Pfluger vows to block EPA action

Nov. 3—Tuesday's elections around the country may be the most important in Permian Basin history.

That's because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is poised to declare the Basin a non-attainment area and the Republican Party needs a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives to keep the region's energy industry intact.

But Congressman August Pfluger has great confidence that his party will gain more than the necessary six seats and reclaim power in the 435-seat House in Washington.

Republican State Rep. Brooks Landgraf of Odessa emphatically welcomes Pfluger's involvement and an EPA spokeswoman in Washington says her agency is determined to proceed against the Basin.

Pfluger was asked the significance of the U.S. Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling June 30 that the EPA had exceeded its authority in West Virginia under the 1970 Clean Air Act and that it would need congressional approval to take an action with vast economic ramifications.

"That ruling was so powerful for many reasons," the San Angelo Republican said Tuesday. "It set a precedent that the government could not do what it has been doing, over-regulating to the country's detriment and using these types of weapons against the oil and gas industry.

"We need a majority and we'll get it in one week."

The 11th Congressional District representative said President Biden has been working to fulfill a 2020 campaign promise to kill the American fossil fuel industry "and this EPA threat is one of the tools he's using.

"It's really dangerous," he said. "I wrote a letter to the EPA and its administrator, Michael Regan, asking, 'What is the problem? What are you trying to solve?'

"They gave a poor, lackluster response. This administration has proved that they will not give us the answers we're seeking."

Pfluger said his inquiries to EPA Region 6 Administrator Earthea Nance in Dallas have elicited equally unsatisfactory responses.

"As of now, the EPA has not taken steps to implement a non-attainment designation, but we want to know why they will not meet with us and industry representatives," he said, adding that Basin oil and gas companies have done much more to protect the environment than most foreign countries.

Referring to Landgraf, the congressman said, "Rep. Landgraf and I work very well together on the state and federal levels and we have both been focused on this."

Landgraf said Wednesday that the EPA "is operating in the shadows, without transparency or accountability, on behalf of an extremist faction of the Democratic Party.

"The EPA's latest and ongoing attempts to indirectly shut down Texas oil and natural gas production are terrifying examples of professional bureaucrats placing the desires of a few wealthy coastal elites over the security, economic and even environmental interests of our nation," Landgraf said.

"If it were just about Texas jobs, that alone would justify the need for the leaders of Texas to step up and fight back against the EPA. But it is about so much more than that because the hydrocarbons in the ground here in the Basin could make our nation completely energy independent if we could just find the will to seize the opportunity.

"I'll continue to do everything I can as a Texas state representative born and raised in Odessa to protect the Texas oil patch. Thankfully, I'm not alone in this fight as Congressman Pfluger and Gov. Abbott headline a long list of liberty loving Americans who are not going to let Texas oil and gas go down without a hell of a fight."

Pfluger said he will re-introduce an amendment next year that would block the EPA and he wants "to use the power of the purse" to defund the agency.

He said it is a certainty that all congressional Republicans would help protect the Basin because House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, who is expected to become speaker of the House if the GOP regains power, is committed to introducing a sweeping energy security measure as House Resolution No. 1 in January.

"It's a great sign because I have been pushing extremely hard on this point," Pfluger said.

Expressing optimism that his party will also win a majority in the U.S. Senate, he said the visits he has hosted here for McCarthy and more than 20 other House members have enhanced understanding and support in Washington.

"I'll be leading the charge should the EPA choose to pursue this," Pfluger said. "It would not only be illegal but another example of federal over-reach.

"Our nation is facing a very complex threat environment. I don't believe there has ever been a time when that was more true than it is today and everything the Biden administration is doing with regard to the energy industry is weakening not only the industry but also our national security."

EPA spokeswoman Shayla Powell told the Odessa American last week that the EPA "is considering a redesignation to non-attainment for portions of counties in New Mexico and Texas located in the Permian Basin.

"Extracting and processing oil and natural gas results in emissions of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds that cause ozone pollution, which can cause a number of health problems including coughing, breathing difficulty and lung damage," Powell said.

"EPA is committed to its mission to protect public health and recognizes the importance of partnering with states and stakeholders to deliver clean air protections in a feasible, cost-effective way."