Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)
WASHINGTON — Speaker Johnson released the following statement after House passage of H.R. 3109, the Researching Efficient Federal Improvements for Necessary Energy Refining Act (REFINER Act).
“Today, House Republicans secured another commonsense solution to continue our success in bringing down energy costs and fuel our economy. The House passed the REFINER Act to deregulate, evaluate, and expand U.S. refining capacity so we can harness the full potential of American energy,” Speaker Johnson said. “This legislation advances more of President Trump’s executive orders and energy dominance agenda to increase American energy production, create jobs, strengthen national security, and secure reliable, affordable energy to power America’s homes, businesses, and economy.”
“By unleashing American energy, House Republicans are leading the way to support our nation’s energy security, strengthen our grid, and lower prices for hard-working families,” Chairman Guthrie said. “The REFINER Act will help to ensure our refineries are being used effectively to produce the oil, gas, and other critical feedstocks we rely upon while the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act expands American energy production and infrastructure by removing U.S. LNG export restrictions, which the Biden-Harris Administration politicized and abused.”
“As energy demand grows, we have to ensure our refining capacity grows with it to maintain America’s energy dominance,” Chairman Latta said. “The REFINER Act will provide the data and insight needed to guide decisions that reinforce our energy infrastructure and help keep fuel costs low for American families. I thank my House colleagues for supporting and passing my bill and urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass this legislation as soon as possible.”
Background:
- Over the last several years, our nation’s refining capacity has shrunk due to onerous Federal and State policies that make it prohibitively difficult to operate. From 2020 to 2022, refining capacity in the United States decreased by more than one million barrels of fuel per day, and the number of refineries dropped from 135 to 128.
- The REFINER Act would require the National Petroleum Council to collect and examine critical information regarding the role of petrochemical refineries in the U.S., and their contributions to energy security, reliability, and affordability. The report must analyze opportunities to expand capacity, as well as current risks to refineries, including negative policy impacts.
###