Four Texas Democrats in Congress are warning President Joe Biden against restricting U.S. oil exports as a way of fighting high gas prices. “We urge you and your administration to reject any well-intentioned but misguided calls to curtail American crude oil and/or petroleum exports in reaction to the high gasoline and diesel prices currently seen at the pump,” the Texas Democrats say in… Read more »

Efforts by House Democrats to pass legislation enabling the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on price gouging by oil companies is drawing criticism from at least two Texas Democrats. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, told a reporter Tuesday despite the rise in gasoline prices he was not convinced there was actually any price gouging by going on, despite claims by his… Read more »

Rep. Lizzie Fletcher has introduced two bills aimed at countering Russia’s energy leverage over Europe. The American Energy for Europe Act would establish a program at the Department of Energy (DoE) to assist Europe in achieving energy independence from Russia, while the American Gas for Allies Act would expedite shipments of natural gas to NATO allies.  Energy has long been a… Read more »

A new project to replace water lines for 55 homes in Jersey Village, including new sewer lines for 25 homes, is expected to begin this summer to benefit areas of the city that have experienced repeated flooding, according to a news release. As part of the project, Seattle Street will receive new storm sewer lines to help prevent street flooding and reduce the chance of homes flooding… Read more »

As nearly 200 people marched for abortion rights in downtown Houston on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Houston)—who is part of the House Pro Choice Caucus—urged senators to pass a bill codifying the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that secured abortion rights.  "What the Senate needs to see is that they're representatives of the people, and the majority of people… Read more »

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher has announced nearly $10,000,000 in federal funding for the Meyergrove Detention Basin, a project aiming to help areas that have experienced repeated flooding. “It’s a much-needed improvement that will have a real impact on the people of this community,” Fletcher said. The Harris County Flood Control District said the new storm water detention basin,… Read more »

On Monday, a group of Democratic members of Congress from Texas issued a letter urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to enforce Medicaid’s free choice of provider requirement and require the State of Texas to reinstate Planned Parenthood as a qualified Medicaid provider. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher led her colleagues in issuing the letter, which was signed by Reps. Lloyd… Read more »

On Wednesday, Rep. Lizzie Fletcher testified in front of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and urged the committee to include the Coastal Texas Study’s recommendations in the Water Resource Development Act of 2022 (WRDA) and to consider additional expansions of the Port of Houston.  Fletcher is a former member of the committee and was involved in the 2020… Read more »

This week, the House of Representatives will consider two bills that would significantly curtail domestic offshore oil and gas exploration. H.R. 1941, “the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act,” and H.R. 205, “the Protecting and Securing Florida’s Coastline Act of 2019” reflect a lack of understanding about where our energy comes from and how we solve the climate crisis. In the… Read more »

Houston has always been a place of big ideas. Perhaps more important, it is a place where those big ideas become realities. We need that now. In Washington, policymakers and lawmakers are talking about big ideas—ideas that address the tremendous opportunities and challenges we face across the country and around the world. And there is no conversation more important than the one about… Read more »