**Kuster spoke on the House Floor against this bill. Her full remarks are available HERE**

**Clean energy is the cheapest form of energy**

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) voted against House Republicans' proposed energy bill that consists almost entirely of handouts and new loopholes for the oil, gas, and mining industries. Kuster urged her colleagues to work across the aisle to lower energy costs, strengthen our energy grid, and increase resiliency.

“Today, I voted against a disastrous Republican bill that would hurt our energy future and give handouts to the oil and gas industry instead of lowering costs for hardworking Americans,” said Kuster. “We know our climate is changing. We know clean energy is the lowest-cost option. And we know Big Oil is making record profits while collecting billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies. Yet, the Republicans’ proposal dismisses these facts, guts our environmental and public health laws, and ignores the climate crisis. We must do better — I’ll keep looking for ways to work across the aisle to lower energy costs and build a more resilient, sustainable energy future.”

“H.R. 1 undermines important environmental protections for our air and water and will have negative public health effects while benefiting polluters in the oil, gas, chemical, and mining sectors,” said Rob Werner, New Hampshire State Director of The League of Conservation Voters. “The US House of Representatives should reject this misguided bill that will worsen the climate crisis and put vulnerable populations at even greater risk.” 

“New Hampshire Sierra Club applauds Congresswoman Kuster’s opposition to H.R. 1. New Hampshire is struggling now with high energy bills and we will continue with the passage of H.R.1.,” said Catherine M. Corkery, Chapter Director NH Chapter of the Sierra Club. “The bill removes critical funds from the new Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund established in the historic Inflation Reduction Act to directly finance projects like home retrofits, renewable energy, clean manufacturing, transportation, and more, to support healthier communities and create family-sustaining jobs. Further, grid modernization, battery storage and weatherization programs are critical to improve energy infrastructure in New Hampshire; instead H.R. 1 relies on controversial, ideological, fossil fuel heavy, time-consuming, expensive energy tropes. New Hampshire families desperately need relief now from the unprecedented, skyrocketing energy bills that are over 200% for the average residential homeowner this winter.”

H.R. 1 would prioritize Big Oil and Fossil Fuel companies at the expense of our environment and our economy:

• Eliminates needed environmental regulations.
• H.R. 1 rubber-stamps the construction of new natural gas pipelines – which is already frighteningly easy – while shutting every agency, apart from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, out of the review process.
• Greenlights selling American oil to foreign adversaries.
• H.R. 1 removes the requirement that Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports be determined to be in the public interest before being sent overseas, tearing down guardrails that prevent our adversaries from purchasing more of our energy to use against us.
• Devalues American lands without regulation.
• H.R. 1 allows anyone to stake a mining claim on our public lands for less than $10 an acre, even if they haven’t discovered any minerals. After that, any mining activity — including dumping toxic mining waste — is considered the “highest and best use” of those lands.
• Weakens environmental and public health protections and enforcement.
• H.R. 1 weakens enforcement of nearly all environmental and public health laws by dramatically limiting the statute of limitations for unlawful permit decisions — like those required by the Clean Air Act or Clean Water Act — to 120 days.
• Excludes the biggest polluters from environmental regulations and review.
• H.R. 1 is drafted so broadly that it exempts all so-called “critical energy resource” facilities – such as petroleum refineries that release air toxics like benzene and use hydrofluoric acid linked to catastrophic chemical disasters – from commonsense Clean Air Act and hazardous waste permitting requirements. It also grants these facilities amnesty for any violations of federal, state, or local environmental law.
• Opens the door for more dangerous chemicals, like PFAS.
• H.R. 1 completely erodes the new chemicals review process under the bipartisan Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), allowing new chemicals – even PFAS – on the market without any consideration of safety.
• Increases energy costs for hardworking families.
• H.R. 1 repeals the $4.5 billion home electrification rebate program designed to lower energy bills for American families.

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