The Alabama State House Republican Caucus passed a resolution “urging the federal government to increase American strength through energy independence, defense system modernization, and secure borders” last week.
The resolution, by State Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-Indian Springs) and signed by Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter and Vice Chair Wes Kitchens, urged President Joe Biden to restore the energy independence of the United States and take other steps necessary to improve the economy and shore up the nation’s defenses.
“At roughly the same moment Joe Biden finished taking his oath of office, the United States went from being an energy-independent nation under Donald Trump to one that relies upon Russia and other rogue nations for its oil and gas needs,” Mooney said. “Since then, reckless spending by Democrats has destroyed history’s greatest economy and the Pentagon seems intent on transforming our armed forces into a leftist social experiment rather than the most powerful fighting force the world has ever known. This Alabama House Republican Caucus resolution offers a roadmap on how to restore sanity to U.S. policy at a critical time in world history.”
The resolution “urgently” calls for President Joe Biden’s administration to:
1) Restore the production of oil and gas in the United States that existed prior to this administration taking office.
(2) Lift all new regulations that deny the United States the capacity to produce its own energy, which previously amounted to 13 million barrels a day, and ship that energy to Baltic countries, Germany, and around the world.
(3) Immediately reverse the policies that are raising the costs of energy, which gravely threaten the United States' sovereignty and undermine the world's stability.
(4) Immediately lift all COVID-19 restrictions on all businesses to restore economic prosperity in order to pay for increased defense spending.
In addition, the resolution calls for the President and the United States Congress to rebuild the nation’s military by the following measures:
1) Immediately harden electric grids against Electro-Magnetic Pulse and other cyber warfare attacks.
(2) Accelerate modernization of the United States strategic and tactical nuclear deterrents.
(3) Revive the Strategic Defense Initiative in order for the United States Space Force to deploy space-based missile defenses, like Brilliant Pebbles, to render opposing nuclear missiles obsolete.
(4) Prioritize securing United States borders by closing all borders to illegal immigrants and deporting all illegal aliens.
While the government does not set the price on oil, the Biden Administration stopped new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters within the first month of taking office, and canceled the Keystone XL pipeline, suspended oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and New Mexico (despite reported opposition from the Navajo Nation) and resurrected the “Waters of the United States” rule, which would increase barriers to energy projects. In the spring, Biden signed a resolution that overturned Trump administration reforms to EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) oil and gas rules.
In addition, last month the EPA announced new regulations governing methane emissions from oil and gas production, transmission, storage, and distribution that would cost more than $1 billion a year.
As for the defense resolution, key United States industries are on heightened alert for possible cyber attacks by Russia or Russian operatives.
The Resolution has no binding authority and is simply a message from Alabama House Republicans to the White House, members of Alabama’s congressional delegation, and the leadership of the U.S. House and Senate.
The full resolution follows:
RESOLUTION
URGING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO INCREASE AMERICAN STRENGTH THROUGH ENERGY INDEPENDENCE, DEFENSE SYSTEM MODERNIZATION, AND SECURE BORDERS
WHEREAS, peace comes through strength; and
WHEREAS, energy independence is a deterrent to adversaries; and
WHEREAS, the United States was not only energy independent in 2020, but also a major exporter of oil; and
WHEREAS, since February 2021, United States gas prices have skyrocketed 40 percent due to the Biden administration policies; and
WHEREAS, Russia producers nearly tripled shipments of oil to the United States in the last year, and the United States and Europe are now dependent on Russian oil; and
WHEREAS, the United States dependence on Russian oil assists Russia with financing the war in Ukraine; and
WHEREAS, Russia's military arsenal includes cyber warfare attacks against the United States; and
WHEREAS, in order to deter Russia and China from further aggression against the United States and other countries, we find it necessary to increase American strength and independence; now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ALABAMA HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS That this body urgently calls upon the Biden administration and the United States Congress to take all of the following measures to rebuild the American economy:
(1) Restore the production of oil and gas in the United States that existed prior to this administration taking office.
(2) Lift all new regulations that deny the United States the capacity to produce its own energy, which previously amounted to 13 million barrels a day, and ship that energy to Baltic countries, Germany, and around the world.
(3) Immediately reverse the policies that are raising the costs of energy, which gravely threaten the United States' sovereignty and undermine the world's stability.
(4) Immediately lift all COVID-19 restrictions on all businesses to restore economic prosperity in order to pay for increased defense spending.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Alabama House Republican Caucus urges President Biden and the United States Congress to take all of the following measures to rebuild the United States military strength and secure our country against potential threats:
(1) Immediately harden electric grids against Electro Magnetic Pulse and other cyber warfare attacks.
(2) Accelerate modernization of the United States strategic and tactical nuclear deterrents.
(3) Revive the Strategic Defense Initiative in order for the United States Space Force to deploy space-based missile defenses, like Brilliant Pebbles, to render opposing nuclear missiles obsolete.
(4) Prioritize securing United States borders by closing all borders to illegal immigrants and deporting all illegal aliens.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, by the Alabama House Republican Caucus that further distribution of this resolution be provided to leaders across our state.
This resolution adopted this 2nd day of March 2022 by the Alabama House Republican Caucus.
Nathaniel Ledbetter
Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter
Wes Kitchens
Vice Chair Wes Kitchens
