“The things that make America great are the things that America makes.”
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. House Energy Action Team (HEAT) Chairman U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12) and Vice Chairman U.S. Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14) appeared Monday evening at a dinner meeting of The Ripon Society, where they discussed the current state of U.S. energy production.
Established in 2011 by Majority Leader Steve Scalise, HEAT is a coalition of House Republicans committed to promoting commonsense, America-first energy policies. Their efforts aim to expand access to affordable, reliable American energy, enhance national security, and reduce costs for consumers. Congressman Balderson was selected by Republican Study Committee (RSC) Chairman August Pfluger (TX-11) to lead the team in the 119th Congress.
Rep. Balderson, who is also a member of the Energy Subcommittee, and serves as Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations under the Energy and Commerce Committee, opened the discussion by emphasizing HEAT’s role in shaping energy policy.
“Randy and I are here to talk about energy, but HEAT is something that I approached August Pfluger about when August received the RSC chairmanship. I sat beside August on the Energy and Commerce Committee in the last Congress.
“HEAT gives Members the ability to create a message of the needs that are out there. We’re all over the place all the time. I really think that we’re going to make it very valuable. We’re working with Randy’s team. We’re working with August’s team.”
Balderson’s remarks Monday evening echo comments he made after he was named Chairman of the House Energy Action Team this past December. “We are at an inflection point as a nation,” the Ohio lawmaker declared. “Will we pursue energy dominance and restore the United States’ global leadership, or will we undermine our energy sector and empower our adversaries? For House Republicans, the choice is clear.
“Our nation is blessed with abundant natural resources to drive future growth and export clean, reliable energy to our allies abroad. The federal government must work alongside energy producers to develop policy solutions that meet our nation’s needs and bolster American energy security.”
Weber agreed.
“Energy’s a big deal,” he said matter-of-factly. “The things that make America great are the things that America makes. How do we do that without a reliable, dependable, affordable energy source? We literally should lead the world in energy production. We literally should lead the world in space exploration. We literally should do everything we can to make sure that our economy is on track, and the United States of America is preeminent in trade in everything we do.”
The Texas Republican then discussed the effects of energy production in the 14th congressional district of Texas.
“Our great district has seven ports – more than any other Member of Congress,” he noted. “We produce 65 percent of the nation’s jet fuel, 80 percent of the nation’s military-grade fuel, and 60 percent of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is in our district. You don’t think energy is a big deal for us? It is absolutely a big deal.”
To view the remarks of Balderson and Weber before The Ripon Society dinner discussion on Monday evening, please click the link below:
The Ripon Society is a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 – Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP’s success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.