McCollum Vote on H.R. 1, the Polluters Over People Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1, the Polluters Over People Act.

While it claims to lower American energy costs, it would directly result in policies that would cost taxpayers billions in environmental costs. Congress should not pass laws that benefit oil, gas, and mining companies at the expense of our public lands and public health.

I have worked diligently to conserve and protect our public resources, and ensure the federal government is a good steward of our public lands. This bill would severely cut the opportunity for communities to participate in the environmental review process of a project. It also fails to recognize tribal sovereignty; the U.S. federal government must honor its trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal nations.

H.R. 1 ignores the fact that oil and gas companies have made billions in profits while Americans suffered under high prices at the pump during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill would lower royalty rates and repeal interest fees to these companies, further lining their pockets while reducing the money the government receives for use of these lands.

Public lands are just that: they belong to the people—not to major corporations. Members of Congress have a responsibility to be good stewards of these resources.

Additionally, many mining companies are foreign-owned, like Antofagasta, the parent company of Twin Metals. That company's proposed sulfide-ore copper mine would put our public lands and waters at great risk of toxic mining pollution. After extraction, Antofagasta would ship our American minerals overseas to China for smelting and to be sold in the global market. How is it in our national interest to re-purchase our own mined materials?

The rush to pass this legislation is a national security issue. Safeguards must be put into place when minerals are harvested from public lands—they should not be used to put the integrity of those lands or our national security at risk.

Our laws need to be updated, including meaningful permitting reform to facilitate the green energy transition. That is why Democrats included $1 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act for federal agencies to more quickly and efficiently process permits. But H.R. 1 does not work with agencies to address permitting backlogs. Instead, it slashes environmental regulations and imposes arbitrary time limits on reviews. Permitting reform and updated regulations must be done responsibly, with good-faith participation from local communities, as well as a strong emphasis on equity, environment impacts, and public health. I am happy to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make this happen, but H.R. 1 is not the avenue to do so.

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear: H.R. 1 is an attack on our public lands, which belong to Minnesotans and all Americans.

It should be rejected, and I yield back.