news

Rep. Bob Latta speaks during a roundtable hosted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee

This week, Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH5) joined House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), and members of the committee in conducting two roundtables focusing on the energy affordability and deadly fentanyl crises plaguing communities across the United States.

During the 117^th Congress, within the Energy and Commerce Committee, Latta served as a senior member of the Energy Subcommittee and as the Republican leader of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee.  He also served on the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee.

“American families today face two mounting crises that threaten the safety and security of communities across our country,” Latta said. “Due to the Biden Administration’s efforts to stifle American energy production, energy costs have soared to record heights, making life unaffordable for many. Even more alarming, open border policies implemented by the Biden Administration have allowed deadly fentanyl to flow freely over our southern border, contributing to an overdose crisis which claimed more than 100,000 American lives in 2021 alone.”  

“We cannot, and should not, stand idly by while hardworking families struggle to pay energy bills and illicit fentanyl poisons our nation’s children,” Latta continued. “As a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I believe our committee is uniquely poised to advance solutions to address these pressing issues.”

“Our committee began taking action this week by bringing together knowledgeable individuals to discuss how we can tackle these crises. Based upon these conversations alone, it’s clear we have our work cut out for us. However, I feel more determined than ever to advance solutions that tackle these issues and makes life more affordable, and safer, for families in Ohio and across America,” Latta concluded.

Roundtable on Unaffordable Energy Costs

Due to anti-American energy policies adopted by the Biden Administration, energy prices have continued to escalate. These actions include cancelling of the Keystone XL pipeline, stalling LNG export facility permits, and authorizing the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue new regulations that make it harder to invest in oil and gas projects.

As energy prices remain high, the Energy and Commerce Committee met with panelists to discuss the impacts of high energy costs. Panelists who participated in the roundtable included:

·         Dan Alsaker, President of Alsaker Corporation,

·         Jeff Eshelman, President and CEO of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA),

·         David Hickman, Co-Owner and Operator of Dublin Farms, Inc., and

·         Donna Jackson, Director of Membership Development for Project 21.

Click on the video below to view Latta’s remarks and line of questioning to roundtable attendees.

Roundtable on America’s Fentanyl Crisis

The fentanyl crisis continues to wreak havoc on our nation. In 2021, 107,735 Americans died of an overdose. The vast majority of those deaths were due to overdoses on fentanyl or fentanyl-related substances. In 2022, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) seized over 50.6 million fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills and more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder across the country (which is over 379 million deadly doses).

As the fentanyl crisis continues to surge in communities across the United States, the Energy and Commerce Committee this week heard from Ray and Deb Cullen who tragically lost their son to fentanyl poisoning just nine days before his 23^rd birthday. The Cullen’s shared their story, in their own words, “so that no other parents receive a visit from the police informing them that their child is dead.” 

Members of the committee also heard from two other panelists:

·         Paul Knierim, Former Assistant Administrator, Chief of Intelligence, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and

·         Dr. Timothy Westlake, M.D., an Emergency Medicine Physician.

Click on the video below to view Latta’s remarks and line of questioning to roundtable attendees.

   Latta’s work to bolster the United States’ energy sector:

Latta’s extensive experience on the Energy Subcommittee has resulted in several of his bills becoming law. These include:  

·         the Advanced Nuclear Technology Development Act, a law to provide guidance and a licensing framework for the nuclear industry to ensure the United States retains its role as a global energy innovation leader,

·         the Cyber Sense Act, a law that created a voluntary program to test the cybersecurity of products and technologies intended to be used in the national electric grid,

·         the Critical Electric Infrastructure Act, a law protecting America’s power grid by providing private entities and the federal government with the tools needed to respond and alleviate grid security emergencies, and

·         the Propane Education and Research Enhancement Act, a law that provided energy stability for American families by protecting them from price spikes in propane prices.

  Latta’s work to crack down on deadly fentanyl:

  In December of 2021, Latta and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09) introduced the HALT Fentanyl Act which would permanently place fentanyl-related substances into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. And in May of 2022, Latta joined the Ohio congressional delegation and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to host then-Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy for a roundtable discussion in Columbus, Ohio regarding the ongoing fentanyl crisis impacting communities in Ohio.

###