Kennedy calls on Biden admin to end burdensome regulations destroying energy production in the Gulf
May 01 2024
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, today joined Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and colleagues in urging the Biden administration’s Commerce and Interior Departments not to move forward with proposed regulations that would destroy offshore energy production in the Gulf of Mexico.
In July 2023, the Biden administration entered an agreement with environmental organizations to restrict the use of oil and gas carrier vessels in certain parts of the Gulf due to unfounded claims that the ships interfere with the Rice’s whale species in the area.
“The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), as well as the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), have actively pursued unnecessary measures for the Rice’s whale at the expense of communities along the Gulf of Mexico. While we appreciate that NOAA denied the petition to establish vessel speed measures in the Gulf and that BOEM removed Rice’s whale stipulations from Lease Sale 261, we strongly urge that NOAA, NMFS, and BOEM refrain from advancing regulations that lack sound scientific backing,” the senators wrote.
“While NOAA and BOEM’s data is incomplete, we do have a robust understanding of the economic impact of the Gulf of Mexico. Our ports provide a clear view of commercial activity in and out of the Gulf. In Texas, the Port of Houston generated $439 billion in statewide economic value in 2022. Ports across the state of Louisiana generated $182 billion in statewide economic impact, which includes nine ports located directly on the coast. In Alabama, the Port of Mobile generated more than $85 billion in total economic activity in 2021. Imposing restrictions on development in the Gulf of Mexico would directly harm the economic activity and jobs across coastal communities,” they continued.
“When issuing regulations with such significant impacts to our economy and national security, it is imperative to rely on the best available science. We agree with the importance of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act but caution you to avoid moving forward with regulations without verifiable scientific data. Just yesterday, NOAA announced supposed sightings that ‘could be used to improve the Rice’s whale abundance estimate,’ clearly highlighting that more work is needed before any agency action. Rather than depending on centuries-old whaling records and non-peer reviewed claims for rulemaking, NOAA and BOEM should gather new, verified data on the species in question,” the senators concluded.
Background:
- The Biden administration entered a settlement agreement with the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth and Turtle Island Restoration Network to block 6 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico from being used for oil and gas production.
- The organizations claim that ship traffic in the region would disturb the habitat of the Rice’s whale, a species native to the Gulf. Yet, the organizations cited a study that uses flawed methodology and lacks scientific evidence.
- BOEM also may impose a 10-knot speed limit for ships and restrict nighttime transit for oil and gas vessels throughout the area, which will disrupt the production of oil and gas in the Gulf. BOEM also intended to enforce its restrictions solely on oil and natural gas companies, which make up only a small portion of the overall ship traffic in the area.
- The administration’s restrictions will hinder America’s energy production and reduce bids for offshore lease sales.
The full letter is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) in announcing that the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act now has support from more than 60 members of the Senate.
The bill would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their new vehicles at no additional charge.
“When a hurricane strikes, Louisianians depend on AM radio to get emergency updates. I am proud to see broad support for this commonsense bill, and I hope the Senate moves quickly to protect AM radio,” said Kennedy.
More than 200 members cosponsored the House of Representatives’ companion legislation.
“Democrats and Republicans are tuning in to the millions of listeners, thousands of broadcasters, and countless emergency management officials who depend on AM radio in their vehicles. AM radio is a lifeline for people in every corner of the United States to get news, sports, and local updates in times of emergencies. Our commonsense bill makes sure this fundamental, essential tool doesn’t get lost on the dial. With a filibuster-proof supermajority in the Senate, Congress should quickly take it up and pass it,” said Markey and Cruz.
Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Robert Casey (D-Pa.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) also cosponsored the bill.
The full text of the legislation is available here.
Kennedy announces $2.2 million in Hurricanes Laura, Ida aid for Calcasieu, Lafourche Parishes
Apr 30 2024
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $2,191,871 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Hurricane Ida hit Lafourche Parish hard, and Hurricane Laura dealt a tough blow to Calcasieu Parish. This $2.2 million will help folks in southern Louisiana restore infrastructure for families,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $1,140,733 to Lafourche Parish to restore the Bayou Blue baseball fields in Houma, La. after Hurricane Ida damage.
- $1,051,138 to the Calcasieu Parish School Board for repairs to Saint John Elementary School buildings due to Hurricane Laura damage.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $10,540,171 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Hurricane Ida battered southeast Louisiana, and Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes are still working hard to rebuild. This $10.5 million will help Louisianians in our communities recover from the devastation Ida left behind,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $5,232,036 to Terrebonne Parish for management costs resulting from Hurricane Ida.
- $3,074,573 to Lafourche Parish to restore Raceland Park after Hurricane Ida damage.
- $2,233,562 to the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office for emergency protective measures as a result of Hurricane Ida.
MONROE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke with constituents at the Monroe Chamber and West Monroe-West Ouachita Chambers luncheon about their priorities for northeast Louisiana, including delivering economic wins for the area.
“I sit on the Appropriations Committee. I never ask for a penny more than [Louisiana] needs, but I never, ever accept a penny less than we deserve—and I’ll continue to do that,” said Kennedy.
Since 2022, Kennedy has delivered the following wins for northeast Louisiana through his role as an appropriator:
- $219 million from the Department of Transportation to improve highways, roads and local airports in Monroe and Bastrop.
- $54.5 million in Department of Education grants as well as health and science research grants for post-secondary schools in the area, including Louisiana Tech, Grambling University and Louisiana Delta Community College.
- $10.8 million to the region from the Department of Agriculture for research, conservation and business development.
- $10.7 million to improve economic conditions through the Economic Development Administration and Small Business Administration grants.
- $8 million in Delta Regional Authority investments for road improvement projects and a rail spur at the Port of Columbia.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and colleagues in urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to restore order on college campuses where antisemitic, pro-Hamas mobs have threatened Jewish students.
The senators requested an update on efforts to protect Jewish students by April 24.
“Anti-Israel protestors, spurred on by prominent leftists, have gathered on college campuses in recent days, chanting anti-Semitic slogans and directly threatening Jewish students. The situation has so devolved that a prominent Jewish rabbi at Columbia University urged Jewish students to flee campus and stay away for their own safety. . . . [V]iolence and threats against Jewish students have also been committed at other so-called ‘elite’ universities in recent days,” the senators wrote.
“You need to take action to restore order and protect Jewish students on our college campuses. President Biden issued a statement on Sunday, purporting to condemn the outbreak of anti-Semitism. If that statement was serious, it must be accompanied by immediate action from your departments,” they continued.
“Rioting violates federal law. Violence or attempted violence against anyone because of their Jewish heritage violates federal law. School administrators’ failure to protect Jewish students from discrimination or harassment violates federal law and is grounds for those schools losing access to federal funds. Espousing support for terrorists such as Hamas violates federal immigration law and is grounds for deportation,” the senators concluded.
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Thune (R-S.D.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) also signed the letter.
The full letter is available here.
WASHINGTON – A new Morning Consult survey reports that Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) is one of the 10 most popular U.S. Senators. The survey represents “the industry’s only comprehensive look at the popularity of America’s top statewide federal officials in all 50 states.”
“Our latest definitive ranking of America’s most popular senators, where Wyoming’s John Barrasso remains No. 1 for the fourth quarter in a row. He is joined by three new faces—Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Chris Murphy of Connecticut and John Kennedy of Louisiana,” says Morning Consult.
The survey looks to each senator’s own constituents to understand how well the people of each state feel they are being served by their senators.
According to the report, it ranks policymakers by prioritizing the highest approval rating and breaking ties with net approval, the share of constituents who approve minus the share of those who disapprove.
WASHINGTON – Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) today introduced the Ammunition Supply Chain Act to require the Biden administration to submit a report to Congress about the state of the domestic supply of the chemical ingredients used in smokeless gunpowder.
The legislation responds to recent strains on the global supply chain of these components, including nitrocellulose, the most common ingredient in modern, smokeless gunpowder.
“The U.S. military depends on a reliable gunpowder supply chain to keep our country safe. The Ammunition Supply Chain Act would ensure that the Biden administration evaluates the threats to our gunpowder supply chain and is honest with Congress about them,” said Kennedy.
“This administration creates as many ridiculous hurdles as possible to restrict law-abiding gun owners’ access to affordable guns and ammunition. The Ammunition Supply Chain Act forces transparency from the Biden administration about the status of our domestic ammunition supply chain. This is vital to protect our right to bear arms and to ensure our military has the ammunition it needs to protect our country,” said Risch.
Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) cosponsored the legislation. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
Background:
- The U.S. and its allies have faced nitrocellulose supply chain threats in recent years, in part because of the strategic partnership between the Russian and Chinese governments.
- The U.S. military, along with domestic firearms and ammunition producers, relies on the availability of nitrocellulose and other components to produce gunpowder.
- Nitrocellulose has a variety of other applications for American industry, including uses in health care and in paint and wood finishes.
Full text of the Ammunition Supply Chain Act can be found here.
Kennedy, Scott introduce resolution to block Biden SEC from enforcing woke climate disclosure rule
Apr 18 2024
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, joined Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) in introducing a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) for the Biden administration’s Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) climate disclosure rule. The rule would require companies to make public disclosures about certain climate-related risks such as their greenhouse gas emissions and the financial impact of natural disasters like hurricanes, floods and tornadoes.
“At every opportunity, the Biden administration abuses its rulemaking power to force a radical climate agenda down Americans’ throats. The Senate should move quickly to correct the SEC’s misguided regulation, which will cost companies billions of dollars to comply with and will force investors to prioritize politics in their decision making,” said Kennedy.
In March, the SEC finalized its rule titled, The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors. If Congress does not block it, the rule will soon require more than 7,000 American companies to make climate disclosures. The move will cost companies across the U.S. economy billions of dollars in compliance efforts.
“The SEC’s final climate disclosure rule threatens economic opportunity across the country, and it must be overturned. Over and over again, SEC Chair Gensler has disregarded the real-world impacts of his aggressive regulatory agenda in his dogged pursuit of left-wing political priorities. This rule is no exception. The SEC’s mission is to regulate our capital markets and ensure all Americans can safely share in their economic success—not to force a partisan climate agenda on American businesses. This rule is federal overreach at its worst, and the SEC should stay in its lane,” said Scott.
Background:
- Under Chairman Gary Gensler, the SEC is implementing an aggressive regulatory agenda and has proposed more than 60 rules that are on track to be finalized.
- In Sept. 2022, Kennedy questioned Gensler about the cost of compliance of the SEC’s climate disclosure rule in the Senate Banking Committee. Gensler admitted that the rule would cost billions of dollars across the economy to implement.
Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Cornyn (R-Texas), John Thune (R-S.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) also signed onto the resolution of disapproval.
Full text of the bill is available here.
Kennedy announces $14.7 million in Hurricanes Laura, Ida aid for Calcasieu, Lafourche Parishes
Apr 18 2024
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $14,730,190 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants for Louisiana disaster aid.
“Hurricane Laura ripped through southwest Louisiana, and Hurricane Ida struck southeast. This $14.7 million will help Louisianians in Calcasieu and Lafourche Parishes rebuild their communities,” said Kennedy.
The FEMA aid will fund the following:
- $8,248,845 to the Calcasieu Parish School Board for replacement of the DeQuincy High School Gymnasium as a result of Hurricane Laura.
- 3,634,143 to the Lafourche Parish Hospital Service District No. 1 for interest fees on disaster recovery loans as a result of Hurricane Ida.
- $1,624,371 to Moss Bluff Pentecostal Church for the replacement of their main building as a result of Hurricane Laura.
- $1,222,831 to the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury for repairs to their Lake Charles Health Unit facilities as a result of Hurricane Laura.
