To the Editor:

U.S. Rep. Robert Latta, a member of the Conservative Climate Caucus, has introduced the Powering America through Domestic Energy Act, which is intended to increase American energy independence through increased reliance on domestic fossil fuels.

I agree wholeheartedly that energy independence is a crucial part of protecting our nation’s future. It promotes American jobs and helps safeguard national security by reducing our dependence on foreign nations such as Russia for our energy.

However, the PADE Act and the American Energy Independence from Russia Act, which Latta cosponsors, seek to promote energy independence in ways that will ultimately hurt our nation in the not-too-far off future. The PADE Act seeks to keep the president from implementing a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) or oil and gas leasing on federal lands unless Congress authorizes it. The American Energy Independence from Russia Act also works to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, increase natural gas production, and restart oil and gas leasing on federal lands.

Let’s not forget that just a few days ago, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirmed that climate change, which cost the U.S. $145 billion in 2021 alone from extreme weather, is accelerating at such a fast pace that it is uncertain if our way of life will be able to adapt unless drastic measures are taken now. The Pentagon has acknowledged climate change as a major threat to national security since 2009.

We cannot afford to shortchange the futures of our children and grandchildren for the sake of fossil fuels. Promoting energy security via unleashing more fossil fuels will lead to even more massive economic and environmental costs in the future.

We should be using this crisis as an opportunity to cement America’s position as a leader in the future of energy innovation. The data has shown that we can meet our goals of promoting energy independence and growing the economy without leaving a massive environmental cost to the next generation.

Latta should support the bipartisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, which uses the marketplace to drive innovation in energy sources and helps protect Americans from inflation by collecting a carbon fee at the source for fossil fuels, and distributing it to American households, to ensure that pollution is paid for by those who produce it. Learn more at energyinnovationact.org.

Charlotte Reith

Bowling Green