GOP to attack Biden clean energy plan on security and human rights grounds
Breanne Deppisch
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Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are set to probe the Biden administration’s green plans in a hearing this week, arguing that the process for subsidizing clean energy and electric vehicles threatens human rights and national security.
Republicans view the targets for wind and solar growth and electric vehicle adoption as unrealistic and unworkable, senior staffers told the Washington Examiner, posing risks to reliability, security, and access for U.S. consumers.
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Witnesses, including former Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Daniel Simmons, are expected to testify to what they view as dangers associated with the Biden administration’s target of securing 100% carbon-free electric grids by 2035 and reaching 100% total net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Republicans will use the hearing to call for diversifying the nation’s energy mix and to stress the message that, from a reliability and security perspective, 100% of any energy technology is a “bad idea,” a staffer said.
Other witnesses appearing before the committee include Mark Mills, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and Ashley Nunes, a Harvard and former MIT researcher whose projects have been funded by the Department of Defense and Department of Transportation, according to a copy of the list shared first with the Washington Examiner.
Together, they will highlight shared concerns, such as the domestic land use required for renewable energy factories and mining, disposal of EV batteries, wind turbines, and solar panels, and a forced reliance on China and other supply chains with low environmental and human rights standards.
And without a domestic supply chain in place to support the massive demand for wind turbines, solar panels, and EV batteries, the United States will likely be forced to increase its dependence massively on China and the Congo, two countries whose supply chains are dominated by poor environmental standards and human rights violations, including child labor. Many lawmakers are also wary of becoming too closely tied to China, which could pose significant national security risks.
China, for its part, manufactures more than 80% of all solar cells and assembled solar panels, per the International Energy Agency, while some 70% of the world’s cobalt is produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The hearing will be led by House Energy and Commerce Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), who chairs the Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Minerals.
Biden’s energy agenda “cannot be pulled off without bolstering China,” Johnson told the Washington Examiner. “The unfortunate reality is that most of the manufacturing of renewable energy sources, from wind turbines to solar panels, are dangerously dependent on this global adversary.”
China, he said, “is notorious for exploiting slave labor and skirting environmental protocols and countervailing trade laws to further their economic and political agenda. These facts are completely ignored by the loudest voices in the room pushing for the fast switch to renewables.”
The new salvo is part of the GOP House majority’s broader push for an “all of the above” energy policy, allowing them to position themselves as the alternative for those who fear Biden’s push is rushed or reckless.
House lawmakers voted 225-204 last month to pass their marquee energy bill, H.R. 1, meant to counter Biden’s agenda and increase domestic production, including for fossil fuels.
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The Biden administration recently proposed a new rule to slash tailpipe emissions by 56% by 2032 in a bid to help accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. If finalized, the plan could result in the electrification of 67% of all new U.S. vehicles sold by 2032.
White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi told reporters earlier this month that since Biden took office, electric vehicle sales have tripled, and automakers have announced more than $100 billion in new electric vehicle investments.