Pallone Blasts Republicans for Ignoring Skyrocketing Gas Prices, Pushing Bills That Worsen Pollution and Cost of Living Crisis Instead

Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) delivered the following opening remarks at today's Environment Subcommittee legislative hearing titled, "Rules of the Road: Examining Legislation to Modernize the Clean Air Act’s Mobile Source Requirements:"

I wish I could say we were coming back from the Memorial Day recess to address the high gas prices American families are facing this summer, but instead Republicans are choosing to put forth a slate of bills that will only make matters worse.

Gas prices hit a four-year high around Memorial Day weekend, and my Republican colleagues remain content to just sit back and do nothing while Trump continues to wage his reckless war of choice in Iran. If the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, gas prices are projected to continue to soar.

Diesel prices are also skyrocketing, having increased nearly 50 percent since the start of the war. And the impacts are being felt by our farmers, home builders, and manufacturers, as well as the trucking, rail, and freight industries. Increased fuel costs are being passed on to American consumers through higher prices for groceries and other goods, and this is on top of price hikes from Trump’s disastrous tariffs. 

It’s no wonder that in April, inflation rose to a three-year high, and yet Trump says he does not think about Americans’ financial situation.

Adding insult to injury, since the start of the war, Republicans’ Big Oil buddies earned a $40 billion boost in profits, while hardworking Americans have spent more than $51 billion more on gasoline and diesel fuel.

And to make matters worse, the Trump Administration has repealed the landmark Endangerment Finding – the legal foundation of federal climate protections. With this repeal, the Administration is also repealing all clean vehicle standards, forcing Americans to rely on higher-polluting vehicles that could cost them over $1 trillion more at the pump.

The transportation sector is the largest source of climate pollution in the United States, threatening public health and welfare through increased exposure to extreme heat, ground-level ozone, extreme weather events, wildfire smoke, and more. Passenger vehicles, heavy-duty trucks, and locomotives also emit particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds into the air, leading to respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and even premature death. These are serious health consequences that would be avoided with longstanding Clean Air Act standards.

Yet, today, we are considering bills that undercut these clean air protections and force Americans to use even more fuel while increasing pollution.

For example, H.R. 6200 attempts to eliminate cost-saving, efficient, and innovative technology that helps save American families money at the pump. There’s also a discussion draft that would block restrictions on idling school buses, wasting fuel and exposing children to dangerous air pollution.

H.R. 3194 attacks states’ ability to meet air quality, public health, and climate goals by blocking them from setting more protective standards for older, dirtier locomotives in use today. Republicans are also dredging up a bill that would further drag us backwards in cleaning up and modernizing our transportation sector.

In stark contrast, we will also consider H.R. 2140, the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, led by Representative Matsui, which reauthorizes a longstanding bipartisan program to cut pollution from legacy diesel engines. Through the DERA program, EPA administers grants and loans to projects that help replace and retrofit dirty diesel engines across the country. EPA estimates that DERA projects helped generate $8 billion in health benefits between 2008 and 2018. I am pleased that it is up for consideration.

The success of DERA demonstrates the importance of investing in clean technologies. Cleaning up the transportation sector helps Americans’ save on fueling costs while cleaning up the air that we breathe and combating the climate crisis. In fact, the average electric vehicle driver pays roughly the equivalent of $1 to $2 per gallon, while everyone else is spending over $4 at the gas station right now.

At a time when Americans are hurting financially, we should be looking to cut costs for hard working families. I am disappointed that the Republican bills seek to block these cost-effective policies, in favor of doubling down on Americans’ reliance on volatile and expensive fossil fuels.

And with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

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