[Pages H2425-H2426]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PROJECT CANCELATIONS

  (Ms. Kaptur of Ohio was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in fierce objection to the hasty, 
ill-considered decisions made by the new administration that undermine 
new investment in America's future energy and manufacturing systems.
  Rather than enhancing new energy generation and bolstering good-
paying jobs in the United States of America across all energy sectors, 
including advanced energy manufacturing, the U.S. Department of Energy 
has ceded ground to global competitors like Communist China.
  Last Friday, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced that the 
Department of Energy was canceling $3.7 billion of previously 
appropriated funding for 24 advanced energy projects inside the borders 
of the United States of America.
  Our goal must be to make America energy independent inside our 
borders in perpetuity.
  These initiatives were designed to reduce energy costs and to 
reinvest in American-based manufacturing firms, our Nation's future.
  These projects were funded under the Infrastructure Investment and 
JOBS Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. The goal was to resecure the 
United States as the global leader in energy innovation, but now, the 
Department of Energy has pulled the rug out from the future by walking 
away from leading-edge U.S. manufacturers. I never thought I would see 
that from this administration.
  Two weeks ago, I raised this issue of strategic U.S. investment 
during a hearing with the new Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright. In 
terms of these companies, he said: ``If it is viable, and it is going 
to create jobs, and it is going to do these great things, we are going 
to support that project.''
  The Secretary said that he would ask these questions to make the 
decisions: Is the investment legal? Is the technology viable? Is the 
engineering done competently? Is there a market for it? Does it add to 
our national or economic security?
  The projects in question check all of these boxes, so what has 
changed? The Department of Energy claims that it conducted a ``thorough 
and individualized financial review of each award.'' It found that 
``these projects failed to advance the energy needs of the American 
people [and] were not economically viable.''
  Every company is economically viable.
  Turning America's back on recognized U.S.-based manufacturing--I will 
underline that--facing fierce global competition--I underline that--is 
an insult.
  This includes hundreds of hardworking constituents even across 
northwest Ohio. If the goal is to Make America Great Again, then the 
U.S. Department of Energy just failed royally. Each of these U.S. 
manufacturing companies has developed plans to modernize operations and 
to position themselves and our communities to fight back toward 
economic success in a fierce global economic race.
  America can lead in the energy sector, but we cannot roll back the 
clock to a former era when America became economically paralyzed due to 
oil embargoes and dirty manufacturing.
  Three of the projects across our country for which funding had been 
assured are from well-respected Ohio

[[Page H2426]]

companies: Libbey Glass, Owens-Illinois Glass, and Kraft Heinz.
  Let's talk about Libbey. This historic company holds deep roots in my 
hometown of Toledo, long known as the Glass City. Glass requires lots 
of energy. The firm has been working for years to maintain 
competitiveness in a terrible international glass environment while 
reducing its environmental footprint.
  Making glass requires huge amounts of power, as I said, and the 
funding Libbey was awarded would have helped it transition to more 
powerful glass furnaces with cleaner manufacturing technologies. These 
jobs are union jobs with living wages and benefits that strengthen Ohio 
as a hub for advanced industry.
  Owens-Illinois Glass, another recognized heritage glassmaking firm, 
is headquartered in Perrysburg, Ohio. It had similar plans at its 
Zanesville, Ohio, plants to remain viable and globally competitive.
  Third, Kraft Heinz, a giant in the food industry, is in Fremont, 
Ohio.
  I simply do not understand how canceling these projects makes America 
great again. Instead, it emboldens our foreign competitors.
  I invite President Trump to Ohio to visit these companies. He can 
change these decisions by his Secretary of Energy.
  America can't look in the rearview mirror. We have to look forward to 
America's new energy future, and the Department of Energy's misguided 
decisions will really hurt American advanced manufacturing.
  Ohio knows what it means to get left behind. We have seen the effects 
of globalization. We have lived it. We have seen the effects of 
outsourcing and automation. The United States simply should not be 
hurting our legacy companies.

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