Rouzer’s Fracking Free-For-All: The Real Cost of H.R. 26

David Rouzer touts H.R. 26, the Protecting American Energy Production Act, as a solution for energy independence and job creation. That’s the lie they’re selling. What the bill actually does is strip federal authority over fracking, kneecapping environmental protections in favor of an industry that’s already spent decades poisoning the land, the water, and the people who rely on them. It’s another giveaway to Big Oil, another example of corporate interests buying their way into legislation while the rest of us get stuck with the consequences.

H.R. 26 would make it impossible for the federal government to issue a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing without congressional approval—a near-impossible hurdle given how deeply fossil fuel money has burrowed into the veins of Washington. This isn’t about protecting jobs. It’s about ensuring fossil fuel companies can frack with impunity, dodging accountability while communities across the country suffer from the documented fallout: water contamination, air pollution, public health crises, and even fracking-induced earthquakes.

Rouzer’s bill hands control of fracking regulation to individual states, effectively allowing the fossil fuel industry to pick and choose its own referees. State regulators, already neutered by corporate lobbying, will set the rules—rules that will inevitably favor the companies who bankroll their campaigns. The idea that states will act in the best interest of their citizens rather than the interests of billion-dollar oil and gas conglomerates is laughable, and Rouzer knows it. That’s the point. This bill doesn’t empower North Carolinians. It sells them out.

Fracking is not some misunderstood miracle of modern energy production. It is, at its core, a violent industrial process that injects millions of gallons of chemically treated water deep into the earth to force oil and gas to the surface. Those chemicals—many of which are known carcinogens—don’t just disappear. They leach into groundwater, they hang in the air, they leave a toxic legacy that communities are forced to deal with long after the drillers pack up and leave. Pennsylvania, a state that has played host to fracking for years, has documented over 100 cases of fracking-related water pollution. Texas fracking companies have used legal loopholes to hide the full list of chemicals they pump into the ground, leaving residents to wonder what exactly is poisoning their water supply.

Rouzer, of course, doesn’t care about any of this. His concern lies with the people writing checks, not the people drinking the water. His track record makes that abundantly clear. He’s taken over $208,000 in fossil fuel money while consistently voting against clean energy initiatives. He’s fought against climate science being factored into coastal development policies, even as North Carolina faces increasing hurricane risks. He voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, blocking funding for storm-resistant infrastructure and clean energy projects. And, in a move that perfectly encapsulates his priorities, he has personally invested in fossil fuel stocks. He profits off the same industries he legislates in favor of, and somehow we’re supposed to believe he’s looking out for the people of North Carolina?

This is the same pattern of corruption that has played out in Washington for decades. Politicians like Rouzer wrap themselves in the language of “energy independence” and “job creation” while funneling billions in subsidies and regulatory rollbacks to fossil fuel executives. They act as if a future built on clean energy is some impossible dream, as if the only way forward is to cling to an industry that has made record profits while the planet burns. If Rouzer actually cared about energy security, he’d be pushing for investments in renewable energy—solar, wind, battery storage—industries that create long-term jobs without poisoning the air and water. But he’s not, because there’s no money in it for him or his donors.

Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, New Hanover, Pender, Robeson, and Sampson counties deserve better than a representative who treats their health, safety, and future as collateral damage in his pursuit of corporate profits. Rouzer wants to make sure the fossil fuel industry can keep drilling, keep polluting, and keep cashing in—no matter the cost. That’s what H.R. 26 is really about. And if we let him get away with it, we’ll be the ones paying the price.

Hold Rouzer accountable. Call 910-395-0202 and DEMAND ANSWERS!