1 SJR41
2 210514-2
3 By Senator Sessions
4 RFD: Rules
5 First Read: 24-FEB-21
Page 0
1 210514-2:n:02/23/2021:SLU/ma LSA2021-576R1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION SUPPORTING CONTINUED GULF OF
9 MEXICO OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF LEASING.
10
11 WHEREAS, with the stroke of a pen on January 20,
12 2021, President Biden cancelled the Keystone XL Pipeline,
13 immediately impacting tens of thousands of families through
14 current and future job losses; and
15 WHEREAS, with a second stroke of a pen on January
16 27, 2021, President Biden shifted America's bright energy
17 future into reverse and set the United States on a path toward
18 greater reliance on foreign energy produced with lower
19 environmental standards by putting a moratorium on all new oil
20 and natural gas leases on federal lands and federal waters;
21 and
22 WHEREAS, a federal leasing and development ban would
23 cost nearly one million American jobs by 2022 and put nine
24 billion dollars in government revenue at risk while states
25 will lose hundreds of millions of dollars from mineral
26 royalties shared by the federal government that fund schools,
27 infrastructure, and environmental projects; and
Page 1
1 WHEREAS, this decision appears to be a first step
2 toward a policy of banning natural gas and oil development on
3 federal lands and waters, coal use will have to increase by 15
4 percent to account for the deficit and C02 emissions in the
5 power sector will increase by an average of 58 million metric
6 tons by 2030; and
7 WHEREAS, projections show energy demand will
8 continue to rise, such that restricting development on federal
9 lands and waters is nothing more than an "import more oil"
10 policy where the United States is forced to rely on imports
11 from sometimes hostile foreign countries with lower
12 environmental standards; and
13 WHEREAS, current policies by the President could
14 lead to increases in oil imports by two million barrels per
15 day and reduce natural gas exports by 800 billion cubic feet
16 by 2030; and
17 WHEREAS, the cumulative effects of these policies
18 will result in residential consumers spending $19 billion more
19 on energy by 2030; and
20 WHEREAS, an Obama-era federal Bureau of Ocean Energy
21 Management report analyzing the effects of offshore leasing
22 restrictions, experts found that United States GHG emissions
23 would be little affected and could increase slightly in the
24 absence of new offshore leasing due to increased foreign
25 imports; and
Page 2
1 WHEREAS, Presidents over the past 30 years have
2 advocated for the United States to be energy independent which
3 is finally close to being fully realized; and
4 WHEREAS, the United States is the leader in the
5 world for reducing greenhouse gases through the conversion of
6 coal utility plants to natural gas; and
7 WHEREAS, today oil and natural gas comprise about 60
8 percent of the global energy supply and are projected by the
9 International Energy Agency to remain over 50 percent by 2040;
10 and
11 WHEREAS, according to a scenario developed by the
12 International Energy Agency, every country that meets its
13 Paris Accord commitments will still have natural gas and oil
14 comprising approximately 46 percent of their energy portfolio
15 in 2040; and
16 WHEREAS, 93 percent of voters find that it is
17 important for the United States to produce enough energy to
18 avoid being dependent on other countries, and 73 percent
19 believe that natural gas and oil will remain a significant
20 part of America's energy needs in 2040; now therefore,
21 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, BOTH
22 HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, That the Legislature of Alabama
23 respectfully calls on the Biden administration to:
24 1. Pursue policies of energy independence over
25 foreign dependence while creating American jobs and leading to
26 economic revival rather than small-town decline; and
Page 3
1 2. Promote domestic energy infrastructure through
2 approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline and removal of barriers
3 that prevent or slow new oil and natural gas pipelines; and
4 3. Allow future exploration and production on
5 federal lands and federal waters to ensure reliable and
6 affordable energy for the citizens of the United States; and
7 4. Pursue policies that promote innovations through
8 competitive markets to reduce greenhouse gases rather than the
9 selection of winners and losers through incentives or
10 over-regulation; and
11 5. Continue to pursue policies that encourage
12 domestic oil and natural gas production that results in lower
13 greenhouse gas emissions and a healthier environment than oil
14 and natural gas produced elsewhere in the world.
15 6. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this
16 resolution shall be delivered to the President of the United
17 States and the Alabama Congressional Delegation.
Page 4