Promoting Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding the time.

Mr. Speaker, here we are 9 months into the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress, despite their promises, have done nothing to lower energy costs. In fact, costs keep going up, up, and up, and the GOP policies are making it worse. I have to say that Americans deserve a whole lot better.

We understand that the impact of the big, ugly bill passed a couple months ago is going to raise the cost of living on hardworking families across the country. There has been a lot of attention on healthcare costs in the State of Florida because the Republicans would not reinstate the cost-saving and lifesaving tax credits. Millions of Floridians, like many more across America, are facing higher healthcare costs.

What wasn't covered as much in the big, ugly bill and its impact is what it is going to do to drive up people's electric bill. Already, this year, household electricity prices are up 10 percent. One in three households is cutting back on necessities, like groceries, to afford their energy bills.

Three in four Americans are concerned with their utility bills increasing, and they should be because at least 102 gas and electric utilities have either raised or proposed higher rates that will go into effect next year.

Here is the proof. Here is a report from September of this year: ``Residents in at Least 41 States and Washington, D.C., Are Facing Increased Electric and Natural Gas Bills.''

``Utilities are increasing prices for customers across the country.'' Including all the way through to 2028, monthly residential bill impacts are going to be rough.

Here is another from PowerLines from July 2025: `` `Utility bills are rising.' Q2 2025 Update.''

``Utility rate increases requested and approved totaled $9 billion in Q2 2025 and $29 billion in the first half of 2025, making 2025 a record year for utility rate increases.''

In my home State of Florida, the largest power provider has requested the largest rate hike in history--$10 billion for most of the counties in the State.

Here is an article I will submit for the Record from this month from the Energy & Policy Institute: ``Key decisions loom in Florida Power and Light's historic bid to raise rates by $10 billion.''

I include the links to these three items in the Record:

Https://powerlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ 0709_PowerLines_Rising-Utility-Bills-Q2-Update-2.pdf

Https://energyandpolicy.org/key-decisions-loom-in-fpl-historic-bid- to-raise-rates

Https://www.americanprogress.org/ article/residents-in-at-least-41-states-and-washington-d-c-are-facing- increased-electric-and-natural-gas-bills

Mr. Speaker, the big, ugly bill is having a very harsh impact on the bottom lines of hardworking families, and now Republicans want to offer a package of bills that is going to make it worse, add insult to injury.

They just can't stop providing solace for polluters. They have already gutted a lot of the tools that make energy more affordable, like clean energy tax credits, like trying to save on energy efficiency and things like that. However, what also adds insult to injury is--and I don't know why, but if Republicans are talking about they believe in fairness, they believe in permitting, they believe that we need all of the power generation we possibly can make, why do they stand idly by while the Trump administration wages war on a clean energy power source? Many of them are already permitted and constructed.

In April, the administration issued a stop-work order for the Empire Wind offshore wind project surrounding New York. Even though the order was lifted in May, that delay cost the developer $955 million.

The President is actively trying to revoke permits for the Revolution Wind project, which was fully permitted and 80 percent complete, supporting more than 2,500 U.S. jobs across construction, operations, shipbuilding, manufacturing. The project was just steps away from powering more than 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut, but now that is at risk, so they are facing much higher bills.

Just last week, the Interior Department asked a judge to cancel approval of the Maryland Offshore Wind project, a project over a decade in the making that had received all of its final permits from multiple Federal agencies and was expected to power over 700,000 homes.

This just doesn't make sense to bring a package of bills and say: Oh, we are really concerned. They are not concerned. Rates are going up. They are canceling projects. They are throwing wrenches into cleaner, cheaper energy. This is really a giveaway to the fossil fuel companies. What other explanation can there be to sock it to hardworking people who need a break?

They need a break. Groceries are too high. Their healthcare is being taken away, and now they are raising the rates of their utility bills.

Mr. Speaker, I am all for cutting red tape, but what is happening here is detrimental to the folks we represent back home. It is not fair. It is not right. We need to do everything we can. These bills, this bill doesn't meet the moment. It is going to keep electricity bills going up, up, and up. I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill and get back to work on serious solutions for people's pocketbooks.

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