Biden’s war on Appalachia

After years of progress made under former President Donald Trump , President Joe Biden has devastated economic growth and energy production in Appalachia . Gone are the days of pro-energy policies and a president who stood up for this region. Instead, the energy-producing communities that power our nation have seen their lights turned off, savings dwindled, and livelihoods crushed.

Under Trump, middle-class families saw their incomes increase by nearly $6,000, while wages for low-income and blue-collar workers increased by 16%.

America also witnessed an energy independence revolution, becoming the No. 1 producer of oil and natural gas in the world and a net energy exporter for the first time in 70 years. Many of these gains were thanks to the Trump administration’s pro-growth policies, which brought newfound prosperity to Appalachia and other areas nationwide.

When Biden took office, much of our energy independence was lost due to his disastrous socialist economic agenda and Green New Deal policies. And Bidenomics created record inflation that forced people to make tough choices regarding whether to feed their families or fill up their gas tanks.

Simply put, life is unaffordable under this administration.

Combine this frustration with Biden’s rush-to-green policies, and the problems for Appalachia continue to mount. For example, Biden’s indefinite liquefied natural gas export pause has negatively affected our region. EQT, the largest domestic producer of natural gas, has warned that this decision will send a “chilling effect” to our region.

But Biden’s war on the energy sector does not end there. We have seen coal-fired power plants shutter, job-killing regulations on steel manufacturing, and more than 200 executive actions making it harder to produce energy in places such as Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Clearly, this White House has forgotten the people of Appalachia and their needs.

We’ve been working in Congress to do the opposite.

Even after being halted by far-left activists for nearly a decade, the Mountain Valley Pipeline was successfully completed this year after our efforts in Congress. This 304-mile pipeline is now in service and will usher Appalachia into a new era. The MVP has and will continue to stimulate the economies of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia with millions in royalties to landowners, including $150 million per year for Pennsylvania and $250 million per year for West Virginia, and direct investments into rural communities. At the height of its construction, the MVP also supported 15,000 good-paying union jobs.

Building on this success, we created the Congressional Appalachian Caucus, which promotes policies that will create jobs, strengthen our nation’s energy independence, and generate economic growth for the region. We have introduced bipartisan legislation to incentivize the capture of coal mine methane emissions. This will be used as an energy source and help clean our air. Coal has been a bedrock of Appalachia, and this effort will make sure it stays that way.

Additionally, recent studies have shown that the Marcellus Shale basin may hold up to 40% of our nation’s domestic need for lithium as a byproduct of fracking. We also know rare earth elements and critical minerals are found in acid mine drainage, mine tailings, and other coal byproducts. These materials are critical to our growing economy, and we should no longer be dependent on China for them.

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Will the Biden administration and far-left Democrats hold our prosperity hostage with burdensome regulations? We won’t let that happen. The public can rest assured that our caucus will be at the forefront of holding the Biden administration accountable should it attempt to restrict and limit this incredible opportunity for these communities.

The region has suffered enough under Biden’s anti-energy agenda — and we won’t let it continue. The Appalachian Caucus will ensure that the 26 million people who reside in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and other states are no longer forgotten.

Reps. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) and Carol Miller (R-WV) are co-chairs of the Congressional Appalachian Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.