By Sen. Cynthia Lummis (WY) Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and
One of the more extreme, left-wing ideas you may have heard of is “environmental justice.” Contrary to its name, this buzzword is yet another effort by the Biden-Harris administration to block traditional energy and infrastructure projects. If the administration cared about bringing prosperity to low-income communities, it would drop its insistence on a forced green transition and support affordable and reliable energy sources that power the west and rural America.
The term “environmental justice” has been deployed as a false advocation for a healthy environment for underserved or low-income communities. However, it is clear that the goal of “environmental justice” is to threaten traditional energy projects and manufacturing facilities located in or near low-income communities. This a tool for extreme environmentalists to force a transition to less affordable and reliable energy sources on the very communities they claim to be helping.
Access to affordable and reliable energy has great impacts on upward mobility and health. In 2023, Donna Jackson of Project 21 testified to the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the subject stating, “plentiful and affordable domestic energy is part of the ticket out of poverty and dependence.” If policymakers are serious about creating prosperity in disadvantaged communities, increasing the supply of affordable energy is the right move. How can a community reap the benefits of affordable energy if the very projects that deliver this electricity are halted?
Additionally, the administration’s regulation-heavy energy strategy ignores the secondary benefits of traditional energy to rural and low-income communities. In many parts of the country, the oil and gas industry contributes crucial funding to education and other services, benefiting local residents beyond the direct impact of jobs. For example, schools in low-income communities depend on the revenue from oil and gas development as part of their funding. In 2020, the oil and gas industry contributed $1.4 billion to education in New Mexico.
We serve as Chairs of the Congressional and Senate Western Caucuses, which are groups of Representatives and Senators advocating for prosperity in rural and western America. This includes pushing back on the Biden administration’s energy agenda, including its “environmental justice” efforts which will crush rural communities.
In January, Congressional Western Caucus Members submitted comments to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), which is drafting the Biden-Harris administration’s “Environmental Justice Scorecard.” These comments included requests to include commonsense components of its scorecard, such as the impact of electricity rate increases on low-income communities and the health benefits of affordable and reliable energy on healthcare and life expectancy. Unfortunately, we never heard back from CEQ on whether they considered our input.
This administration’s decision to ignore our input has made it clear it will stop at nothing to pursue its radical environmental agenda regardless of the consequences. Together, we have introduced the Reducing Environmental Gamesmanship Act to prohibit federal agencies from punishing the west with its militant agenda and reclaims Congress’ decision-making authority. It is time to scale back this administration’s self-awarded power, and our legislation ensures Congress—and not unelected bureaucrats—has the authority to fast track the critical environmental clean ups this administration’s unnecessary red tape has delayed.
If Joe Biden and Kamala Harris truly cared about economic prosperity in low-income communities, they would stop their war on affordable and reliable energy production instead of finding creative new ways to kill energy projects as a handout to extremists. The Congressional and Senate Western Caucuses will continue to advocate to end this insanity and bring prosperity to rural communities.
Senator Cynthia Lummis represents the state of Wyoming and is Chair of the Senate Western Caucus. Rep. Dan Newhouse represents Washington’s 4th Congressional District and is Chair of the Congressional Western Caucus.
