Arizona has been blessed with a strong economy, an attractive environment for incoming manufacturers, and an enviable quality of life. However, the factors that have allowed the Grand Canyon State to flourish in recent decades could be completely reversed if we are not careful with the decisions we are making about our energy future.
Our state is at a crossroads. Will we continue to augment our state’s growing prosperity and success as a beacon of economic opportunity for the rest of the nation? Or will we succumb to the radical environmentalism that threatens America’s coasts to become California 2.0?
There are two competing visions in play. Across the nation and here in Arizona, the Democrats’ vision prioritizes endless spending, energy dependence on foreign nations, and ideologically driven and oppressive mandates. This is exactly what we are seeing from our neighbors to the west in California. On the other hand, Republican leaders are fighting for consumer-focused solutions that balance the affordability, sustainability, and reliability of our energy. Despite challenging political circumstances this past year with a politically divided government at all levels, Republicans in the U.S. Congress, the State Legislature, and at the Arizona Corporation Commission delivered on that vision.
I am proud to serve on the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Over the past few years, Republicans have drawn a sharp contrast with our Democrat colleagues by introducing, and often passing, pro-consumer bills. The most significant of those proposals was H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, which prioritizes everyday Americans over the Democrats’ radical climate agenda by increasing domestic resource production and reversing anti-energy policies advanced by the Biden Administration and its allies. This legislation addresses the issues Arizonans care about, like lowering household energy bills and prices at the pump, among other reforms.
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I am also working to stop Democrat efforts to ban natural gas for heating and cooking in homes. In June 2023, my bill, the Save Our Gas Stoves Act, which safeguards your ability to purchase the cooking products of your choosing, passed the U.S. House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support. Last month, my Hands Off our Home Appliances Act, which protects all household appliances from being banned based on their fuel source, received a green light from the full Energy and Commerce Committee. Ensuring access to affordable, reliable appliances for my constituents’ homes, regardless of their fuel source, will continue to be one of my top priorities in 2024.
Here in Arizona, Republicans have also shown strong leadership in promoting responsible energy policies. Under the leadership of House Speaker Ben Toma, Senate President Warren Petersen, Representative Gail Griffin, and Senator Sine Kerr, Republican lawmakers spearheaded legislation to protect our ability to drive a gasoline or diesel-fueled vehicle and prioritized energy reliability and affordability over burdensome and expensive California-style energy schemes. One can only imagine the bureaucratic and job-killing carnage that would result if these Republicans were NOT holding the line at the State Legislature.
At the Corporation Commission, Republican Commissioners Jim O’Connor, Kevin Thompson, Nick Myers, and Lea Marquez-Peterson successfully countered intense pressure from radical environmental and solar interest groups that advocate against reliable energy sources, such as natural gas, regardless of the cost or impact on the reliability of our grid. These four Republicans rejected demands from out-of-state solar interest groups to pass a massively expensive “community solar” program that would have forced us to pay higher electricity prices so that our neighbors could feel good about “going green.” They also ended an electric vehicle charging program, that forced utility customers to pay millions of dollars for charging stations used by a handful of electric vehicle owners.
Whether in Washington D.C. or in Arizona, these victories do come at a price. The rush-to-green Left will never stop pushing for radical policies that make American energy less reliable and more expensive. Republicans understand the importance of these political battles and are fighting for the free and prosperous future we want our children and grandchildren to inherit.
I’m proud of the work Congressional Republicans are doing in Washington, and thankful for the efforts Republicans at the Legislature and the Corporation Commission are engaged in to promote responsible energy policies that prioritize freedom, reliability, and affordability, rather than partisan ideology. We cannot choose the path of California. Arizona must remain free and prosperous for generations to come, and that starts with our decisions to govern the future of energy.
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