Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing today renewed his calls for an overhaul of domestic critical mineral production to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign mineral imports, as well as reliance on foreign energy.
“It is past time for the United States to become a competitive producer of critical minerals and wean itself off of both foreign oil and gas imports,” said Wyden, a senior member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “Ramping up the production of clean energy technology here at home is as much a national security issue as it is an environmental one. My EDGE Act would help set the course for a clean energy future while creating good-paying jobs on American soil.”
Earlier this month, Wyden introduced the American Energy Development and Growth Enhancement (EDGE) Act to help expand the processing and manufacturing of critical minerals. The legislation would create a grant program under the Department of the Interior to aid the cleanup and modernization of existing processing sites, while maintaining strong environmental protections.
As Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Wyden is also the author of the Clean Energy for America Act, which would help end outdated tax subsidies for dirty fossil fuels and create new tax incentives for clean energy production.
Video of Senator Wyden’s remarks is here.
The full video of today’s hearing is here.
A web version of this release is here.