Pallone Admonishes Republicans for Wasting Time on Another Anti-Energy Efficiency Resolution that Raises Costs on Businesses and Consumers

Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) had the following remarks, as prepared for delivery, on the House floor today in opposition to H.J. Res. 24, a resolution that invokes the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to prevent the Department of Energy (DOE) from implementing efficiency standards for commercial walk-in refrigerators and freezers:

Thank you Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I rise in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 24, the fourth Republican resolution this Congress to dismantle energy conservation standards for appliances. This harmful resolution guts a Department of Energy efficiency rule for walk-in coolers and freezers – which will increase energy costs for businesses and consumers.

And because it’s a Congressional Review Act resolution, it prevents the Department of Energy from ever issuing substantially similar standards in the future.

At a time when Americans are struggling to make ends meet and facing the reality that Republicans may soon strip them and their families of health care, it’s shocking that House Republicans are spending another day here on the floor focusing on repealing commonsense energy efficiency standards that save businesses and consumers money. This whole Congress has been a revolving door of resolution after resolution attacking conservation standards for different appliances.

In fact, we were on the floor just yesterday afternoon debating another energy efficiency standard for commercial refrigerators and freezers.

Instead of investigating the shocking and unprecedented breach of security and leaked military strikes from top Trump national security officials, we are here once again wasting valuable floor time debating energy efficiency standards.

Or maybe we should be taking action to protect Social Security from the Trump Administration’s funding cuts that could stop seniors from getting the benefits that they earned through a lifetime of work.

Or maybe we should be reversing the Trump Administration’s actions to close the Department of Education and rip away funding from students, teachers, and schools.

House Republicans are not likely to take on any of this action because they refuse to take on President Trump – even when he is breaking the law.

It’s clear that my Republican colleagues do not have their priorities in order. In fact, it seems to me that their only priority is securing giant tax breaks for their billionaire buddies at the expense of American families and businesses. And H.J. Res. 24 fits right into the Republican agenda of raising costs on hardworking Americans.

Now, I would be remiss not to point out the irony of this resolution.

President Trump and Republicans ran on a promise to cut energy costs in half in his first year. Yet here we are once again wasting precious floor time on a resolution that would raise energy costs for American businesses by wasting more energy.

The energy efficiency standards under threat today for walk-in refrigerators and freezers will save American businesses up to $6.5 billion on utility bills over 30 years. These businesses include restaurants, convenience stores, and supermarkets across the country, and Republicans’ anti-efficiency agenda will rob them of these cost savings.

This is especially concerning at a time when we are hearing more and more stories about the damaging impacts of Trump’s extreme tariffs, the rising costs of groceries, and the chaos and uncertainty that Trump is bringing every day to our economy.

Republicans do not care about everyday Americans. They only care about doing the bidding of their billionaire buddies at the expense of consumers and working families.

Energy efficiency standards for appliances are designed to reduce energy use and climate pollution while also saving consumers and businesses money. Reducing an appliance’s energy use also helps decrease stress on the electric grid.

This resolution is proof that my Republican colleagues’ concern about grid stress and increased load growth from data centers and American manufacturing are hollow – merely lip service. If Republicans truly cared about reducing stress on the electric grid, they would stop dismantling energy efficiency standards designed to ease strain on future electric grid capacity.

The true intent of this anti-efficiency resolution is not to help American businesses, but to line the pockets of their billionaire cronies and oil and gas friends.  Because, you guessed it, less efficient appliances means more profits for Big Oil and Gas.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time. 

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