{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://barrett.house.gov/media/press-releases/barrett-hosts-energy-roundtable-highlight-work-expand-energy-production-lower", "Barrett Hosts Energy Roundtable to Highlight Work to Expand Energy Production, Lower Costs", "2026-08-25", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "House", "MI", "Tom Barrett", "B001321", "barrett.house.gov", "barrett", "https://barrett.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Lansing, Mich. \u2014 Congressman Tom Barrett (MI-07) on Monday joined leaders from Michigan\u2019s energy industry for a roundtable conversation to highlight his work and discuss additional solutions to increase domestic energy production and lower costs for Michigan families.\n\nBarrett voted to spur American energy dominance in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act last year, and he has long championed policies to promote competition and encourage production of affordable, reliable energy.\n\n\u201cThe pain at the pump is real for all of the families like mine that are crisscrossing mid-Michigan to get from school to soccer practice and everywhere in between,\u201d said Congressman Barrett. \u201cIn Congress, I\u2019ve proudly led the charge to increase American energy production and strengthen competition in the market by advocating for permitting reform and rolling back burdensome regulations that have driven costs through the roof. It\u2019s going to take all of us working together with the private sector to bring down energy prices, and I hope Democrats in Lansing can set aside their Green New Deal Mandates to join me in that effort.\u201d\n\nUnder a state law passed in 2023 by Democrats along party lines, Michigan will require electricity production to use 100% green energy sources by 2040. Due to the cost of building the wind turbines and solar farms necessary to comply with the mandate, electric rates in Michigan are projected to double. Electric rates in the state are already the highest in the Midwest.\n\n\u201cMichigan\u2019s oil and natural gas industry plays a critical role in powering millions of homes and businesses, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and strengthening the state\u2019s economy,\u201d said Chris Zeigler of the American Petroleum Institute, who spoke at the roundtable. \u201cModern, predictable permitting processes are essential to helping advance critical energy infrastructure projects and improve access to reliable, affordable American energy, and we applaud Congressman Barrett for his leadership on energy issues.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nThe Working Families Tax Cuts Act (H.R. 1) boosted American energy production by authorizing new oil and gas leases and undoing red tape imposed during the Biden administration. The historic law removed subsidies and carveouts for special interests, providing a level playing field to allow companies producing oil, natural gas, wind, solar, nuclear, or other energy sources to compete, innovate, and provide more efficient, affordable energy.\n\nAt a time when the ongoing Iran conflict has throttled the worldwide energy market, Barrett has voted three times to end the conflict unless the people\u2019s representatives in Congress provide clear authorization for military force in the region.", 1, "2026-08-26T05:33:32Z", "2026-08-26T05:34:56Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://barrett.house.gov/media/press-releases/barrett-hosts-energy-roundtable-highlight-work-expand-energy-production-lower"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7783540058881044, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}