Joe Biden’s regulators have been caught red-handed.
Republicans are launching a major investigation that could undo years of damage.
And James Comer announced a bombshell investigation that left Biden regulators sweating bullets.
House Republicans uncover Biden administration’s scheme to drive up energy costs
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) announced a major investigation Wednesday that could expose how Biden administration officials manipulated environmental regulations to block American energy production.
The Republicans sent a letter to Emily Menashes, the acting assistant administrator of the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), demanding answers about the agency’s abuse of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which they say deliberately increased energy costs for hardworking Americans.
“Environmentalist groups abused the ESA and regulations promulgated under its authority by filing a litany of lawsuits to create regulatory delays on infrastructure projects they oppose and to influence NOAA Fisheries’ decisions,” wrote the lawmakers. “Under the Biden Administration, NOAA Fisheries tailored ESA policies to conform with these groups’ demands.”
This request is part of a larger investigation into the Biden Administration’s detrimental energy policies and comes as President Donald Trump has declared a National Energy Emergency.
Biden administration tailored policies to radical environmental groups
The Republican lawmakers revealed that under the Biden administration, NOAA Fisheries crafted their ESA policies to conform to the demands of radical environmental groups.
The Biden Administration raised the bar for delisting a species from endangered status, making it nearly impossible to adjust listings even when science showed a species had recovered.
Even worse, they sought to designate more habitats as “critical habitats” for endangered species – even in places where those species no longer lived!
California dam project delayed for years as costs skyrocketed
The investigation highlights a particularly outrageous example of regulatory abuse in California, where NOAA Fisheries delayed critical safety renovations to the Santa Felicia Dam for years.
Local officials determined in 2018 that the dam, which generates clean hydroelectric power, needed urgent upgrades to prevent a catastrophic failure in the event of an earthquake. But instead of allowing these life-saving improvements to move forward, federal bureaucrats dragged their feet.
“UWCD incurred tens of millions of dollars in costs due to the combination of NOAA Fisheries’ regulations and litigation from environmental groups. NOAA is demanding that UWCD spend $100 million more on a fish passage system,” Comer and Burlison revealed.
Biden-era abuse of the Endangered Species Act drove up energy costs and blocked key projects to appease radical activists.
Chairman Comer (@RepJamesComer) and Subcommittee Chair Burlison (@RepEricBurlison) are demanding answers from NOAA Fisheries.
Read the details 🔥👇🏻: pic.twitter.com/02WMCaOeho
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) April 16, 2025
That’s right – Biden’s regulators were more concerned about fish than preventing a potential dam collapse that could endanger human lives.
Trump’s energy emergency declaration aims to slash regulatory red tape
“President Trump’s National Energy Emergency declaration mandates the ESA Committee convene and identify ‘obstacles to domestic energy infrastructure, specifically when deriving from implementation of the ESA’ or other relevant laws. ESA Committee members will propose regulatory reforms, consider species listings, and improve the interagency consultation process,” the lawmakers’ letter continued.
“Importantly, this process is intended to give impacted states and local communities a voice in deciding whether a federal action is in the interest of the public and its national or regional significance.”
The lawmakers requested a staff-level briefing with NOAA Fisheries officials to discuss the agency’s compliance with Trump’s emergency declaration.
This investigation comes as Americans continue to struggle with high energy costs after years of Biden’s war on American energy production.
From blocking pipelines to restricting drilling on federal lands, the Biden administration implemented policies that drove up costs for everything from gasoline to home heating.
Environmental groups have exploited the ESA to stifle development across the country. They’ve delayed oil leases in the Gulf of America, drastically curtailed water available to farmers, and trampled on the rights of ranchers across the west.
Now we’re learning that even obscure regulatory agencies like NOAA Fisheries were weaponized to advance Biden’s radical climate agenda at the expense of American consumers and energy independence.
Chairman Comer and Rep. Burlison deserve credit for shining a light on these abuses and pushing to restore common sense to our nation’s energy policy.
