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The House has passed a sprawling energy package that was championed by Republicans as a fix to soaring energy prices, and the bill garnered the support of four Democrats.
The Lower Energy Costs Act, which was designated H.R. 1 as the House GOP’s top priority this Congress, would overhaul the environmental review process for energy projects to streamline their approvals, boost fossil fuel production and reduce prices.
“The day President Biden took office, he started taking immediate action to attack American energy,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Louisiana Republican and a lead author of the bill. “President Biden has made it very clear: he wants to make it harder to produce in America, but he’s not against the production going to countries like Russia, like China, like Venezuela.”
The vote was 225-204, with a quartet of Democrats crossing the aisle to vote in favor of the legislation. They included Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez from oil-rich districts in Texas; and Jared Golden of Maine.
One Republican broke GOP rank to vote against the legislation: Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, who co-chairs the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.
House Democrats labeled the bill the “Polluters Over People Act” and vehemently opposed it as a threat to combating climate change.
Mr. Gonzalez said he supported the bill because it would simplify the energy permitting process and help fast-tracking new energy projects.
