119-HRES57

Resolution is currently in: House
Passed:

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. RES. 57

Recognizing the benefits of natural gas to the United States economy and environment, and recognizing natural gas as an affordable and "green" energy.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 23, 2025

Mr. Balderson (for himself, Mr. Pfluger, Ms. Tenney, and Mr. Meuser) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

RESOLUTION

Whereas Public Law 117–169 (commonly referred to as the "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022") established a punitive fee on methane emissions, which will result in a regressive tax on all Americans, including low-income and fixed-income Americans;

Whereas a natural gas tax or methane emissions fee results in higher costs to natural gas customers, including families, farmers, and small businesses;

Whereas any natural gas tax or methane emissions fee will disproportionately impact natural gas producing regions, and businesses across the natural gas supply will be harmed by government-imposed taxes and fees;

Whereas, since 2005, two-thirds of the power sector greenhouse gas emissions reductions are a direct result of the switch to natural gas;

Whereas, because of increased innovation and technology in the natural gas industry, United States methane emissions were 10 percent lower in 2020 compared to 2005, despite the United States increasing production of natural gas by nearly 100 percent between 2005 to 2020;

Whereas, according to the Energy Information Administration, using natural gas to generate energy results in fewer emissions of nearly all types of air pollutants, including carbon dioxide, compared to other fossil fuels;

Whereas, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, since 1970, combined emissions of criteria and precursor pollutants have dropped by 78 percent in the United States;

Whereas, in 2021, 45 percent of the European Union’s natural gas imports were from Russia, accounting for 155,000,000,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas;

Whereas, on March 9, 2022, the European Commission approved a Complementary Climate Delegated Act that specifies certain nuclear and natural gas activities are covered by the European Union taxonomy and thus considered "green" investments;

Whereas the European Commission’s Complementary Climate Delegated Act allows natural gas and nuclear energy activities to be considered as renewable or green investments, which will spur private and public investments in natural gas and nuclear energy and make Europe less reliant on Russian energy in the future;

Whereas, on March 25, 2022, the United States announced an agreement with the European Union for the United States to supply the European Union with up to 15,000,000,000 additional cubic meters of liquefied natural gas by the end of 2022;

Whereas, in November 2022, an energy security agreement between the United States and European Union implied that Europe would seek up to 147,000,000,000 cubic meters of liquified natural gas imports in 2023;

Whereas, on January 26, 2024, President Biden announced a ban on the approval process of liquified natural gas export permits to countries that do not have a free trade agreement with the United States;

Whereas United States liquified natural gas exports helped reduce natural gas prices in Europe by over 83 percent from 2022 levels;

Whereas the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory estimates that American liquified natural gas exported to Europe is 41 percent cleaner than Russian liquified natural gas exported to Europe;

Whereas the International Energy Agency predicts global demand for natural gas will increase by 57 percent by 2050, and an additional 240,000,000,000 cubic meters per year of liquified natural gas export capacity is needed by 2050;

Whereas increased usage of natural gas domestically will also reduce United States dependence on foreign energy and strengthen United States national security; and

Whereas natural gas is abundant in the United States, and the Energy Information Administration estimates the United States has enough dry natural gas to last nearly a century, and the potential for even more with advances in technology and exploration: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives—

(1) - recognizes natural gas produced in the United States as an affordable and "green" energy;

(2) - recognizes that the United States should be committed to an "all of the above" approach to meet United States energy needs, and that natural gas is necessary for the United States to be energy dominant; and

(3) - supports efforts of the Trump administration, including the Department of Energy and the Department of the Interior, to increase domestic production of natural gas and natural gas infrastructure, identify and remove barriers to the production of natural gas, and expedite the approval of new liquified natural gas export facilities in the United States.