Fox News to discuss the Biden administration’s energy policies impact on American jobs, gas prices, and ability to deter Russian aggression.
- February 17, 2022: Cassidy, Rubio and Rounds introduced a bill to expedite natural gas exports to U.S. partners, erode Russian influence.
- February 17, 2022: Cassidy led 26 colleagues in urging Biden administration to increase LNG exports, undermine Russian influence.
- February 16, 2022: Cassidy joined The Evening Edit on Fox Business to discuss the energy crisis and Russian aggression in Ukraine.
- February 16, 2022: Cassidy and colleagues demanded answers from Biden administration on shutdown of the Keystone XL pipeline.
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