WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and colleagues introduced a resolution to designate October 4, 2024, as National Energy Appreciation Day to celebrate the men and women who work to power our nation and the world.
“Louisiana energy workers are the reason we have the fuel to run our cars and electricity to power our homes,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Thanks for powering the American economy.”
“Wyoming’s energy producers work tirelessly each and every day to power our nation, yet our domestic energy industry is under attack like never before due to the Biden-Harris administration’s war on energy production,” said Senator Lummis. “I introduced this resolution to recognize and celebrate the men and women in the Cowboy State and throughout the country who work to power not only our nation, but the entire world.”
Cassidy and Lummis were joined by U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), James Lankford (R-OK), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) in cosponsoring the resolution.
Background
American energy plays an integral role in keeping energy affordable, reliable, and efficient while also supporting economic growth and creating upward mobility. Not only have domestic energy advancements greatly reduced emissions, but widespread access to energy has more than doubled life expectancy and reduced the percentage of people living in poverty to less than 10%.
The American energy industry accounts for more than seven million jobs and ultimately supports more than 10 million jobs across the United States.
The U.S. oil and natural gas industry generates nearly $1.8 billion in gross domestic product annually. Federal oil and natural gas leases for onshore and offshore development brought in $15.9 billion for the federal government in 2023. This is $6.3 billion less than 2022, due in large part to the administration’s war on American energy, including banning exports of liquified natural gas.
Since day one of the Biden-Harris administration, President Biden and Vice President Harris have taken several actions to greatly restrict domestic energy production including:
- Halting construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
- Banning exports of liquified natural gas (LNG).
- Drastically increasing royalty rates for domestic gas production on federal lands.
- Putting Resource Management Plans (RMPs) in place to effectively end oil and gas production on federal lands.
- Halting offshore oil and gas leases in the gulf due to the potential for the Rices Whale to be impacted despite no scientific evidence the whale is impacted by offshore drilling.
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