FACT CHECK: Energy

Grassley works to return America to energy independence. 

• Senator Grassley is a fierce champion for Iowa’s energy industry and is the father of the Wind Energy tax credit. Today, Iowa gets nearly 60 percent of its electricity generation from wind, and that number is predicted to rise in the coming years. 
• Iowa’s clean energy attracts companies to do business in our state. Renewable energy is good for the environment and good for the state’s economy. Senator Grassley has been on the forefront of this climate-saving revolution for 30 years. 
• Senator Grassley supports an all-of-the-above energy policy that takes advantage of the full range of energy options necessary for a vital and growing economy. All of the above means developing oil, gas, coal, and nuclear, but it also means supporting market-based solutions for expanding alternative and renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, and ethanol.
• As the number one state in ethanol and biodiesel production, Senator Grassley is proud to be a champion for renewable fuels and the jobs created to grow U.S. energy independence.
• He introduced the bipartisan Next Generation Fuels Act to boost America’s energy independence, lower gas prices at the pump, protect the environment and strengthen economic vitality in rural communities for generations to come. His bipartisan bill would promote the use of high-octane, lower-carbon biofuel blends and ensure new vehicles are compatible with higher biofuel blends.
• As ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Grassley has spearheaded the No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels (NOPEC) Act, which passed the committee in May with bipartisan support. It would help improve competition so that state-owned foreign oil producers can’t get away with illegal price fixing schemes and other anti-competitive behavior that drive up prices at the pump.

Mike Franken’s energy stances would kill Iowa jobs.

• Mike Franken says the GOP’s support for the Keystone Pipeline and the jobs it would create is “too stupid for words.” 
• Mike Franken says year-round E-15 sales should not be made permanent. Even President Biden supported making E-15 permanent year-round. While Iowa farmers and the 43,000 biofuel workers in Iowa are producing homegrown energy to help ease pain at the pump and restore U.S. energy independence, Mike Franken has made it clear he does not stand with Iowa agriculture. Mike Franken recently reversed his position about making E-15 sales permanent, but this leaves us wondering: What does Mike Franken actually believe?  
• Mike Franken says we need to implement a carbon tax. Even in the partisan climate plan proposed by congressional Democrats, this idea was too radical to be included.
  • A carbon tax would be a tax on every American every time they make a purchase. President Biden and congressional Democrats are already responsible for record inflation: a carbon tax would double down on policies that hurt Iowans, especially those with low-incomes or fixed income.
• A top concern Senator Grassley has heard from Iowans this year is the high price of gas at the pump. Mike Franken thinks you aren’t paying enough when you fill up at the gas station, and he is clearly out of touch:
  • After gas prices hit record highs this summer, Franken took to Twitter to brag about a minimal, 40-cent decrease in gas prices – from an average of $4.73 to $4.32. When Biden took office, the average gas price in Iowa was around $2.40.
  • To Iowans in rural areas who often travel longer distances, and to low and middle income Iowans, this nearly 80 percent increase is nothing to brag about.

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