Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) called out climate change activists and Democrat legislators at a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on Wednesday, where green teen Greta Thunberg and others claimed that the United States should act now to end the climate change threat.
“We’ve got to stop this ridiculousness of operating … as though the United States were in a vacuum,” said Graves, who is ranking member on the committee.
“It is important to keep in mind that the Energy Information Administration [EIA] projects that by 2030, 80 percent of global energy demands — 80 percent are going to be addressed using fossil fuels,” Graves said, noting that the EIA is part of the federal government and not a political organization.
“Yet just last week we had three bills designed to stop energy production in the United States,” Graves said, referring to Democrats’ efforts to stop President Donald Trump’s agenda to increase oil and gas production through legislation that would block offshore exploration in parts of the Gulf of Mexico, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.
“Over the weekend we had attacks in Saudi Arabia,” Graves said, referring to a drone attack on oil fields in the kingdom, which disrupted the global oil supply.
“All that does is increase reliance upon energy sources from other countries that have a lower safety standard and have a lower environmental standard,” Graves said. “Records show — it is crystal clear. When we import energy from other places we actually increase the risk to the environment.”
“Increase the risk of spills,” Graves said, “than when we have domestic energy production.”
And he pointed out the levels of pollutions coming from other nation-states.
“For every one ton of carbon emission we produce in the United States, China has increased by four tons — more than offsetting all the reductions that we’ve had in the United States,” he said.
Graves said while he agrees with the goals of the Paris climate accord, which the U.S. is no longer a party to, he disagrees with the deal allowing China to continue to pollute at high levels.
Graves also noted during the hearing that the United States has decreased its emissions more than the next 12 countries on the list of those reducing pollution “combined.”
Graves also entered into the record a letter from Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Green New Deal advocate Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), from last year lobbying for an increase in international oil production to lower the cost of fuel from Americans — the same Democrats who oppose more domestic oil production.
“I remain so confused by what it is that we’re doing,” Graves said. “What is our policy?”
Graves tried to question Thunberg about the discrepancy between different levels of pollution coming from various countries, but the teen just replied that everyone should stop polluting.
Follow Penny Starr on Twitter.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.