Every piece of legislation is assigned a number when it’s first introduced. Most of these numbers are chronological. But as Speaker, I get to pick which bills are assigned the numbers 1 through 10 as a way to signal how important that legislation is. I just announced H.R. 1 – our top legislative priority that has a real shot at becoming law. It’s called the Lower Energy Costs Act, and it’s going to do two big things: One – Restore American energy leadership. How? By repealing onerous taxes and overregulation on American energy producers so we can lead the world in providing clean, affordable energy. Two – Make it easier to build stuff in America. Every time we need a pipeline, road, or dam, an average of almost 5 years and millions of dollars in costs get added to the project to comply with Washington’s permitting process. That’s too long. We can streamline permitting and still protect the environment. That’s a goal worthy of the number 1.
