Longtime Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) is vowing to prioritize permitting reform and domestic energy production as he vies to be chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the most coveted energy leadership positions in the House.
Latta, the most senior Republican on the committee, is going up against Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) to lead the influential committee, which will only gain more importance as the incoming Trump administration is expected to stoke a number of energy and environmental policy battles.
Seventeen years in the House
The Ohio Republican sat down with the Washington Examiner this week to discuss priorities and why he believes he is fit to serve as chairman. For him, a lot of it comes down to experience. Since 2010, Latta has served on all six subcommittees under the Energy and Commerce Committee, chairing both the Communications and Technology Subcommittee and the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee.
Having served in the House since 2007, Latta has prided himself on this committee work.
“I thoroughly believe that good legislation starts at the committee level,” Latta said. “It’s involving all of your committee members because, again … I’m a firm believer that everything flows up, not down. And so we want to make sure that when you have the committee hearings, that when you’re working on legislation, you can say, ‘okay, have we covered everything?’”
Throughout his time in Congress, Latta has seen around 33 bills and provisions signed into law, boosting domestic nuclear programs, grid security, consumer protections, and more. To see that success, working together as a committee is vital, the Ohio congressman explained.
He said the best thing he ever purchased for his office was eight folding chairs, which allowed him to pack his office with up to 16 people to discuss all sides. Now, does this help get everyone on the same side? No, Latta said, adding, “That’s not the way the legislative process works.”
However, he stood firm in the importance of creating the opportunity to dive into different views, whether that be in closed-door meetings or in hearings, to move forward legislation within the House and outside to ensure a bill can be signed into law.
“It’s working with everyone around here, from leadership, the Senate, the administration, because they all play a part,” Latta said. “You can do a massive, great job moving a piece of legislation out of committee, and if they don’t pick it up, you just wasted a lot of time.”
Goals for next Congress
With his sights set on getting as much legislation passed as possible, Latta is keeping his focus on priorities in both chambers. With the new Trump administration expected to usher in a “Made in America” and national security agenda, much of his focus is on permitting reform and boosting domestic energy independence.
“It’s making sure that we’re out there producing as much energy as possible,” Latta said, blasting regulations that make it more difficult to support U.S. energy.
“Here we are sitting on these massive reserves across the country in oil and natural gas,” he continued. “We have to make sure that we’re writing the legislation and the regulations following that we can do it.”
While this aligns with President-elect Donald Trump’s tagline “Drill, Baby, Drill,” Latta has long been a proponent of the all-of-the-above energy approach. In a seeming break from Trump and his attacks on offshore wind, Latta said the federal government shouldn’t decide which energy sources are the “winners and losers.”
“This is what the market does, not the federal government,” he said.
When pressed on possible conflicts with the administration over this position, Latta insisted the “number one issue” in energy is power.
“We’ve got to have affordable power out there, and you’ve got to make sure that we also have a grid that’s updated,” he said.
While he emphasized the importance of fossil fuels in delivering affordable energy, Latta also pointed to nuclear as a key part of the nation’s energy mix in providing carbon-free electricity.
However, to help deliver on bringing in as much power from different sources, Latta and other members in both chambers of Congress are calling for increased permitting reform. Many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have argued that current processes cause clean energy and fossil fuel projects to be delayed by regulations and litigation.
The Republican indicated he hopes to continue working on permitting if selected as chairman, saying regulations are hindering progress in several sectors, including energy and tech.
That’s not to say regulations are bad, Latta explained. Instead, members are looking to secure more flexibility and the ability to decrease imports from foreign entities, such as China.
“But don’t start the stuff where you — you put out an impossible decree,” he said.
Latta’s push for permitting comes as Republicans look to clinch a reform deal with Democrats in the lame-duck session, possibly through overhaul legislation led by Sens. Joe Manchin (I-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY). However, the bicameral effort to pass major reform may be in jeopardy. Some Republicans would prefer to wait to work with the incoming Republican trifecta. Environmentalists are pressuring Democrats to oppose the Manchin-Barrasso bill and a measure backed by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) they say will gut the National Environmental Policy Act.
If a bipartisan deal is not secured in the coming weeks, Republicans are expected to continue to pursue reform legislation, with the incoming Trump administration likely in support behind them. While Trump famously struggled to gain momentum with week-long infrastructure efforts during his last administration, a successful permitting reform bill may put an end to the running joke that was “Infrastructure Week.”
Anyone’s game
Both Latta and Guthrie have been interested in replacing Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), the outgoing chairwoman, for months. The committee race could go either way, sources say.
A senior GOP staffer told the Washington Examiner that some members of the steering committee who previously thought Guthrie was leading in the race are now changing their tune.
“We really feel like it’s a live ball, and it’s the one leadership race that if you have any bet on leadership races today, it’s the one leadership race that I don’t know whose side I would put money on,” the staffer said.
While seniority does not always determine leadership assignments, part of this can be attributed to Latta’s experience compared to Guthrie, who has served in Congress since 2009. While Guthrie has long had widespread support within the party, the senior staffer said Latta has a leg up from serving in every aspect of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
“I think there are members of the steering committee that really take that into account,” the staffer said.
Both Republicans still have a lot to consider before a decision is made, with Guthrie having to answer what he wants to do on the committee outside of the healthcare space and Latta on his detailed plans to work with leadership and move members for or against legislation.
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Guthrie’s office did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment or interview.
Committee chairman races are expected to be held when the House returns following the Thanksgiving holiday.