Opinion Pieces

As citizens, business leaders, and state officials gather today at the Capitol in Austin for Texas Energy Day, it is incumbent upon Texans to continue to tell the important story of the state’s history – and future – of energy leadership at the federal level as well.

Texas’s energy producers, including many multi-generational small and family-run oil and gas businesses, helped end two World Wars and usher in a sustained era of American energy independence. These energy leaders produce the fuels and feedstocks that power our economy and contribute to the innovation needed to meet the energy demands of both our nation and the world.

Representative Jodey Arrington recently participated in a virtual series hosted by the Congressional Western Caucus – a group of Members of Congress from across the United Sates focused on energy independence and economic development in rural communities – to highlight the dominant force Texas plays in the United States’ energy sector.

As Rep. Arrington often says, Texas – particularly the communities he represents in West Texas – serves as a lead producer of “food, fuel, and fiber” for our country.

Unfortunately, many of the policies and approaches currently being implemented by the Biden Administration threaten this production.

The Western Caucus series titled, “Biden’s Executive Disorder: An Attack on American Energy,” focused on the threats recent federal actions by President Biden pose to our nation’s energy security. Alongside Rep. Arrington, we spent more than an hour discussing the President’s actions, from canceling of the Keystone XL Pipeline to imposing a moratorium on oil and gas leases on federal lands and rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement – all of which harm our nation’s energy productivity and independence.

Rep. Arrington shared, “The manifold disastrous ways these Biden unilateral actions – and probably the onslaught of regulations and more mandates and interventions by this Administration – are going to hurt the quality of life and standard of living that we enjoy on just about every front.”

Based on statistics from the National Energy Modeling System, we could see up to 120,000 jobs lost in Texas due to President Biden’s Executive Orders. As Rep. Arrington stated, these orders impact almost every product and industry in the United States, from the manufacturing of drugs and medical devices to the production of the food we eat and the clothes we wear.

Perhaps even more importantly, Rep. Arrington went on to point out that cutting back on U.S. production of oil and gas does not reduce our nation’s energy needs.  Top-down regulations and constraints do not lessen demand; they simply guarantee we will rely on foreign countries to produce the resources we need.

President Biden’s dangerous executive actions not only threaten Texas’ communities and economic well-being, but they threaten U.S. energy security as a whole. That is why Rep. Arrington has worked to protect American energy jobs and stand up against damaging regulations that will undoubtedly stifle this crucial industry.

We understand that Texas has a long history of innovation and responsible energy production, and it is critical we continue to highlight the contributions of Texas’ small- and medium-sized oil and gas producers to our nation’s overall energy independence. So today, on Texas Energy Day, we applaud Jodey Arrington, who continues to tell their story in our nation’s capital. We know his leadership will ensure a bright future for Texas energy dominance.