Energy

A few months ago, I relaunched my Regulation Rewind initiative to highlight problematic regulations coming from the new administration. The executive overreach, particularly when it fails to recognize ongoing conservation efforts of those closest to the land, is particularly disappointing. As the red tape flows from President Biden and his administration, I continue to oppose such regulations that could be detrimental to Nebraskans and the Third District.

Our national and global economy rely on the efficacy of supply chains. Supply chains are found in every industry, sector, and market, and include all actors involved in creating and bringing a product from start to finish. Farmers and ranchers, manufacturing facilities, retail, and the transportation in between, are all critical to the success of this multi-pronged system. Over the course of the last year we have seen just how much we as consumers have taken for granted supply chains and the logistics behind them.

This week President Biden delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress. He began by acknowledging the success of the COVID-19 vaccine development under the previous administration while touting its rollout under his own. Getting as many Americans as possible vaccinated is a key to reopening and rebuilding the economy across our country, and we should rightfully be proud of how quickly American ingenuity led to this lifesaving development.

Nebraskans know how important it is to protect our environment, especially the farmers and ranchers across the Third District whose livelihoods are tied directly to the land they cultivate, the water they use to irrigate, and animals they raise. Across party lines it is clearly understood that there are ways we can address environmental concerns and improve access to the energy we need to fuel our economy. However, the government must not arbitrarily pick winners and losers or create new policy solely for messaging purposes.

Nebraska is a biofuels powerhouse - the second and third largest producer of ethanol and corn, respectively, in the country. With 25 active ethanol plants and a capacity of more than 2.5 billion gallons, the importance of biofuels to our state economy cannot be understated. Biodiesel production in Nebraska has seen exponential growth as well. Thanks to innovation and technological developments, biodiesel production has grown from 25 million gallons in 2004 to 2.9 billion gallons in 2019.