[Pages H700-H703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            GRID RELIABILITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2025, the gentlewoman from North Dakota (Mrs. Fedorchak) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. FEDORCHAK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from North Dakota?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. FEDORCHAK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I wanted to start this speech with a real-time exercise. 
I wanted to suddenly have all the lights go out in here. Imagine what 
would happen if we did that. It would be pitch black in this room. 
Everything would come to a halt. The microphones would stop. We 
wouldn't be able to see each other. People watching online would 
certainly be confused. We would all wonder what was going on.

                              {time}  1215

  Would we be able to see to walk around, to get out? Would anyone 
panic? Then, let's imagine if the outage wasn't just in this room or 
this building, but all across Washington, D.C. At first, there would be 
silence, but it wouldn't take long before confusion and, perhaps, chaos 
ensued.
  Now, let's imagine this happening in my State of North Dakota where 
just this week, temperatures dropped to minus 22 degrees for many days 
in a row. In fact, this morning was the first day it rose above zero.
  What would that mean to lose power when it is 22 below? People's 
livelihoods be at risk. Children couldn't go to school. Hospitals would 
be unable to care for people. Businesses would come to a standstill. 
Energy production would halt. Livestock would be threatened. Homes and 
properties would freeze up.
  It wouldn't take very long in that kind of weather for the economy of 
North Dakota to grind to a halt and for people to die if we had no 
power. This isn't some farfetched scenario. This is a real threat in 
America today.
  The North American Electric Reliability Corporation warns that two-
thirds of the United States is at an elevated risk of blackouts, of not 
having enough reliable power to meet demand when we need it the most. 
This map clearly illustrates the problem.
  Every area of America in red and yellow on this map has an elevated 
risk of not having enough power to meet demand; not tomorrow, not in 5 
years or 10 years, today. This is the scenario today in America.
  That is why I am on the House floor today to sound the alarm about 
our grid reliability crisis and to highlight five practical solutions 
to keep the lights on. First, let's talk about why this happening. What 
is driving this problem?
  It really comes down to one thing: We are retiring power plants 
faster than we are replacing them. Seriously, it is that simple. In 
States throughout our Nation, power providers are shutting down massive 
amounts of traditional power generation from power plants that can be 
turned on, up or down, as needed to follow demand.
  They are retiring these generators faster than they are able to bring 
on new generators that can provide the same kind of always-available 
power. Grid operators measure this availability in terms of capacity, 
and there are two kinds.
  First, there is installed capacity. That is the maximum amount of 
power a generator can churn out in the best conditions. For example, 
most wind farms in North Dakota have a nameplate capacity of 300 
megawatts. Our largest coal fire facility is 1,100 megawatts. Over on 
this chart, the blue line on top represents nameplate capacity.
  The second capacity term, is called accredited capacity. That is the 
amount of power that can be counted on, regardless of conditions. Grid 
operators determine the value of accredited capacity. They look at 
performance of a generator over time, how it works in different 
conditions, and they determine how much of that power they can rely on 
when they need it the most in any weather condition.
  That same wind farm would likely have an accredited capacity that is 
30 percent of its nameplate capacity or in a 300-megawatt wind farm, a 
fraction of that would be accredited capacity. The coal facility 
probably comes in at about 80 to 90 percent of nameplate capacity, so 
about 950 megawatts of accredited capacity.
  In the MISO market, this region here in red, that serves 15 States. 
Roughly, 42 million Americans get their power in the MISO region. The 
operators in that region warn that the accredited capacity, the line on 
the bottom here, the red, is shrinking dramatically even though we are 
spending a lot of money installing more and more generation on a 
nameplate capacity.
  You can see this clearly in these two lines. The top line, the blue, 
is nameplate capacity. Americans are paying for that to be installed. 
The red line below is accredited capacity. Americans are already paying 
for that, too. The red line is what you can count on when times are 
tough, when it is 22 below. The blue line is questionable. That is 
dependent on the weather.
  If you ever wonder why your utility prices are rising, but you face 
more risk for blackouts or brownouts, this gap is why. That is why NERC 
keeps warning us with reports, forecasts, and maps like this. MISO is 
in the red zone on this map. All the yellow zones also have elevated 
risk.
  In a nation as blessed with natural resources and brilliant people 
like the United States, there is no reason to ever run short of power. 
Our whole country should be blue. We should never run short of power 
ever.
  We will have storms that knock the power off for a time, but to not 
have enough power to meet demand, that is just bad planning and 
terrible leadership. That is the bad news today. The good news is this: 
We can fix this. We have the resources. We have the technology, and now 
we just need to act.
  Here are the five key steps--the five solutions to this problem. 
First, we need regulatory relief. Right now, Federal regulations are 
strangling our energy producers, making it nearly impossible for them 
to meet our power demand. We must repeal the EPA's greenhouse gas rule. 
We must eliminate the methane fee rule and roll back the BLM resource 
management plan for North Dakota and other States. We must reform the 
new source performance standards that prevent power providers from 
making efficiency improvements to their existing fleets, the ones that 
are already connected to the grid, to improve them, to help them 
produce more power in a cleaner and more efficient way.
  That new source performance standard is just bad policy. It makes no 
sense at all. These are just a few examples of Biden administration 
policies that have imposed crushing costs and regulatory burdens on the 
power sector. They are jeopardizing the stability of our grid and the 
livelihoods of hardworking Americans.
  Second, we must reevaluate Federal incentives for energy production. 
Our government has distorted the energy market with subsidies that 
favor certain resources while neglecting others. This has resulted in a 
grid that is too dependent on the weather. Think back to the map from 
NERC, two-thirds of the country at an elevated risk of not having 
enough power to meet demand.

  It is time to realign these incentives. Today, our grid operators are 
calling for more dispatchable generation, more capacity. They want to 
fill that gap in those two lines that I showed earlier.
  Think of the MISO zone in red on my first map. MISO is desperate for 
more power resources that can be turned on when needed, but here is the 
stack of resources that are in line to connect with the MISO grid. You 
see this over time, it goes back to the year 2000, and shows back then 
there was a decent amount of gas--the blue lines are gas, and then you 
start seeing wind coming online.

[[Page H701]]

  If you go all the way over to the far side of this map, you see this 
stack of resources currently in line in MISO, 171 gigawatts of 
resources, actually more resources than the entire nameplate or the 
entire peak demand in MISO is currently in line.
  Today, in that column, you see it is almost filled with solar and 
wind resources. Fortunately, some battery too, but those are not the 
dispatchable resources MISO is calling for and clamoring for. Only a 
sliver of gas on the bottom is in line to connect to MISO, even though 
they are desperate for more gas to help make it a more stable grid.
  We must ensure that our Federal policy doesn't exacerbate this 
problem and current vulnerabilities that have been created by a flood 
of wind and solar, which are weather-dependent generation. Instead, we 
must support fair markets that better encourage the investments needed 
to meet growing demand and long-term grid reliability and stability.
  Third, we need to speed up the permitting process. Right now, it can 
take years, sometimes decades, to get approval for new energy projects. 
This is unacceptable, especially when we have transformative 
technologies ready to go, like small modular reactors. These advanced 
nuclear systems are safe, reliable, clean, and capable of powering 
entire communities.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and 
leaders, like Energy Secretary Chris Wright, to cut through the 
bureaucratic red tape and accelerate deployment of these new 
technologies.
  Fourth, we must implement rules that protect grid reliability. As I 
mentioned earlier, it was well below freezing throughout North Dakota 
this week. My State and region weathered those temperatures largely 
because of coal, natural gas, and nuclear power.
  This chart here is straight from MISO data. It illustrates the energy 
that was used this week in the MISO region to meet demand. As you can 
see, fully 80 percent of those resources were coal, natural gas, and 
nuclear. That is what came online when the temperatures were 22 below 
to keep the power on for all the people living in those cold areas.
  Yet, despite this reality, States are racing to shut down these 
reliable baseload power generators that are responsible for powering 
our communities, replacing it with intermittent resources--that huge 
stack that was in the queue in the line in MISO, that huge stake of 
wind and solar--the intermittent resources that cannot reliably meet 
all the demands of our grid or the people who depend on it.
  I have nothing against wind and solar. North Dakota has tons of wind 
generation online, but it is simply not capable today to meet the 
demands of the grid. The people who are responsible for making sure our 
grids are reliable are the ones saying that over and over.
  This is reckless. We need Federal safeguards to ensure before a power 
plant is retired, there is a reliable replacement ready to go online. 
We cannot afford to gamble with our Nation's energy security. Energy 
security is national security.
  Finally, we need to better understand the growing demands of the AI 
industry. AI and other data-intensive technologies are driving massive 
increases in energy consumption.
  As Vice President Vance acknowledged in Paris this week, if we are to 
remain competitive in the global economy, we need to remove the 
barriers to development and unleash the full potential of American 
energy resources. This means embracing an all-of-the-above strategy 
that includes battery technology to back up renewables, but also oil, 
gas, nuclear, and hydropower, whatever it takes to power our future.
  Mr. Speaker, grid reliability is not a partisan issue. It is an 
American issue. Our security, our economy, and our way of life depend 
on it. We cannot be a beacon for the world, or even safe in our own 
homes, if we are sitting in the dark without power. We have the 
resources. We have the technology. Now, we must act. America can and 
must remain the most powerful, prosperous, and innovative Nation on 
Earth. I look forward to working with my colleagues to do just that.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim).
  Mrs. KIM. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate Congresswoman Fedorchak for 
hosting this Special Order to raise awareness of the critical need the 
United States is facing to become energy independent.
  Protecting our environment is not controversial. I represent a 
district in southern California. Unfortunately, Californians know too 
well the consequences of rushing to implement energy policies.

                              {time}  1230

  Mr. Speaker, as Governor Newsom pushed to ban gas-powered cars, he 
then said people couldn't charge electric cars as our community saw 
rolling blackouts. It doesn't need to be one or the other--environment 
or economy, natural gas or renewables.
  We need an all-of-the-above energy strategy. Through American 
innovation, we create jobs, expand our energy supply, protect our 
environment, lower costs, and strengthen our national security.
  Energy fuels everything from our cars to our homes, and we must 
ensure we have energy resources here at home that we can rely on. I 
will keep fighting to bring commonsense energy policies to Congress. 
Again, I thank Congresswoman Fedorchak for her leadership on this 
issue.
  Mrs. FEDORCHAK. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Kim. She has lived 
this in her State of California, and I appreciate her bringing 
attention to the false choice of one or the other. We can and must do 
it all.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Haridopolos).
  Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, this is an important issue which has 
affected us all. We have seen prices rise by 20 to 30 percent over the 
last 4 years. Unfortunately, because of the policies of the previous 
administration, we have seen these challenges become more and more 
difficult as we take the reins of power once again in Washington, D.C.
  There is no other way to put it other than energy dominance is 
essential. It is the best way to ensure we have American prosperity, 
national security, innovation, excellence in energy, and a reliable 
grid, as the Congresswoman has talked about today.
  Fortunately, we have persons who are experts right here in the United 
States Congress, a new Member of Congress, Mrs. Fedorchak, on the 
Energy and Commerce Committee. She understands firsthand the essential 
nature of energy and why it is so important to all Americans as they 
face challenges here and abroad.
  If we can meet all of those criteria--prosperity, national security, 
innovation, and reliable energy--we will once again have lower prices 
at the grocery store, lower prices for the gas tank, and make sure we 
stay warm in the winter and cool in places like Florida in the summer.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud this effort. If we have an all-in energy 
solution and energy dominance, once again, as the Congresswoman has 
talked about, America can move forward and meet the challenges of 
tomorrow.
  I appreciate the opportunity to speak this afternoon on this Special 
Order and make sure that we are moving forward with the leadership of 
Donald Trump and leaders like Congresswoman Fedorchak on the Energy and 
Commerce Committee.
  Mrs. FEDORCHAK. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Haridopolos. We certainly 
need a lot of power to get out in space. His dreams and his leadership 
in that area are certainly noted. We need power to fuel those, too, and 
I thank him for being here today.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber).
  Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North 
Dakota. Like my preceding colleague just said, she is great on the 
Committee on energy. She is an energy busybody. She is moving and 
shaking for being brand new. I thank her for the opportunity to speak 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, I will tell everyone that being on the Energy and 
Commerce Committee has been the delight of my life. It means a lot to 
America.
  When I speak to groups, Mr. Speaker, whether they are school-aged 
kids or whether they are college or whether they are industry or 
whatever it might be, I tell people that the things that make America 
great are the things that America makes.
  How do we do that? We do that with a reliable, affordable, dependable

[[Page H702]]

source of energy, Mr. Speaker. We do that with grid reliability, a 
critical issue that affects every single American. Our Nation's 
economy, our security, and our very way of life depend on energy that 
is stable, affordable, and, yes, resilient.
  Today, our system is under threat. When we talk about grid 
reliability, we have to start with the facts. Right now fossil fuels, 
natural gas, coal, and even petroleum supply 60 percent of our 
electricity. Natural gas alone provides 40 percent and up. It keeps the 
lights on in homes. It keeps the lights on in businesses and factories 
all across America.
  Did I mention, Mr. Speaker, that the things that make America great 
are the things that America makes?
  Add in nuclear power at nearly 19 percent, and it is clear that these 
are the backbone of our energy system economically, politically, and 
militarily. Yet, despite this reliability, these proven sources are 
under attack by radical policies that push unreliable energy at the 
expense of energy that actually works.
  Mr. Speaker, that is changing now. The Trump administration has made 
it clear. We are going to put American energy first. We are increasing 
domestic production, cutting unnecessary regulations, and ensuring that 
our power grids remain strong and resilient. That means expanding 
natural gas. That means investing in nuclear energy. That means making 
sure we have the very infrastructure to keep energy flowing to American 
homes and businesses.
  Did I mention, Mr. Speaker, that the things that make America great 
are the things that America makes?
  Yet, here is what is happening. The premature shutdown of our most 
reliable energy sources--coal, natural gas, and nuclear--put our entire 
grid at risk. The Nation's largest grid operator, PJM, which serves 
much of the eastern U.S., warns that up to 30 percent of its power 
generation could retire by 2030.
  Meanwhile, demand is expected to rise 40 percent by 2039. I am not 
good at math, Mr. Speaker. I don't think that adds up. We cannot take 
away reliable generation and then just simply pretend we don't face an 
energy crisis. That is pie in the sky.
  Thankfully, President Trump understands this and is working to ensure 
we do not face a future of rolling blackouts and energy shortages. He 
probably understands, Mr. Speaker, that the things that make America 
great are the things that America makes.

  If the United States is serious about remaining a leader in energy 
and technology, we must embrace energy expansion. That means building 
more pipelines. Pipelines are the safest and most efficient way to 
transport energy. Yet they are being blocked by overregulations and bad 
policy, and that is why the Trump administration is committed to 
cutting the red tape, getting pipelines built, and making sure American 
energy can move freely to where it is needed so that the things that 
make America great can continue to be made.
  Let me be clear, Mr. Speaker. Modernizing our grid does not mean 
pushing expensive and unreliable energy mandates on taxpayers. 
Americans should not be forced to foot the bill for an agenda that 
actually weakens our power supply. What we need is a balanced, 
commonsense approach that prioritizes affordability, reliability, 
stability, and security.
  With the Trump administration back in office, Mr. Speaker, we now 
have leadership that values energy independence, as well as economic 
growth. This Congress, on the Energy and Commerce Committee, I look 
forward to advancing real solutions to hardening our energy grid, to 
protect it from cyberattacks, to protect it from supply chain 
disruptions, and to protect it from natural disasters.
  Mr. Speaker, America needs a grid that works when we need it. That 
means standing up for natural gas. That means investing in nuclear. 
That means protecting our pipelines. That means rejecting reckless 
policies that put politics ahead of not only reliability but reality.
  The things that make America great are the things that America makes.
  President Trump, thanks to his leadership, is on the right path to 
securing a future based on that premise, and I thank the gentlewoman 
from North Dakota for holding this Special Order.
  Mrs. FEDORCHAK. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Weber for being 
here and leaving us with that really great phrase. The things that make 
America great are the things that America makes. I love that.
  Mr. Speaker, we can and we must meet the challenge of a reliable, 
affordable, sustainable power grid.
  As President Trump said: ``In America, the impossible is what we do 
best.'' We can do this, and we will lead the world in this venture.
  Mr. Speaker, we have talked a lot about the challenges that face 
American energy. I want to talk about the opportunities we have, too. 
With an energy supply that is affordable, reliable, and dependable, the 
United States can lead the way on emissions reductions and artificial 
intelligence.
  Today, I want to talk about AI. To be AI dominant, we must first be 
energy dominant. That is why today I am announcing my plans to create 
an AI and Energy Working Group.
  While my colleagues are thankfully working hard on regulations, 
speech, and other components of AI, this working group will focus 
exclusively on AI and the energy this growing technology demands.
  This work will be complementary to and not duplicative of other 
efforts by my colleagues, including the Speaker's Task Force on AI, 
which completed its work last December. My goal is to bring in experts 
and stakeholders, legislators, and other interested parties to fully 
explore these power needs, the current barriers to meeting them, and 
Federal policy solutions to help reliably, affordably, and sustainably 
power the future of AI. I plan to follow four main pillars.
  My first pillar is: Meeting AI energy demands requires American 
energy dominance.
  Today, AI searches consume nearly 10 times the electricity of 
standard internet searches. In 2024, data centers accounted for 4.3 
percent of total U.S. power demand. Analysts predict this could climb 
to as much as 12 percent by 2030.
  To put that into perspective, that would be more electricity than the 
entire State of Texas uses today. Yet, the U.S. isn't scaling up 
reliable baseload power quickly enough to support this rapid growth. In 
fact, the Biden administration's policies are forcing this baseload 
power offline.
  If we don't act, we risk energy shortages, higher costs, and a 
slowdown in technological advancement. To secure their energy needs, 
major tech companies are locking in exclusive long-term power 
contracts.
  For example, in September, Microsoft entered an agreement to reopen 
the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant to reliably power its AI data 
center. While I support these types of agreements, we must also ensure 
that smaller companies and new players in the AI industry have access 
to the power they need to innovate and compete.
  Meeting the energy demands of AI isn't just about powering 
technology. It is about powering America's future.
  Now that brings us to pillar number two: A strong, secure electronic 
grid.
  The rapid, forced transition to intermittent power sources, paired 
with the retirement of reliable baseload generators, has left our 
electric grid increasingly vulnerable to outages.
  Today, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation warns that 
two-thirds of the United States faces an elevated risk of not having 
enough power to meet the demand of having blackouts.
  As we have become more reliant on power-dependent digital 
infrastructure, the stakes are even higher.
  Having enough power isn't our only concern. Cyberattacks targeting 
U.S. grid operations and infrastructure are a growing threat that could 
disrupt everything from everyday conveniences to our national security. 
If AI is to flourish, we must prioritize grid reliability and security.
  This leads me to pillar number three: This requires the right energy 
regulations.
  According to the report from the bipartisan House Task Force on 
Artificial Intelligence, new AI models are developed roughly every 6 
months, and data centers are built within 1 to 2 years.

[[Page H703]]

  


                              {time}  1245

  Meanwhile, new power plants and transmission infrastructure can take 
at least 5 to 10 years to build. This creates, obviously, a significant 
gap between the rapid growth of AI and the slow growth of the power 
supply needed to support it.
  Our current energy regulatory environment is not equipped to bridge 
this gap. I know this environment well. I served 12 years as a State 
energy regulator.
  We need forward-thinking regulations that empower both small 
innovators, who depend on the bulk power system, and larger firms that 
secure power through long-term agreements.
  By ensuring a level energy playing field, we can position America as 
the global leader in AI development, and we can outpace China.
  This leads me to pillar number four: America, not China, must be the 
global leader of AI innovation.
  On January 20 of this year, China unveiled DeepSeek-R1. It is the 
most advanced large language model reportedly developed with less 
advanced processors at a fraction of the cost of U.S. models. This 
proves that China is rapidly closing the gap, and we can't afford to 
fall behind.
  The Trump administration recognizes this urgency. That is why, just 3 
days after the new Chinese revelation, on January 23, President Trump 
signed Executive Order No. 14179: Removing Barriers to American 
Leadership in Artificial Intelligence.
  This order overturned President Biden's mandates that had stifled 
American investment and innovation in AI. With this decisive action, we 
are reclaiming our competitive edge. It is time to take the handcuffs 
off our AI industry and unleash the full potential of American 
ingenuity.
  Winning the future of AI requires bold action, smart energy policy, 
and a commitment to American innovation. That is why I will engage with 
a broad range of voices and stakeholders, big and small, to craft a 
legislative framework that secures our energy dominance, strengthens 
our electric grid, and positions America as the global leader in AI.
  For those with ideas on how we can achieve these goals, my door is 
always open. Together, we can power the future of AI and assure that 
America, not China, leads the way back.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline).
  Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for holding this 
Special Order and for her leadership on energy issues. The House is 
truly fortunate to have her as a Member.
  Mrs. Fedorchak is exactly right. We have, as our top priority, the 
need to restore energy independence for this country and energy 
dominance, especially in regard to our relationship with nations like 
China that are pushing to lead in AI and other technologies.
  We are dependent on China for rare earth minerals that are so 
important to powering our grid, powering the technologies that support 
AI. That is why it is great that the Trump administration is leading on 
ways in which we can explore not only in the continental United States 
for rare earth minerals but also talking to other countries, talking to 
countries like Greenland and Ukraine, quite frankly, making comments 
about the need to ensure that the U.S. has the rare earth mineral 
supply that it needs to support the AI initiatives that are happening 
in this country. We need to be the leader in AI globally. If not, we 
cede it to China.
  We just had a hearing yesterday in the Judiciary Committee about what 
would happen with the censorship-industrial complex if other nations, 
whether it is Europe and their privacy directive or China through their 
efforts in AI, to dictate what can and cannot be said on the internet.
  When it comes to energy, what is most important is the American 
consumer, the American citizen. What we have seen over the last several 
years is that American citizens are suffering under the Green New Deal 
agenda, the increasing dependence on other countries for our energy 
needs, and the need to restore that energy independence in order to 
target costs, bring down inflation, and actually allow Americans to be 
able to afford the important technologies and appliances and other 
things that are critical to daily living.
  According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, since 2021, 
energy prices under the Biden administration outpaced inflation, with 
consumers seeing an average rise of 10 percent. This is all despite the 
massive glut of subsidies that the Biden administration pushed to prop 
up Green New Deal technologies that otherwise wouldn't exist without 
government handouts.
  Thankfully, we have a new President, a new sheriff in town, one who 
will bring online more energy production and ensure that the days of $5 
gas prices are left behind along with Biden's failed legacy.
  Moreover, this administration will prioritize affordability and 
consumer choice in appliances, focusing on cutting burdensome red tape, 
not on regulating your gas stoves or water heaters at home, which we 
saw the Biden administration seek to regulate in the waning days of the 
administration, the outgoing days of that administration.
  Just this week, Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed his first 
secretarial order meant to unleash a golden era of American energy 
dominance. I look forward to working with them and the administration 
to lend whatever support and authority is needed from Congress to 
achieve tangible results for the American people.
  At the end of the day, that is what it is all about, is making sure 
that we deliver for the American people and ensure that this great 
Nation continues its energy dominance that we had under the first Trump 
administration, that we lost under the failed Biden administration, and 
that we are seeking to regain under the current Trump administration.
  I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership, and I look forward to 
working with her on these issues.
  Mrs. FEDORCHAK. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Cline for taking the time to 
participate in the Special Order this afternoon, especially on a fly-
out day when everyone is heading back to their districts to be with the 
citizens they represent.

  Energy dominance and energy independence is the foundation for the 
massive new agenda that we must move forward with in America today. It 
is the foundation for driving down inflation, for lowering costs of 
everything from housing to utilities to rent to groceries and gas. The 
cost of power is baked into everything we buy. It is the foundation for 
powering economic growth. It is the foundation for becoming AI 
dominant, and it is clearly the foundation for national security.
  I thank everyone who participated in this Special Order this 
afternoon, and I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________