Steve Scalise’s path to House speaker is far from a done deal. But what’s far more certain is that the Louisiana Republican, who now serves as majority leader, would be good news for the oil and gas industry should he take the gavel, write Kelsey Brugger and Emma Dumain. Scalise, who routinely casts doubt on the science of climate change, is one of the House’s most prominent fossil fuel defenders and the industry’s top choice to fill ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s shoes, observers told Kelsey and Emma. In a closed-door, conferencewide vote Wednesday, Scalise narrowly secured the GOP nomination, edging out his chief rival, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, by 113-99. That, however, is far from the 217 votes he needs to secure the speakership in a vote on the House floor. Friend to oil and gas
Scalise, who hosts an annual trip to an oil rig in his district, leads the House Energy Action Team, a messaging arm for leadership. GOP Rep. Jodey Arrington of Texas affirmed that “energy independence” is a “personal conviction” for Scalise, who hails from one of the country’s top oil- and gas-producing states. Under McCarthy, House Republicans passed H.R. 1, a sweeping energy package that would require the federal government to hold more oil lease sales and make it easier to build oil and gas infrastructure. Arrington predicted Scalise would take the GOP energy agenda even further as Congress works to pass spending bills over the next month. “I think it’s taking the fight to the Senate — in the funding bills,” he said. “It’s taking the fight to the fourth branch of government, which is the regulatory state that we’ve created in this country.” Scalise has secured the endorsement of the American Energy Alliance, a fossil-fuel-friendly group. Green groups also took note. “By nominating Scalise, the GOP underscored its commitment to propping up the oil and gas industry,” said Climate Power’s senior adviser for oil and gas, Alex Witt. Other environmentalists told POLITICO’s Morning Energy that Scalise probably wouldn’t offer much of a departure from McCarthy’s policies. But Scalise is “much more substantive on the full array of energy issues” than Jordan, who “tends to focus more on the political aspects of energy,” industry lobbyist Frank Maisano said. Scalise has raked in more than $2 million in campaign funding from the oil and gas industry, the third-highest career total of anyone in Congress, according to OpenSecrets.
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