WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) joined House Republican colleagues in a letter to President Joe Biden, expressing their strong opposition to his job-killing executive orders on America's oil and gas industries, including his decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, at the expense of thousands of jobs during a national pandemic. The letter specifically targets the President's action on January 27th titled, "Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad," which places an indefinite moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and water.

"This ill-conceived policy will devastate a major sector of our economy while millions of Americans are unemployed due to the COVID-19 crisis. Additionally, this policy will handicap essential environmental restoration programs across the country by destroying a critical source of conservation funding: revenues from conventional energy production," the Members stated in the letter. "Should your leasing ban be made permanent, reports estimate that by 2040, nearly 500,000 jobs will be lost across the country."

The letter also notes concern for the President's pledge to lock up 30% of U.S. land and water by the year 2030, a decision that could permanently damage state economies and increase our nation's reliance on foreign sources of energy and critical minerals. 

"The people in Southern and Eastern Kentucky's coalfields have seen this dangerous path before. More than 12,000 coal miners in Eastern Kentucky lost their jobs during the Obama/Biden Administration's War on Coal and the impact devastated the economy of our rural region," said Congressman Rogers. "America can't afford another direct attack on energy-sector jobs."

Urging President Biden to rescind the Executive Order, Members also highlighted the impact of becoming dependent upon countries for oil and gas with lesser environmental standards, and the emissions and pollution associated with transporting the resources. 

"Surely an Administration so concerned with our environment has calculated the environmental impact of fulfilling our energy and mineral demand with resources from Russia, China and Saudi Arabia," the letter continued. "Energy production and environmental protections are not mutually exclusive. We urge you to rescind this Executive Order and work with us to support safe, sustainable, all-of-the-above energy production in the United States." 

In addtion to the letter, Congressman Rogers also cosponsored two House bills to counter President Biden's orders blocking new energy production. H.R. 520, the Safeguarding Coal Leasing Act and H.R. 519, the Safeguarding Oil and Gas Leasing and Permitting Act would both require a joint resolution of Congressional approval within 30 legislative days of any imposed moratoriums on federal leasing or permitting before they go into effect.

Click here to read the entire letter 

For more information about Congressman Rogers' work in Washington and in Kentucky's Fifth Congressional District, visit https://www.HalRogers.house.gov.