Energy & Environment

Like Iowa, I believe the United States can responsibly take advantage of its abundant natural resources while also emphasizing conservation and efficiency. We should pursue an energy strategy that creates jobs and provides reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy to American families and businesses. 

Perhaps no state is a better example of this all-of-the-above approach than Iowa. Wind power alone generates approximately 57 percent of our electricity, more than any other state. That’s why I helped lead a bipartisan bill, the Wind Workforce Modernization and Training Act—a key part of which was signed into law in late 2020—to promote wind workforce training opportunities for students, technical schools, and community colleges. I’m also proud to have helped pass landmark legislation, called the Growing Climate Solutions Act, that will help cut red tape and give farmers and forest owners more tools for entering carbon credit markets. Farmers and producers are the first conservationists, and it’s important we give them the tools to keep working toward cleaner air, water, and soil instead of heavy-handed, top-down regulations from the federal government.

For years under the Obama Administration, federal government bureaucracy prevented construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, a project that would create thousands of jobs and help our nation become more energy independent. I helped lead legislation to approve construction of the pipeline, the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, and was pleased that the Trump Administration resumed its construction. To my dismay, President Biden failed to recognize the importance of this project to our economy and energy security, and canceled the pipeline on his first day in office.

I also worked tirelessly to fight back against the Obama-Biden Administration Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule—which gave the federal government authority to regulate water on 97 percent of the land in Iowa. And despite our success during the Trump Administration, President Biden ignored the concerns of Iowans and my colleagues and announced their plans to undo our progress. The reality is the fight for Iowa’s agriculture community is never over, and right now I’m working to push back on any harmful regulation this new administration might impose on these hardworking folks and to get a permanent, clear definition put in place with my Define WOTUS Act.

We all want clean water and clean air, and I believe in a commonsense and cost-effective way to protect our environment. Any policies designed to protect the environment should take into consideration the impact they will have on American consumers and also on our businesses and their ability to compete globally and create jobs. Through incentives and innovation, we can work together to protect our environment and promote clean energy without heavy-handed government mandates.