WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) led a congressional delegation to the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (most commonly known as COP29) to showcase the innovation and impact of U.S. energy on the global stage.
"I am proud to have led a congressional delegation to COP29 to show that the United States is leading the way in energy innovation and is open for business," said Congressman Pfluger. "Energy is the foundation of our life. We must continue to be a global leader in energy production while supporting our allies."
Read below for media highlights of the delegation's efforts to advocate for a diverse energy mix at COP29:
"Speaker Johnson asked me to lead this delegation, and I think it's pretty simple. It's exactly what the mandate the American public gave us on November 5th is energy dominance. It is unleashing American energy."
“American natural gas has helped us reduce emissions more than any other nation, and we have the capacity to continue helping our allies reduce their emissions by exporting clean, reliable sources like LNG and nuclear,” Texas Rep. August Pfluger told reporters Saturday.
Republican members of Congress visited COP29 on Saturday to pitch their favored solution to the climate crisis: Increasing US natural gas exports.
The push toward renewables has weakened global energy security, said Texas Rep. August Pfluger, whose district includes the Permian Basin, one of the largest US drilling hotspots.
“We can continue helping our allies reduce their emissions by exporting clean, reliable sources like LNG and nuclear,” he [Pfluger] said.
“Last week, people in the United States overwhelmingly supported President Donald Trump’s promise to restore America’s energy dominance and lead the world in energy expansion,” he [Pfluger] said.
The four other Republicans joining Pfluger on stage echoed this message with a grab bag of pro-fossil fuel stances. Troy Balderson, who represents a part of Ohio with plentiful shale gas, mounted a defense of fracking. Morgan Griffith, a veteran representative who hails from a coal-rich area of western Virginia, expressed support for so-called clean coal power outfitted with carbon capture technology, as well as natural gas mined from coal beds.
Representative August Pfluger, whose Texas district covers the oil-rich Permian Basin, said Trump’s re-election indicates an “overwhelming support” for the former president’s call to “restore America’s energy dominance and lead the world in energy expansion”.
“Inflation has been very difficult on people, and we have to take a realistic look about the types of energy and the innovation for energy freedom throughout the world,” said Pfluger, who is leading the House of Representatives’ delegation to the UN climate summit. “Many countries would say that some of the tenets [in the accord] have actually been a massive competitive disadvantage and have pushed up prices everywhere around the world.”
U.S. Representative August Pfluger, who represents Texas’ oil-rich Permian Basin and is leading the GOP’s COP delegation, suggested that the U.S. should once again exit the 2015 Paris climate agreement. As the leader of the House of Representatives’ energy committee, Pfluger also emphasized the incoming Congress’ power to repeal key pieces of Biden’s climate policies (policies that were passed, in part, to get the U.S. within reach of the Paris agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius).
“Last week, people in the United States overwhelmingly supported President Donald Trump’s promise to restore America’s energy dominance and lead the world in energy expansion,” he [Pfluger] said.
