Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer, member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, joined David Asman on Fox Business’ Kudlow to discuss the importance of domestic energy development and Democrats’ hypocritical energy and environmental policies. Senator Cramer also highlighted his America First approach to trade and energy production by aligning climate and national security policy. This would limit our adversaries, support our allies, produce cleaner energy, and reduce global emissions. Excerpts and full video are below.
On Domestic Energy Development and National Security:
“I’ve been saying for 20 years that energy security is national security…The United States can not only produce more than enough for the United States, we can produce plenty for many other parts of the world, especially where our allies live, so they’re less dependent on our adversaries. And quite frankly, why we don’t use more of the peaceful tools of energy development rather than the weapons of war to keep our enemies at bay is beyond me.”
On Democrats’ Attack on Domestic Energy:
“What’s happened is the Democratic Party is yielding to people like [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and Prime Minister Bernie Sanders and their extreme agenda. They want to transfer their climate guilt to the big polluting counties as though somehow they’re doing something for climate change by turning off the spigots in the United States. It makes zero sense.”
“There is a lot of hypocrisy in Democrats’ energy and environmental policies. They’re just transferring their guilt to other places. This is why you need a truly all-the-above energy strategy that is really an environmental strategy as well. Just as one example: Vladimir Putin’s natural gas that he produces and then ships via pipeline to Europe emits 41% greater greenhouse gas emissions than natural gas produced in the United States of America and shipped. When you consider the entire lifecycle of the product and all of the other standards that surround it, it’s a really big deal.”
“[Democrats] swim in the shallow end of the pool when it comes to [energy and] economic policy. The American people are not fooled by it. Because when they go to fill their car with gas or they look at their light bill, they know it’s going up and it’s going up way too much.”
On an America First Trade and Climate Policy:
“What I advocate for, David, is an America First Energy policy where we actually work with our allies in places like Europe, for example, who have now created a carbon border adjustment they’re using for trade purposes. We could adopt a standard that we and they already meet, but Vladimir Putin will never meet. I’m not talking about adding regulations. I’m talking about just doing what we’re doing with our trading partners in a way that will not only shut off the money supply for Vladimir Putin’s war machine, but it also forces all of the players to increase their own standards as well. [This] would be a far better approach than just trying to choke off the supply in the United States with the hope you’ll choke off the demand, which is not the case.”
Background:
In December, Senator Cramer and Lt. General H.R. McMaster outlined an America First approach to trade and energy production by aligning climate and national security policy in an op-ed for Foreign Policy. Looking through the lens of trade with the European Union (EU), the op-ed highlights opportunities to be a global leader in emission reductions by producing and exporting American energy, which enhances the United States’ economy, national security, and geopolitical interests. They further discussed this concept in a fireside chat with the Bipartisan Policy Center in February.