Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Green New Deal is antithetical to the principles of free market capitalism and private property rights, is simply a thinly veiled attempt to usher in policies that create a socialist society in America, and is impossible to fully implement.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 398 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Green New Deal is antithetical to the principles of free market capitalism and private property rights, is simply a thinly veiled attempt to usher in policies that create a socialist society in America, and is impossible to fully implement. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 22, 2019 Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana (for himself, Mr. BYRNE, Mr. OLSON, Mr. YOHO, Mr. GROTHMAN, Mr. DUNCAN, Mrs. HARTZLER, Mr. CARTER of Texas, Mr. FLORES, Mr. LAMALFA, Mr. BARR, Mr. HUIZENGA, Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. HICE of Georgia, Mr. ABRAHAM, Mr. BUDD, Mr. WALKER, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. WATKINS, Mr. STEUBE, Mr. PALAZZO, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. STEWART, Mr. GOSAR, Mr. NEWHOUSE, Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia, Mr. BABIN, Mr. KEVIN HERN of Oklahoma, Mr. RIGGLEMAN, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. ESTES, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mr. KUSTOFF of Tennessee, Mr. KELLY of Mississippi, Mr. BALDERSON, Mr. CLOUD, Mr. BANKS, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. ROUZER, Mr. WALBERG, Mr. SCALISE, Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana, Mr. NORMAN, Mr. WRIGHT, Mr. GREEN of Tennessee, Mr. DAVIDSON of Ohio, Mr. GIBBS, Mr. DESJARLAIS, Mr. BROOKS of Alabama, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. MITCHELL, Mr. LOUDERMILK, and Mr. DUNN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com- merce, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Reform, Science, Space, and Technology, Education and Labor, Transportation and Infrastructure, Agriculture, Natural Resources, Foreign Affairs, Fi- nancial Services, the Judiciary, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con- cerned RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:49 May 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\HR398.IH HR398 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HRES 398 IH the Green New Deal is antithetical to the principles of free market capitalism and private property rights, is simply a thinly veiled attempt to usher in policies that create a socialist society in America, and is impos- sible to fully implement. Whereas, on February 7, 2019, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Edward Markey introduced H. Res. 109 and S. Res. 59, respectively, resolutions rec- ognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal; Whereas, on March 26, 2019, the Senate voted to invoke clo- ture on the motion to proceed to S. J. Res. 8, a joint res- olution containing the text of the Green New Deal; Whereas the recorded vote on the cloture motion for S. J. Res. 8 failed with the sponsor and cosponsors of S. Res. 59 and all other Democrats voting ‘‘present’’; Whereas the cost of implementing the Green New Deal, while difficult to accurately estimate due to the lack of a coher- ent framework, is— (1) estimated by the American Action Forum to total as high as $93 trillion over 10 years; and (2) estimated by the American Enterprise Institute to total approximately $9 trillion annually; Whereas the previously published Frequently Asked Ques- tions document for the Green New Deal (in this resolu- tion referred to as the ‘‘FAQ document’’) acknowledges that the combined resources of every billionaire and com- pany are insufficient to cover the cost of the Green New Deal; Whereas the Green New Deal’s goal of meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through re- VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:49 May 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR398.IH HR398 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HRES 398 IH newable energy resources within 10 years is likely techno- logically impossible because— (1) while fossil fuel power generation can be in- creased or decreased based on consumer demand, renew- able energy resources are dependent on environmental conditions beyond human control; (2) according to the Energy Information Adminis- tration, the energy efficiency or capacity factor ratio of wind and solar electricity generation are 35 percent and 26 percent, respectively, while the energy efficiency of nu- clear, coal, and natural gas electricity generation are 92 percent, 54 percent, and 51 percent, respectively; and (3) according to the Heartland Institute, the Green New Deal would require the mining of tons of minerals that are not currently produced in quantities that would satisfy such an expansion of renewable energy resources; Whereas the Green New Deal’s goal of meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through re- newable energy resources within 10 years is likely fiscally impossible because— (1) the intermittency of wind and solar electricity generation necessitate a vast expansion of storage infra- structure, and, according to the MIT Technology Review, a battery system that provides just 12 hours of electricity storage throughout the United States would cost more than $2.5 trillion; (2) according to the American Action Forum, the capital expenditures to transition to 100 percent renew- able electricity production could cost the United States at least $5.7 trillion, which, based on estimates from the International Food Policy Research Institute, the World Bank, and the Economist, is enough money to simulta- VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:49 May 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR398.IH HR398 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HRES 398 IH neously end world hunger for 20 years, provide clean water to the entire world, and end malaria; (3) according to the American Action Forum, oper- ating expenses for wind turbine and solar panel mainte- nance and operation would cost $387 billion annually; and (4) according to the American Action Forum, the average amount of energy bills would increase between $576 and $3,882 per year, resulting in widespread en- ergy poverty; Whereas according to the United Kingdom Office for Na- tional Statistics, cold indoor temperatures are associated with excess winter deaths, contributing to an estimated 50,100 excess winter deaths in the 2017 to 2018 winter period; Whereas the Green New Deal’s goal of meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through re- newable energy resources within 10 years would have se- verely detrimental impacts to the environment and wild- life because— (1) according to the American Enterprise Institute, the need for solar panel and wind turbine expansion would require over 115 million of acres of land, which is 15 percent larger than the land area of California; (2) solar farms incinerate thousands of birds each year, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, and accord- ing to a report published by the Wildlife Society Bulletin, wind turbines were estimated to have killed 573,000 birds and 880,000 bats in 2012 alone; and (3) under the Obama administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a rule allowing wind energy companies to avoid penalties for the slaughter of golden VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:49 May 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR398.IH HR398 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HRES 398 IH eagles and up to 4,200 bald eagles that would have other- wise violated the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; Whereas according to a report published by the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the adverse health effects for those living near wind turbines includes sleep disturb- ance, headaches, anxiety, depression, and cognitive dys- function; Whereas the FAQ document sets a goal to replace every com- bustion-engine vehicle in the United States, which, ac- cording to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, would require replacing the majority of— (1) almost 270 million cars; (2) nearly 12 million boats; (3) over 130,000 transit vehicles; and (4) almost 27,000 trains; Whereas the FAQ document sets a goal to build out high- speed rail infrastructure at a scale where air travel stops becoming necessary, which, according to the American Action Forum, would cost between $1.1 and $2.5 trillion and require the construction of 19,453 miles of track; Whereas the Green New Deal’s goal of upgrading all existing buildings to achieve maximum energy and water effi- ciency within 10 years is likely impossible because the United States has— (1) almost 100 million residential buildings; (2) approximately 140,000 schools; (3) over 306,000 Federal Government buildings; and (4) approximately 384,000 churches; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:49 May 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR398.IH HR398 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •HRES 398 IH Whereas the Green New Deal calls for Federal subsidies and intervention in the private marketplace, which tend to distort economic activity and disincentivize innovation; Whereas the Green New Deal and the FAQ document call for the enactment of policies with no semblance of a connec- tion to emissions or climate change, including— (1) providing ‘‘free’’ college to all Americans, which the American Enterprise Institute estimates will cost at least $70 billion per year; (2) providing Government health care to all Ameri- cans, which the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates would cost $28 trillion over a decade; and (3) providing economic security for those ‘‘unwill- ing’’ to work; Whereas socialism and communism rely upon dictatorships that deny freedoms enjoyed by all Americans, including freedom of speech, a free press, free assembly, free and open elections, due process, and a free and independent judiciary; and Whereas in the 20th century alone, socialist and communist regimes were responsible for the deaths of over 100 mil- lion men, women, and children: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep- 1 resentatives that— 2 (1) the Green New Deal would violate all Amer- 3 icans’ right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happi- 4 ness; 5 (2) the Green New Deal would have an almost 6 incomprehensibly devastating effect on the national 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:49 May 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR398.IH HR398 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •HRES 398 IH debt of the United States, and no collection of rev- 1 enue-raising measures could pay for its implementa- 2 tion without completely destroying the economy and 3 societal fabric of the United States; 4 (3) the Green New Deal is antithetical to the 5 principles of free market capitalism and our private 6 property rights, bedrock principles that have made 7 the United States the greatest country in the world; 8 (4) many of the proposals in the Green New 9 Deal have no connection at all to climate change, 10 and reveal the true nature of the Green New Deal; 11 (5) the Green New Deal is simply a thinly 12 veiled attempt to usher in policies that create a so- 13 cialist society in America; and 14 (6) the United States is a free society that has 15 fought against socialist regimes for decades and 16 must continue to fight against socialism in the fu- 17 ture. 18 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:49 May 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR398.IH HR398 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS