Republican legislators echo Trump at climate summit: "Drill more fossil fuels"
The article discusses a message regarding the increase of U.S. gas production, which was delivered during a global meeting aimed at transitioning away from fossil fuels.
TroibNews 
**BAKU, Azerbaijan** — Republican lawmakers on Saturday hinted at the United States' climate message for the world under President-elect Donald Trump: Buy more U.S. natural gas.
The statements made by five GOP Congress members at the COP29 climate talks stood in stark contrast to global commitments to reduce fossil fuel use, a central theme of the international summit.
“American natural gas has helped us reduce emissions more than any other nation, and we have the capacity to continue helping our allies reduce their emissions by exporting clean, reliable sources like LNG and nuclear,” Texas Rep. August Pfluger told reporters Saturday.
This delegation from the House Energy and Commerce Committee arrived as officials from the Biden administration and their allies aimed to reassure other nations that U.S. climate action would persist at the state level and within corporate agendas. However, Trump has vowed to dismantle the climate law enacted by President Joe Biden in 2022, roll back environmental regulations, and promote further production of U.S. oil and gas, which are already at peak levels.
The Republicans advocated for a “diverse” energy portfolio, encompassing nuclear power, liquefied natural gas, fusion energy, and carbon capture technologies. They argued that utilizing U.S. gas leads to reduced climate pollution compared to gas sourced from Russia or other nations. They also expressed apprehension that an expansion of clean energy technologies, like solar, could disproportionately benefit China due to its dominance in manufacturing panels and other components.
“With technology, we can solve a lot of these problems without just banning fossil fuels,” asserted Republican Rep. Morgan Griffith, representing Virginia coal country.
Pfluger, leading the delegation, emphasized that Americans elected Trump on the promise of lowering the costs of essential goods such as energy. He indicated that the incoming Congress would carefully examine the Inflation Reduction Act to pinpoint provisions that might conflict with Trump’s objectives.
“If there are pieces of the IRA that help support lowering American energy costs, helping Americans, helping our partners and allies have access to affordable, reliable energy, then I bet that those will stay in place,” Pfluger stated.
Biden administration officials have also aimed to underscore the durability of the Inflation Reduction Act along with its substantial tax credits and incentives for clean energy. However, the outgoing government has limited time to secure funding.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm remarked on Friday that it will be up to the Trump administration to decide whether to restart the permitting process for new liquefied natural gas export terminals that Biden had halted. Trump has called for the resumption of this process.
“The U.S. election will have a negative climate impact. I think that’s not only easy to say, it’s obvious,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse told reporters Saturday. He is at COP29 alongside Sen. Edward Markey to advocate for methane reduction and carbon border taxes.
Negotiators at the climate conference are concentrating on establishing a new, significantly larger global goal for climate finance, finalizing guidelines for a worldwide carbon market for countries to meet their climate targets, and reaffirming last year’s commitment to phase down fossil fuels.
The International Energy Agency has stated that no new oil and gas projects align with the goals of the Paris Agreement, which aims to keep global temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Trump has pledged to withdraw the U.S. from the agreement upon taking office, just as he did during his first term.
Before their visit to Baku, several Republican lawmakers indicated that U.S. negotiators should refrain from endorsing any outcomes at COP29 that could contradict Trump’s priorities. Pfluger remarked that such actions would be “disrespectful” to the incoming government.
“We need to do what’s best for us,” concluded Rep. Troy Balderson.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
The statements made by five GOP Congress members at the COP29 climate talks stood in stark contrast to global commitments to reduce fossil fuel use, a central theme of the international summit.
“American natural gas has helped us reduce emissions more than any other nation, and we have the capacity to continue helping our allies reduce their emissions by exporting clean, reliable sources like LNG and nuclear,” Texas Rep. August Pfluger told reporters Saturday.
This delegation from the House Energy and Commerce Committee arrived as officials from the Biden administration and their allies aimed to reassure other nations that U.S. climate action would persist at the state level and within corporate agendas. However, Trump has vowed to dismantle the climate law enacted by President Joe Biden in 2022, roll back environmental regulations, and promote further production of U.S. oil and gas, which are already at peak levels.
The Republicans advocated for a “diverse” energy portfolio, encompassing nuclear power, liquefied natural gas, fusion energy, and carbon capture technologies. They argued that utilizing U.S. gas leads to reduced climate pollution compared to gas sourced from Russia or other nations. They also expressed apprehension that an expansion of clean energy technologies, like solar, could disproportionately benefit China due to its dominance in manufacturing panels and other components.
“With technology, we can solve a lot of these problems without just banning fossil fuels,” asserted Republican Rep. Morgan Griffith, representing Virginia coal country.
Pfluger, leading the delegation, emphasized that Americans elected Trump on the promise of lowering the costs of essential goods such as energy. He indicated that the incoming Congress would carefully examine the Inflation Reduction Act to pinpoint provisions that might conflict with Trump’s objectives.
“If there are pieces of the IRA that help support lowering American energy costs, helping Americans, helping our partners and allies have access to affordable, reliable energy, then I bet that those will stay in place,” Pfluger stated.
Biden administration officials have also aimed to underscore the durability of the Inflation Reduction Act along with its substantial tax credits and incentives for clean energy. However, the outgoing government has limited time to secure funding.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm remarked on Friday that it will be up to the Trump administration to decide whether to restart the permitting process for new liquefied natural gas export terminals that Biden had halted. Trump has called for the resumption of this process.
“The U.S. election will have a negative climate impact. I think that’s not only easy to say, it’s obvious,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse told reporters Saturday. He is at COP29 alongside Sen. Edward Markey to advocate for methane reduction and carbon border taxes.
Negotiators at the climate conference are concentrating on establishing a new, significantly larger global goal for climate finance, finalizing guidelines for a worldwide carbon market for countries to meet their climate targets, and reaffirming last year’s commitment to phase down fossil fuels.
The International Energy Agency has stated that no new oil and gas projects align with the goals of the Paris Agreement, which aims to keep global temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Trump has pledged to withdraw the U.S. from the agreement upon taking office, just as he did during his first term.
Before their visit to Baku, several Republican lawmakers indicated that U.S. negotiators should refrain from endorsing any outcomes at COP29 that could contradict Trump’s priorities. Pfluger remarked that such actions would be “disrespectful” to the incoming government.
“We need to do what’s best for us,” concluded Rep. Troy Balderson.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
