
U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, left, on Thursday afternoon addresses workers at Encino Energy in Salem, Ohio. McCarthy spent time in Columbiana County promoting the importance of America’s energy independence. (Submitted photo)
SALEM — Energy independence was the focus of a visit Thursday by U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to tour private oil and natural gas producer Encino Energy here.
“The core of good economics for America is to become energy independent,” McCarthy said as he stood on a Columbiana County oil producing site clad in a hard hat.
“We have the ability to produce a lot of oil,” yet, McCarthy said America still buys some 50,000 barrels of what he described as unclean crude from Russia daily.
“We have the ability to produce those resources … We should sell it to our allies and to our adversaries,” he said. “How much more secure would we be if China was dependent on American natural gas?”
The House this year passed House Resolution 1, known as the Lower Energy Costs Act, and the Fiscal Responsibility Act, bipartisan bills intended to help reform America’s permitting process in order to reduce costs while making it easier to produce and build critical infrastructure in America. McCarthy said he believes if the all of HR 1 is put into law, America could return to its 2019 level of energy independence within three years. He also added be believes the end result of lowering energy costs will mean the growth of more manufacturing jobs here.
“What does it mean to be energy independent? It lowers the price, it lowers inflation. It lets Americans keep more money in their pockets. But it also means jobs.
“I look to the men and women behind me — these are good paying jobs. But it makes America stronger, and it makes America a safer place, and environmentally it makes us more sound,” McCarthy said. “We don’t want to just be energy independent, we want to be dominant.”
McCarthy has been visiting parts of Ohio for the last few days, and while in Columbiana County was escorted by U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, who represents Mahoning and Columbiana counties and serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, along with several other communities in southeastern Ohio. Also with him was U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge, who represents Trumbull County and other northeastern Ohio communities, along with other elected Ohio officials.
McCarthy, Johnson and Joyce all spoke briefly about the value of domestically produced natural gas to both the American economy and to the environment overall.
McCarthy, of California, said he uniquely understands the importance of reclaiming America’s energy independence.
In response to the visit, Johnson later said Biden’s energy policies have set a dangerous precedent and put our country in a position to fail.
In his brief remarks, Joyce said he would love to see a pipeline built to move Ohio-produced natural gas “up Route 11 to Lake Erie so we could sell our liquified natural gas to Europe.”
“That means jobs and that means more independence for us,” Joyce said.