I don’t think I have to tell you that our nation faces serious challenges.
Many families are struggling in an economy that is trying to recover. Radical Islamic extremists are wreaking havoc across the Middle East and plotting to infiltrate and destroy the West. Despite these glaring problems that beg for American leadership and must be addressed, President Barack Obama thinks our biggest challenge is the weather.
He and his administration have repeatedly listed climate change as the biggest threat to future generations. Take a look:
• “No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change.” — President Barack Obama
• “Even as many other issues capture the headlines around the world, we should remember that there is no greater long-term challenge to our planet than climate change.” — Secretary John Kerry
• “Global warming is the greatest threat to your generation of anything at all, across the board.” — Vice President Joe Biden
I beg to differ with these statements and continue to hear from many of you who agree with me and are deeply concerned about our struggling economy, our national security and for the safety of our children and grandchildren. One problem is the huge disconnect between the administration’s rhetoric and the reality of climate change.
President Obama and his administration have a distorted view of the threats facing our nation and their priorities are not the American people’s priorities. Look no further than the reports that the administration refuses to bomb oil wells that finance ISIS because they feared they would harm the environment. This is stunning.
Because of his belief that the weather is our No. 1 problem, President Obama spent two days in Paris last week at a UN summit talking about his plans to increase the cost of everyday life with radical EPA rules and a policy that can only be described as regulatory cap-and-trade.
The president’s signature environmental regulations to limit carbon emissions at power plants are so drastic that a Democrat-controlled Congress blocked a similar policy in 2010.
In short, these regulations would fundamentally change how electricity is generated, distributed and consumed across the country. In North Carolina, we’ve already reduced carbon dioxide emissions significantly, but these regulations flat out ignore the progress we’ve made.
This burdensome rule will only serve to increase electricity rates by nearly 14 percent for each of us without having a significant impact on global emissions. We can keep the environment clean while protecting jobs and ensuring energy is affordable, but we have to be reasonable about it.
That’s why Congress acted last week to protect our communities from these harmful regulations by sending to the president two resolutions that would block these job-killing rules. Furthermore, my colleagues in the House and I went one step further and passed an alternative to the president’s moratorium on American energy — a comprehensive energy bill known as the Architecture of Abundance.
As a leader on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, I have been working with my colleagues to advance this robust energy plan that will responsibly unlock our resources. By cutting through burdensome red tape and modernizing energy infrastructure, we will prioritize jobs and strengthen energy security.
We have so much potential for energy jobs, and I will continue to work to advance an all-of-the-above energy strategy that gets Washington out of the way and promotes job creation in North Carolina.
The American people and their representatives have spoken and made it clear that we do not support the president’s economically harmful agenda. I urge the president to stop focusing on securing his legacy and instead focus on the American people’s priorities — jobs and affordable and reliable electricity.
Rep. Richard Hudson, R-Concord, represents North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District, which includes Anson County.