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Sen. Cruz in Washington Examiner: Biden’s Plan Would Undermine Us Energy Independence

‘If you need more evidence that Democrats have abandoned the hard working men and women of this country, look no further than Biden’s out of touch energy plan’

HOUSTON, Texas - Following the rollout of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's "clean energy" proposal, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today slammed the $2 trillion plan to "transform" the American blue-collar economy into a "green" economy at the expense of hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs.

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In his latest op-ed for the Washington Examiner, Sen. Cruz wrote:

"If you need more evidence that Democrats have abandoned the hard working men and women of this country, look no further than Biden's out of touch energy plan. In addition to vacillating between promises to "make sure [fracking] is eliminated" under his administration and to ban "new fracking," Biden is calling for an emissions-free power grid by 2035, an entire decade ahead of California's extremely radical plan for 100 percent clean electric power by 2045."

He continued:

"Now, more than ever, it's time to champion America's energy independence, protect our national security, spur economic growth, lower energy costs, and support the hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers across this country whose livelihoods rely on a vibrant energy industry."

WATCH: A Ban on Fracking Would Be Bad for the Economy

In the Senate, Sen. Cruz has long championed America's energy producers and energy independence. Earlier this month, Sen. Cruz joined several of his colleagues in the Senate and officials across the country in signing The Empowerment Alliance's ‘Declaration of Energy Independence.' Learn more about the pledge here.

WATCH: Natural Gas: Clean and Critical to America's Energy Independence

Read the full op-ed here and below.

Biden's plan would undermine US energy independence
Washington Examiner
By: Sen. Cruz
July 15, 2020

It's been nearly 500 days since the Green New Deal failed to receive a single vote on the Senate floor. Instead of going back to the drawing board, Democrats have doubled their bet on the initiatives outlined in that disastrous $93 trillion proposal.

This week, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden made a desperate attempt to shore up the support of Green New Deal enthusiasts. Biden has proposed the "Build Back Better Plan for an Equitable Clean Energy Future," which includes spending $2 trillion over the next four years to dramatically eliminate fossil fuels, turn the energy industry on its head, and eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs -- all while magically "transforming" the American blue-collar economy into a "green" economy.

If you need more evidence that Democrats have abandoned the hard working men and women of this country, look no further than Biden's out of touch energy plan. In addition to vacillating between promises to "make sure [fracking] is eliminated" under his administration and to ban "new fracking," Biden is calling for an emissions-free power grid by 2035, an entire decade ahead of California's extremely radical plan for 100 percent clean electric power by 2045.

Biden's plan also pledges to support new green energy projects in order to upgrade four million buildings, while offering overly generous incentives to individuals who trade in their gasoline-powered vehicles for electric ones. The plan aims to get the U.S. to net carbon emissions by 2050.

And true to form, Biden plans to pay for this proposal by raising taxes and rolling back the tax cuts that have created millions of good paying jobs all across the country.

Before he unveiled "Build Back Better," Biden suggested that Congress include some of the Green New Deal's most radical provisions in its emergency response to both the coronavirus pandemic and economic crisis.

The idea that restricting bovine flatulence has anything to do with protecting public health or getting our economy back on its feet strains credulity. Calling on Congress to pass a bill that would cost each American family roughly $65,000 a year at a time when more than 40 million Americans are out of work is utter lunacy.

In Texas alone, almost 350,000 Texans employed by the oil and natural gas industry would lose their jobs if the Green New Deal is ever signed into law. The $14 billion in state and local taxes and state royalties paid by the oil and gas industry -- which represents 29% of Texas' gross state product and helps fund Texas schools -- would be gone.

Under President Trump and Senate Republicans' leadership, American energy producers have ushered in a new era of opportunity and innovation in this country. In the last several years, we have seen an energy renaissance create new jobs and growth from the Gulf Coast in Texas all the way to the foothills of the Dakotas, which has made the U.S. the number one producer of oil and gas in the world.

Though it won't make the headlines, increasing natural gas production has resulted in lower energy costs for American families while reducing air pollution. And last year, the U.S. led the world in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, while providing affordable energy to everyone.

Energy security is national security. This has become abundantly clear during this pandemic, as we've watched our adversaries, and even our allies, work overtime to bankrupt America's small independent energy companies. At the outset of this pandemic, Russia and Saudi Arabia cynically decided to take advantage of the crisis and increase their oil production, undercutting the energy market and sending oil prices into a nosedive.

Now, more than ever, it's time to champion America's energy independence, protect our national security, spur economic growth, lower energy costs, and support the hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers across this country whose livelihoods rely on a vibrant energy industry.

This month, I joined several of my colleagues in signing The Empowerment Alliance's "Declaration of Energy Independence." The declaration pledges to utilize the energy resources we have at our fingertips in order to provide affordable energy for American families, clean energy for our environment, and abundant energy for future generations -- and to ensure that America is no longer reliant on hostile adversaries for our energy needs.

In 111 days, Americans will have a choice to make. Do we want to rebuild our booming economy with a robust energy industry and more blue-collar jobs? Or do we want to "rewrite" our economy with a socialist Green New Deal?

The answer should be simple.

Ted Cruz, a Republican, is Texas' junior U.S. Senator.

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