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OPINION:
Unleashing American energy means utilizing our nation’s abundant natural resources to stimulate domestic economic prosperity, create well-paying jobs and ensure access to affordable energy here at home. But the benefits don’t stop there. By fully harnessing our domestic energy supplies, we can help secure the energy needs of our allies and actively combat the rise of foreign adversaries including the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The United States and allies like South Korea, fueled by America’s energy resources, will be able to stand strong in their commitment to freedom and democracy worldwide, building a more prosperous future for everyone.
Recently, I saw this idea reinforced when I led a bipartisan congressional delegation (CODEL) to Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Joined by my colleagues on the House Committee on Natural Resources, Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), Nick Begich (R-Alaska), and U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.), our delegation represented districts across the country with a variety of natural resources that are powering our nation today and will do so into the future. From coal and liquified natural gas (LNG) to critical minerals and geothermal energy resources, our districts represented the diversity of America’s natural resources and their potential. While on the CODEL, we met with government officials, business leaders, and members of the U.S. military who are supporting our allies and defending our way of life overseas. Our meetings emphasized the importance of American energy and natural resources to our allies and their role in powering the globe.
In South Korea, our delegation frequently discussed the importance of American energy. We heard our allies express their desire to expand their use of American energy resources, reduce reliance on adversarial nations for energy, and invest in projects in the United States that will increase the American natural resources available worldwide. From harnessing and transporting Alaskan natural gas resources to market to developing geothermal resources in the American West, our allies know that investing in America is an investment in liberty and shared prosperity. However, they also emphasized the need for certainty in our federal permitting processes, ensuring that projects can be built rather than endlessly studied and litigated.
These conversations were timely, as the day before the CODEL departed, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The new law enables extensive onshore and offshore oil, gas, and coal leasing nationwide, reduces royalty rates to incentivize production, and will ultimately lower energy costs for Americans. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act also makes a downpayment on streamlining federal permitting processes and shortening project review timelines, responsibly speeding up energy projects.
In late July, I took the next step by introducing H.R. 4776, the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, a bipartisan bill to modernize federal permitting processes, shorten permitting timelines, and reduce frivolous litigation.
Taken together, these policies highlight the work House Republicans and the Trump administration are doing to provide certainty and stability for American energy producers and our allies. They will help the United States meet its energy needs, secure our national security, and keep us energy-dominant for the benefit of our nation and allies. This is essential as we work to counter the growing malign influence of the CCP and other foreign adversaries.
South Korea and our allies in the Indo-Pacific are essential to defending democracy and freedom worldwide. We can support them in our shared mission by increasing their access to American energy, offering a vital alternative to energy supplies from adversarial countries, and thereby reducing the influence and power our enemies can exert. Unleashing American energy leads to a more prosperous future for the United States and the world. The moment is now to implement this work and solidify our place on the global stage as an energy-dominant nation.
• Rep. Bruce Westerman represents Arkansas’ Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he serves on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and as Chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources.
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