The Right Path to Resilient Communities
Recently I joined several of my colleagues at a roundtable hosted by the Energy, Climate, and Conservation (ECC) Task Force to discuss proven solutions to help build resilient communities around our country by, in part, effectively addressing threats of storms, floods, wildfires, droughts, and more. Nebraskans have been hit hard by costly and tragic disasters in recent years, and the large wildfires our state has experienced this year require a comprehensive evaluation of our prevention and response policies.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey nationwide, 80 percent of the freshwater resources in the U.S. originate on forested land, and more than 3,400 public drinking water systems are located in watersheds containing national forest lands. Proper management of these lands would make a significant difference in the maximization of our water supply and prevention of wildfires, which spread quickly through neglected forest land. Furthermore, the Army Corps of Engineers has an estimated $109 billion backlog of congressionally authorized projects to strengthen America’s waterway networks and protect against storm and flood damages.
Science-based solutions empower cooperation between local industries and communities in addition to fostering proper care for and use of our environment. We don’t have to choose between being good stewards of the environment and economic prosperity; however, recent policies advanced by the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats in their bill – the Inflation Act – demonstrate a rejection of the best path to sustainability.
The recent enactment of the Inflation Act is just one example. Government tax-and-spend policies have led our economy into a recession, and this legislation is more of the same – saddling the American people with new energy taxes sure to disproportionately affect middle- and lower-income families through higher fuel and utility costs. Additionally, the $350 billion in spending on Green New Deal priorities in the Inflation Act will only exacerbate the energy and supply chain crises we currently face.
I opposed the Inflation Act when it passed the House because I recognize how it falls short of the sound policymaking the American people deserve.
Recently I joined dozens of my colleagues in sending a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) raising concerns over proposed revisions to the labeling and mitigation requirements for the herbicide atrazine—an important product used to protect corn, sorghum, sugarcane, and a variety of other crops from damaging weeds. For nearly 60 years, atrazine has been a reliable and proven herbicide for effective and efficient sustainable farming practices. Our nation’s producers rely on crop protection tools such as atrazine to help provide the safest, most abundant, and most affordable food, fiber, and fuel supply in the world.
Since his decision to kill the Keystone XL pipeline on day one of his presidency, President Biden has committed to an agenda defined by bloated government spending, poor stewardship in the management of federal lands, and EPA overreach, as well as continued missed opportunities to secure American energy independence. President Biden should be ending the federal freeze on oil and gas leases, expediting approval of the 4,400 pending applications for permits to drill pipeline and energy development. While Democrats continue to take our country in the wrong direction, Republicans are ready to build resilient communities by unlocking American resources and innovation, beating China and Russia, pursuing conservation with a purpose, and lowering costs for American families. Rest assured, I will continue working to advance commonsense solutions to Nebraskans’ most pressing challenges.