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Beto’s War on Texas Energy

O’Rourke Wants To End Drilling And New Fossil Fuel Leases On Federal Land And Charge Higher Royalty Rates For Drilling. “O’Rourke is no longer running for president. O’Rourke ‘will set a first-ever, net-zero emissions by 2030 carbon budget for federal lands, stopping new fossil fuel leases, changing royalties to reflect climate costs, and accelerating renewables development and forestation,’ a campaign spokesman told The Post. He pledged to ‘protect our most wild, beautiful, and biodiverse places for generations to come — including more of the Arctic and of our sensitive landscapes and seascapes than ever before — and establish National Parks and Monuments that more fully tell our American story.’” (“Would You End Leasing For Fossil Fuel Extraction On Federal Lands?,” The Washington Post, Accessed 9/20/21)

O’Rourke Wants To End All Offshore Drilling Off The Coast Of The U.S. “Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke called on Congress on Wednesday to put a stop to oil drilling off the US coasts. The former congressman from Texas is asking members of Congress to pass South Carolina Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham’s Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act, which would place a moratorium on offshore drilling and prohibit the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management from offering any new tracts for oil and gas leasing or preleasing off the California, Oregon and Washington state coastline and the Atlantic Coast.” (Caroline Kenny, “Beto O’Rourke Calls On Congress To Halt Offshore Drilling,” CNN, 9/11/19)

O’Rourke Supports The Green New Deal. O’ROURKE: “Some will criticize the Green New Deal for being too bold or being unmanageable. I tell you what, I haven’t seen anything better that addresses this singular crisis we face, a crisis that could at its worst lead to extinction. The Green New Deal does that. It ties it to the economy and acknowledges that all of the things are interconnected.” (Tim Hains, “Beto O’Rourke On Green New Deal: ‘Literally, The Future Of The World Depends On Us’,” RealClearPolitics, 3/14/19)

  • A Heritage Foundation Analysis Found A Peak Reduction Of 1.4 Million Jobs Nationwide By 2040 If The Green New Deal Is Implemented. “Our analysis also assumed the deal would impose carbon-cutting regulations on manufacturers, and mandate the production of significantly more renewable energy than is currently projected. How much would just this ‘bare bones’ version of the Green New Deal cost? By 2040, we can expect: A peak reduction of more than 1.4 million jobs…” (Nicolas Loris, “The Green New Deal Would Cost Trillions And Make Not A Dime’s Worth Of Difference,” Heritage Foundation, 3/29/19)
  • A Study By The American Action Forum Found The Green New Deal Could Cost $93 Trillion. “The sweeping ‘Green New Deal’ proposed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., could cost as much as $93 trillion, or approximately $600,000 per household, according to a new study co-authored by the former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. … The unprecedented plan doesn’t come cheap, American Action Forum president Douglas Holtz-Eakin and his co-authors wrote in the study.” (Gregg Re, “Green New Deal Would Cost Up To $93 trillion, Or $600G Per Household, Study Says,” Fox News, 2/25/19)

O’Rourke Wants A Cap-And-Trade System In The U.S. “Beto O’Rourke said he opposes a carbon tax and instead backs a carbon cap-and-trade program in which a shrinking number of ‘allowances’ would be sold to polluters each year.” (Eric Bradner And Zachary B. Wolf, “Beto O’Rourke Opposes Carbon Tax, Backs Cap-And-Trade,” CNN, 9/4/19)

Governor Greg Abbott will always fight for the hardworking people of the energy industry:

  • Governor Abbott signed a law that prohibits Texas cities from banning natural gas as a fuel source for new construction and utility services. (Texas Tribune)
  • In June 2021, Governor Abbott signed a bill into law banning state investments in businesses that cut ties to the oil and gas industry. (Bloomberg)
  • The Texas oil & gas industry directly employs more than 422,000 Texans and supports over 1.37 million Texas jobs (TXOGA 2021 Report)
  • Texas is the top U.S. producer of both crude oil and natural gas. (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
  • Texas leads the nation in wind-powered generation (2021)