Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and other Republican members of the Senate Commerce Committee offered  over 70 amendments to a bill further regulating American energy companies.  While Lee introduced dozens of amendments, those that Lee offered for votes focused on reversing the Biden Administration’s moratorium on energy leases on federal land and countering a proposed SEC rule targeting energy producers with sweeping Environmental Social Governance (ESG) criteria obligations.  Gas prices in Utah and across the United States are currently at historic highs.  Democrats led by Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) objected to the amendments.  Sen. Lee’s efforts to overturn Chair Cantwell’s rulings against the amendment were defeated on party-line, 14-14 votes.

In the hearing, Sen. Lee said, “The reality remains that Democrats’ crusade against reliable, domestic energy sources has largely resulted in our current state of high energy prices. …  But instead of looking to address these negative “signals” and misguided regulatory policies that are sending our energy markets into a tailspin, the Administration as well as Senate and House Democrats are suggesting that the solution is to have more government micromanagement of our markets and that gas prices will come down if we just empower more federal bureaucrats to look over your shoulder.  In fact, House Democrats just passed legislation that unbelievably would give the federal government the power to enact what I can only call “price controls” on gasoline.”

For one-pagers of the amendments, click HERE.