WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), chairman of the Senate subcommittees on energy and economic growth, today released the following statement and white paper making the case for a pro-jobs approach to lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Cassidy’s white paper explains how increased use of natural gas lowers emissions while furthering American economic success, and comes after Democrats proposed the Green New Deal, which would cost trillions of dollars and put millions of Americans out of work.
“If the Green New Deal is a dream for the left, it is a nightmare for the American people. It would force middle-class families to tear down their houses, pay higher electricity bills, get rid of their cars, and give up their jobs,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Ineffective policies that inflict financial pain on working families are not the answer—ask Emmanuel Macron.”
“Lowering greenhouse gases is important. Louisiana loses a football field of land every 100 minutes due to erosion and rising sea level. But the Green New Deal would actually increase global emissions by incentivizing manufacturing to move to high-emitting countries like China,” Cassidy continued.
“The good news is that the United States is successfully reducing emissions by investing in cleaner burning natural gas,” said Cassidy. “This has created high paying jobs in Louisiana and the United States, from natural gas wellheads to export terminals. The United States is demonstrating to the world that families can have lower utility bills, a cleaner environment and better jobs.”
“This is a pro-jobs approach to lowering greenhouse gas emissions,” Cassidy concluded. “Instead of pie-in-the-sky, feel-good pipe dreams, let’s do what data and science say actually works.”
Cassidy’s white paper details:
- America’s success in reducing carbon emissions by replacing coal with natural gas as its primary source of electricity
- How natural gas supports increased investment in renewable energy sources like wind and solar
- Misconceptions of methane leakage’s effect on the comparative benefits of natural gas
Cassidy has aggressively criticized efforts to close natural gas plants and impose carbon tax and cap and trade policies, pointing to the environmental benefits of natural gas and the crucial role it plays in strengthening America’s national security.
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