Letter to John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate - Mullin Calls Out Hypocrisy of the Biden Administration's Envoy for Climate

Mr. Kerry,

In leadership positions, words matter. When speaking about the natural gas industry, you are quoted as saying, "We have to put the industry on notice: You've got six years, eight years, no more than ten years or so, within which you've got to come up with a means by which you're going to capture emissions, and if you're not capturing, then we have to deploy alternative sources of energy." No other country has done more to lower emissions than the United States has. This mindset is short-sighted and fails to recognize all that natural gas has done to lower emissions.

Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel, and the fracking revolution has transformed natural gas production in our country. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that switching to natural gas accounted for more than 60 percent of CO2 emission reductions from 2006-2017. On top of that, methane emissions from natural gas declined by 18.6 percent from 1990 to 2015 even though natural gas production increased by more than 50 percent. Natural gas provides abundant and affordable energy.

Although you amended your comments after criticism began rolling in, saying that "Natural gas is central to a smart and achievable policy to cut greenhouse gas emissions today," the American people aren't fooled by your words. Your actions, along with those of this administration, speak louder.

If you are serious about cutting emissions, you have to look and act globally, starting with the Chinese Communist Party. In 2021, electricity and heat sector emissions made up 46 percent of the global increase in CO2 emissions and had the biggest increase in emissions for the year. China is responsible for almost all of that increase. Developing nations, and those that are trying to rise in power, are going to choose energy that is cheap and reliable. Natural gas fits the bill. The United States should be holding China accountable for its unwillingness to work towards a healthier world. We must also prioritize exporting our natural gas and our technology to other countries to lift them out of energy poverty.

To do this, you and the rest of the Biden Administration must signal to the industry that natural gas is an integral part of our country's and the world's fuel portfolio. You must stop putting extreme climate activists in front of the American people and follow the science. You must choose a side and tell the truth about your intentions, but you can't expect the natural gas industry to invest in a product you are planning to eviscerate in ten years. Your words matter. Policies have consequences.

In closing, as Special Envoy for the Climate, you should be keenly aware of the benefits natural gas has provided to the United States in terms of CO2 emission reduction and providing cheap reliable energy. Natural gas is the key to global emission reduction and putting the natural gas industry "on notice" does not convey confidence for companies to continue investing in these technologies, which will leave developing countries reliant on energy with a higher carbon footprint.

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