For the upcoming fiscal year, a testimony from the secretary, jennifer granholm, live coverage here on cspan3. The chair will recognize himself for a fiveminute Opening Statement. Welcome to the hearing to review the department of Energy Performance and fulfillment of the statutory responsibilities and to examine the departments fiscal year 2025 budget request to congress. Welcome back to the committee, secretary granholm. The department of energy has National Security responsibilities to protect Energy Security and oversee the Nations Nuclear weapons program. They conduct an overseas taxpayerfunded research and development, providing loans and grants to help commercialize energyrelated technologies. These hearings are essential to ensure that the department is taking to its core mission and is a responsible steward of taxpayer resources. These hearings are essential. Members will also have an opportunity to examine the department of energys expanded budget request as this year they are requesting 51. 4 billion. Since fiscal year 2021, the budget has increased by about 12 billion, about 30 increase. After three years of President Biden, American People administration light up session to transition everyone away from fossil fuels is training household budgets. Putting the American Dream further and further out of reach for many struggling families inflation is out of control. Skyhigh Energy Prices and persistent supplychain shortages are impacting our economy and our safety. From groceries to electric bills, everything costs more under the Energy Policies of President Biden. Americans expect that, when we flip the switch or turn the key, power comes on immediately. If you want to build a home or expand a business, we expect infrastructure can be built quickly and predictably. Regrettably, the President Biden supplychain shortages and price hikes have crippled our Economic Growth and made it more difficult to build out new infrastructure. The department of energy has played a role in the Energy Price Spikes and persistent supplychain shortages. They have mismanaged our Strategic Petroleum reserves, draining the stockpile to its lowest level in the nations history with no credible plan to replenish it and no plan to increase Domestic Energy production. The doe has turned a blind eye to punitive epa regulations that have forced the premature retirement of our most affordable and reliable coal, gas, Nuclear Power plants and threaten the reliability and stability of our electric grid. They have pursued a radical climate agenda to impose new federal regulations for household appliances, electrical equipment, construction, and natural gas usage. They also recently imposed a ban on the issuance of new export permits, apolitical reward for the keep it in the Ground Climate activists in an election year. As the committee learned during a field hearing, in port arthur, texas, the band has created hardships and pain for thousands of workers and families along the gulf coast. It has made us less secure as a nation. Democrats radical transition plans and the department of energys refusal to accept and address threats facing our Energy Systems has required congress to act. Under the republican majority, the house has passed a Bipartisan Legislation to reign in the department of energy and the Biden Administration. At the beginning of this congress, we passed a bill to modernize our Energy Infrastructure. In the months that followed, we passed bills to reverse punitive regulations and policy decisions that the secretary of energy has signed off on. We passed legislation to reverse the ban on gas stoves and prevent doe from draining our Strategic Petroleum stockpile and selling it to china. And to reverse the moratorium on new export permits. Todays hearing we will allow the Secretary Energy to answer for the Biden Administrations role in american industry and state and the pivotal time in our nations history and the decisions that are made today will impact our kids and grandkids for generations. We have a simple choice, embrace Americas Energy abundance and submit our position as the worlds Number One Energy superpower or follow the Biden Administrations plan to rely china for batteries, solar panels, electric cars made with slave labor and environmental abuses. As it has been said in this committee before, i believe we need an American Energy expansion and not an Energy Transition to china. Critical part of his Energy Expansion is Nuclear Energy. I am pleased with this administrations dedication to expanding Nuclear Energy and i look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in congress and the Biden Administration on advancing that goal. I look forward to the hearing today and i will yield my time back and recognize the Ranking Member of the subcommittee for five minutes. Thank you and good morning, secretary granholm, great having you with us i want to commend you and your agency for the critical work you have been doing to help combat the Climate Crisis and to support our efforts to speed our transition to Renewable Energy. As i have said countless times, the Climate Crisis is truly an existential threat to the future of this planet and we have to start addressing it right away. We know the only way to do it is by significantly cutting our Greenhouse Gas emissions as quickly as we can while preserving our economy and our way of life. But, to do that, we have to start the transition to clean energy right now. Breaking our reliance on fossil fuels will not only help us stave off the worst effects of the Climate Crisis, but it will also protect consumers across the country from sudden increases in energy costs and it will make sure that all americans have access to the Reliable Energy that they need. I appreciate your leadership and i appreciate the hard work of the department of energy employees, in implementing three historic bills that are cutting costs to working families, creating new jobs, and addressing the Climate Crisis. The Infrastructure Investment and jobs act provided 1. 2 trillion to our nations infrastructure, the Inflation Reduction Act invested 369 billion in clean American Energy leadership and addressing Greenhouse Gas pollution while the chips and signs to boost the Domestic Research and manufacturing right here in the United States. The department of energy proposed fiscal year 2025 budget complements and builds upon those efforts and pushes us closer to achieving net zero admissions and a clean energy future. By increasing funding for the Research Project and initiatives , and continuing to focus on supplychain development and workforce, the department is helping us create a cleaner and more Diverse Energy portfolio here in the United States. The agencys plans to invest 18. 1 billion for Energy Programs, including 8. 6 billion for science will help advance the research and development and demonstration of Clean Energy Technologies and support the work that is being done by our National Laboratories no doubt we still have a long way to go in completing this clean Energy Transition, the investments that will be made under the budget will provide critical support to this incredibly important endeavor. For example, it would provide 180 million for the office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to support Large Industrial decarbonization projects. It includes 1. 6 billion to support the Clean Energy Workforce and help fund the Infrastructure Projects across the nation. Including millions of dollars to help low income communities weatherize and retrofit their homes to Lower Energy Costs for families that have been forced to disproportionally bear the brunt of this Climate Crisis. Each one of these proposals will play a Critical Role in helping us to control the Climate Crisis. They will also help us not only stabilize the cost of energy at home, but will help lower the cost of energy for Many Americans by making critical new investments to increase Energy Efficiency and drive the innovation of new, Clean Energy Technologies. The budget makes common sense investments in cyber and Energy System security. I note that is important to the chairman and myself, and Environmental Health and management for low income communities, including 142 million for the Energy Information agency whose work provides critical Energy Information and data that involves our work. And it includes 149 billion sorry, Million Dollars for the doe office of the Inspector General to make sure that taxpayer funds are being used efficiently and effectively. I believe that the budget will further support the work d. O. E. Has been doing to make United States a leader in the clean Energy Transition and i once again want to thank you, madam secretary, for being here today. Mr. Chairman, the majority hearing memo had a number of errors when it came to stating components of the fiscal year 2025 budget request. In one situation, it misstated the total amount spent on Energy Programs by 9 billion. You can see it is a lot of little type and numbers. Because i want to make sure that the record is it is the record of his hearing, i want to make sure it reflects reality i would ask unanimous consent to insert the budget estimate by the d. O. E. Into the record. Without objection, so ordered. With that i yield back i recognize the chair, ms. Rodgers. Welcome back. Today is an opportunity to discuss the president s budget and priorities for the department of energy. This committee plays a Critical Role in ensuring u. S. Energy security and leadership. For decades, america has led the way and harness the power of Nuclear Energy, electrified many of Rural Americans homes with clean hydropower and ushered in the shale revolution. Creating millions of new jobs and powering economic prosperity. America was able to achieve this through freemarket principles, entrepreneurship, giving people the opportunity to choose which Energy Sources best suit their needs. Energy and commerce republicans have been working to protect and expand this legacy for generations to come. The Biden Administration seems to be dismantling that legacy. This administrations policies put america on a dangerous path that harms our security and gives our adversaries like china control over our Energy Supply chains. This administration has consistently sought to prevent or slow the development of american oil and Gas Resources which are critical to our own Energy Security and the security of our allies. D. O. E. Has been complicit in these actions with the effective ban on new lng exports american lng has been a lifeline , especially to our european allies since russia invaded ukraine. The aftermath of this invasion, american lng helped them reduce their natural gas crisis by over 83 and reduce their dependence on russia, this ban is a signal to our allies that we are no longer a Dependable Energy partner. We find this unacceptable. Another example is the recent decision to limit Energy Development in more than half the National Petroleum reserve in alaska. Doubling down on policies to restrict oil and gas, to retire baseload Power Generation, and promote widespread and unaffordable and unreliable electrification is not how we secure our energy future. Unfortunately, as americans that are feeling the impact of this radical rush to a green agenda, President Biden took office, since then, electricity prices have risen some 30 . Almost 50 more than overall inflation. Unilateral actions like these taken by the administration continue to drive out affordable , reliable baseload generation needed to keep prices low to keep the lights on, grid operators and others have been sounding the alarm for years, warning that the u. S. Is on a dangerous and unsustainable pathway, continuing down this pathway will mean higher Energy Prices and more catastrophic blackouts across the country. Like what is already happening in places like california. As the head of d. O. E. It is your responsibility to ensure american Energy Security and leadership. Yet, this department continues to stand by and watch as epa imposes requirements that harm our ability to generate reliable power. Is the department ceding its energy and great expertise to the epa . Epa policies, like the new particulate matter standards, will make permitting new manufacturing in industry almost impossible. Impossible. In large regions across the country. I would like to understand why d. O. E. Things we can succeed under these types of anti manufacturing, antiamerican policies which are undermining the very manufacturing programs d. O. E. Supports to help restore American Leadership in Critical Energy materials and reduce our reliance on china. Instead of undermining American Energy and economic success, lets Work Together to build on our remarkable legacy which has transformed the human condition , lifted people out of poverty, raise the standard of living more than any other nation in the world. And the best way to do this is with a Strong Energy mix that takes advantage of the resources we have here at home or cost for americans, preventing us from being reliant on china. This administrations transition believe our economy dangerously dependent upon supply chains controlled by china and make energy less affordable, less reliable, for americans. I believe the department of energy serves a Critical Role in assuring sound Energy Policies and providing the support necessary for innovation to flourish. That is the goal today. I look forward to the department of energy stepping up so that we can accomplish that goal. I yield back. The chair will recognize the Ranking Member of the full committee as a side note, we lost a colleague, and i thought the comments on the floor the other day were apropos and i appreciate that. I will remind my colleagues, if you want to go to the funeral for donald payne, there is a plane on thursday going that will come back the same day. Great to have you before the energy subcommittee. I disagree with the chair in a general sense i