Press Releases

Today, Western Caucus Vice Chair Doug Lamborn (CO-05), along with Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04), introduced the Energy Parity Act. This legislation would support an all-of-the-above energy approach and end the Biden Administration’s favoritism toward renewable energy sources by preventing any reduction in solar and wind capacity fees without an equal reduction in royalty rates for oil and gas.
 
“The Biden Administration’s proposed regulation to slash capacity fees only for wind and solar energy production on federal land by 80% is another example of their favoritism to less reliable sources of energy,” said Chairman Newhouse. “Instead of picking winners and losers with market distorting actions, the Administration should pursue an all-of-the-above approach to provide more Americans with affordable and reliable energy. I’m proud to join Western Caucus Vice Chair Lamborn in introducing the Energy Parity Act to ensure a level playing field for energy and to unleash the full potential of our domestic production.”
 
“Colorado is home to numerous energy production methods, and my constituents rely on all of them, including oil and natural gas,” said Vice Chair Lamborn. “The Biden administration is pushing its green agenda by favoring unreliable energy sources at the expense of reliable energy. This will result in Americans seeing higher prices at the pump and in their electric bills. The Energy Parity Act will ensure we do not prioritize one energy production method over another.”

“Interior Sec. Haaland has stated on multiple occasions taxpayers deserve a ‘fair return’ from companies in exchange for operating on public lands, and we agree with her,” said President of Western Energy Alliance Kathleen Sgamma. “Yet, while we’ve witnessed royalties and fees increased on oil and natural production through agency action and the Inflation Reduction Act, we’ve seen favoritism by the administration for renewable energy production. Last year our industry returned nearly $16 billion in royalties and fees, which help fund the largest federal conservation programs and reduce overall taxpayer burdens. In contrast, the returns from renewable energy development on public lands are a minute fraction of that and are further decreased with lower capacity fees. We’re pleased to see Rep. Lamborn’s and Chairman Newhouse’s leadership in addressing this disparity by holding Sec. Haaland to her word and ensuring fair returns by all operators on public lands.”
 
"IPAA applauds Congressman Lamborn for working to level the energy playing field through his recently introduced legislation, the Energy Parity Act,” said Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) COO Dan Naatz. “While IPAA supports an all of the above approach to address America’s energy needs, we don't believe that the President should be picking winners and losers and structuring tax credits and fees to prop up one form of energy source over another."
 
Full text of the bill can be found here.