Laurel Lee
RHappy 251st Birthday, @USNavy! Since 1775, the United States Navy has played a vital role in defending our nation and preserving the freedoms we hold dear. Today, we recognize the generations of sailors whose service and sacrifice have helped keep America strong. Thank you to the brave men and women of the U.S. Navy for your unwavering commitment to our country!
From our strawberry fields and citrus groves to farms across the country, American agriculture is built on generations of hard work and dedication. On National Farmers Day, we thank the farmers and growers whose tireless work is essential to our communities and our nation’s future. Thank you for all you do.
Happy Columbus Day! Today we commemorate Christopher Columbus’s historic voyage across the Atlantic and the profound impact it left on the course of history. The same spirit of ambition that propelled his journey continues to shape America’s enduring commitment to opportunity and progress. May we build upon that legacy and inspire future generations to pursue all that is possible.
A packed house at the Citrus County Republican Executive Committee’s Paint the Town Red Dinner! A wonderful evening highlighting our shared commitment to keeping Florida strong for our families and future generations! https://t.co/pc82lD9Q6V
Applications are now open for Spring 2027 internships in my Washington, D.C., and District office! This is a great opportunity for those interested in public service to gain firsthand experience in a congressional office and serve the people of Florida’s 15th Congressional District. Applications are due November 20th. Visit my website or call my office to learn more and apply! https://t.co/WzfONf3Lgn
Three years ago, the world witnessed the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Today, we remember every innocent life taken on October 7th and their families forever changed by this act of terror. Three years later, we continue to honor the victims and reaffirm that such hatred must never be allowed to prevail.
Great time with the Nature Coast Republican Club in Citrus County! Thank you for having me! https://t.co/WKyWoBSwjx
It was great welcoming Vice President JD Vance to the Tampa Bay Region last week! https://t.co/7uJNT1fCGR
Tracking the travel of a child and his mother to facilitate a search of a former President’s residence is not legitimate law enforcement. It is the weaponization of the Department of Justice. https://t.co/NaY8V2qnBQ
@POTUS is bringing government services into the 21st century. The launch of https://t.co/MOQbrg1FZ4 is making it easier for Americans to get answers from their government. One place to ask questions, find federal services, and get the information you need without navigating a maze of government websites.
Washington, D.C. - In case you missed it, the Washington Examiner published an op-ed by Representative Laurel Lee outlining the case for her new bill, the Unleash American Pipelines Act. Read the op-ed here and below: America doesn’t have an energy shortage. We have a lawsuit problem. By Representative Laurel Lee America does not have an energy shortage. We have an infrastructure problem. The United States is the world’s largest producer of natural gas, with abundant reserves, American workers ready to build, and the technology to power our homes, businesses, and industries for generations. But producing energy does little good if we cannot build the infrastructure necessary to move it where it is needed. Increasingly, the obstacle is a legal system that can turn federal approval into the beginning of years of litigation. When the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issues a certificate of public convenience and necessity for an interstate natural-gas pipeline, the project has already undergone extensive federal review, environmental analysis, public comment, and expert agency consideration. Judicial review should remain available to people genuinely harmed by an agency decision. But it should not become a mechanism for opponents to delay an approved project until it becomes too expensive to build. The Mountain Valley Pipeline demonstrates the consequences. The project was originally expected to enter service in 2018 at an estimated cost of $3.5 billion. After years of litigation, regulatory setbacks, and construction delays, its cost reached approximately $7.85 billion. Congress ultimately had to intervene in 2023 to expedite completion of a project that had already received federal approval. Other projects never made it that far. The roughly $8 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline was canceled even after its developers prevailed in a 7-2 Supreme Court decision in a major permitting dispute. Dominion Energy cited growing costs and an increasingly uncertain permitting and litigation environment, while Duke Energy was left with more than $1.6 billion in costs associated with the canceled project. The Constitution Pipeline was similarly abandoned after years of regulatory and legal battles when its developers concluded that the project was no longer economically viable. These cases reveal a larger structural problem. Investors considering new infrastructure must account for the possibility that a valid federal authorization will still be followed by years of litigation. That uncertainty raises financing costs, discourages investment, and means some viable projects are never built. A federal permit should not guarantee that a project succeeds, but neither should it become an invitation to another decade of litigation. Americans ultimately pay the price when infrastructure fails to keep pace with demand. Winter Storm Fern provided a stark example. During the January 2026 storm, natural-gas supplies tightened across the Northeast, and spot gas prices in New York and New England approached $300 per million BTU, roughly 90 times the national average. New England’s vulnerability did not develop overnight. Pipeline projects intended to expand natural-gas capacity into the region have repeatedly faced regulatory opposition and litigation, leaving consumers more exposed when extreme weather sends demand soaring. The reliability challenge is becoming more urgent. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation found that 13 of 23 North American assessment areas face resource-adequacy challenges over the next decade. Electricity demand is growing as manufacturing facilities, data centers, and other large loads connect to the grid. Natural gas remains essential to meeting demand when intermittent resources cannot provide sufficient power, but gas-fired generation cannot keep the lights on without pipelines to deliver its fuel. Meanwhile, China is building. Its pipeline network exceeded 120,000 kilometers in 2025, while its state-owned pipeline operator accelerated construction on nearly 40 major infrastructure projects totaling more than 9,000 kilometers. China invested $500 billion in major energy projects in 2025 while the United States continues debating whether federally approved infrastructure can survive another round of litigation. We should not imitate China’s political system or abandon meaningful environmental review, but we should recognize the strategic consequences when our foremost economic competitor can build critical infrastructure while ours is litigated into paralysis. That is why I introduced the Unleash American Pipelines Act. The legislation makes three targeted reforms to judicial challenges involving FERC Section 7 pipeline certificates, drawing from provisions that passed the House as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill before being removed in the Senate on procedural grounds. The legislation requires petitioners to demonstrate direct and irreparable economic harm arising from the certificate they are challenging, including requirements for organizational petitioners. It establishes a clear-and-convincing-evidence standard for challenges to FERC’s determination, recognizing the agency’s technical expertise and extensive administrative record. Finally, it consolidates challenges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, creating a single, predictable judicial forum rather than allowing litigation across multiple circuits to multiply uncertainty, delay, and expense. These reforms do not eliminate judicial review. They ensure those bringing a challenge have a genuine stake in the outcome, courts appropriately recognize the extensive administrative process preceding FERC’s decision, and litigation cannot be used indefinitely to accomplish what opponents could not achieve during the permitting process. For Florida, the stakes are particularly high. Natural gas generates nearly three-quarters of our electricity, while our state produces very little of the natural gas it consumes. Florida families and businesses depend heavily on interstate pipelines to deliver the fuel that keeps our electric grid running. A system that prevents needed pipeline capacity from being built is not an abstract Washington policy dispute. It directly affects affordability, reliability, and economic growth for the people I represent. The same is true for our country. America is entering an era of rapidly growing electricity demand while competing with China for advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and the industries that will define the next century. We cannot pursue American energy dominance, reshore manufacturing, build new data centers, and strengthen our electric grid while maintaining a legal framework that allows essential infrastructure to spend years trapped between a federal permit and a courtroom. America has built the interstate highway system, the transcontinental railroad, and pipelines across some of the most difficult terrain on the continent. We remain capable of building great things. Our laws should ensure rigorous review and protect Americans genuinely harmed by government decisions, but they should not allow delay itself to become the objective. America has the energy, workers, and technology to meet the next generation of demand. We need a legal system that allows us to build.
Have you ever had to jump from page to page and website to website to get a simple answer from the federal government? Yesterday, the @WhiteHouse announced a new federal platform that brings information from 29,000 federal websites into one place. Head to https://t.co/MOQbrg1FZ4 for the answers you need, all in one spot.
Today, we honor our Gold Star Mothers and Families who live with the profound loss of a loved one who gave their life in service to our nation. Our country can never fully repay the price they have paid. May we always remember our fallen heroes, honor their legacy, and stand beside the families they left behind.
Our pipelines are stuck in endless litigation while demand soars and China builds. That’s why I introduced the Unleash American Pipelines Act. We have the energy. We have the workers. Now we need permission to build. Read my op-ed in the @dcexaminer: https://t.co/AgJIm7el1M
A wonderful evening at the Hernando County REC Reagan Day Dinner! Honored to serve as keynote speaker and grateful to Chairman Rosie Foster, the HCREC leadership team and everyone who made the evening such a success. Thank you, Hernando County, for the warm welcome! https://t.co/Yil4JVvPBm
I am honored to receive a 100% rating from the @AEA and be named a 2026 American Energy Champion. I will continue working to advance policies that strengthen American energy production, lower costs for families, and ensure our nation has the reliable energy we need to power our future.
It's time to get rid of unnecessary delays and excessive red tape that are holding back American energy projects. That's why I introduced the Unleashing American Pipelines Act. This legislation will help streamline the pipeline approval process, strengthen our energy security, and ensure America has the infrastructure needed to meet our growing energy demands.
A wonderful evening at the Hernando County REC Reagan Day Dinner! Honored to serve as keynote speaker and grateful to Chairman Justin Noe, the HCREC leadership team and everyone who made the evening such a success. Thank you, Hernando County, for the warm welcome! https://t.co/6keSl2eDGz
Small businesses facing financial hardship deserve a path to recovery, not a push toward liquidation. The bipartisan Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment Act will give more small and family-owned businesses a practical way to restructure debt, preserve jobs, and keep their doors open. By permanently restoring the threshold, we can give these businesses greater certainty and a fair opportunity to get back on solid footing.
Today, we honor the American heroes who endured unimaginable sacrifice as prisoners of war and those who remain missing in action. We remember their valor, honor their families, and reaffirm our unwavering promise that you are not forgotten. https://t.co/dL8uRR2x0r
Happy Birthday to the @usairforce! Thank you to the brave Airmen who have served and continue to defend our nation from the skies. Your courage, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to protecting our freedoms do not go unnoticed. Aim High! https://t.co/YRf2LOIbam
It was a pleasure to welcome two talented singer-songwriters from @NMPAorg to my office to hear their music and, more importantly, to hear directly about the challenges songwriters face in receiving fair and accurate compensation for their work. As a member of the House Creative Rights Caucus, I am committed to supporting the artists, songwriters, and creators who drive America's creative economy and ensuring their rights are protected in a rapidly changing industry.
My bill the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act has been signed into law, strengthening protections for correctional officers and staff against sexual harassment and assault by incarcerated individuals. The men and women who serve in our federal prisons put their safety on the line every day, and they deserve to know that the law stands behind them. I am grateful to @MarshaBlackburn for her partnership and tireless work advancing this legislation, and to @POTUS for signing it into law. https://t.co/2BpXKCJhEJ
Our Constitution is more than a founding document, it is the foundation of our great nation and the principles that have guided America for generations. On Constitution Day, we are reminded of our responsibility to uphold it, defend the freedoms it guarantees, and remain true to the principles upon which our country was founded.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Laurel Lee, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced the Unleash American Pipelines Act, legislation to reform the judicial review process for natural gas pipeline certificates of public convenience and necessity issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The legislation would provide greater certainty for federally approved pipeline projects by limiting legal challenges to parties that can dictate direct and irreparable economic harm, establishing a clear and convincing evidence standard for overturning FERC’s expert determinations, and consolidating challenges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. “Florida families and businesses depend on affordable, reliable energy, and natural gas powers nearly three-quarters of our state’s electricity,” said Rep. Lee. “When a pipeline has undergone extensive federal review and received approval from FERC, outside groups should not be able to use endless litigation to delay critical energy infrastructure indefinitely. The Unleash American Pipelines Act will bring greater certainty to the permitting process while preserving judicial review for those directly affected. This is a commonsense step to strengthen American energy infrastructure, lower costs, and ensure Florida has the reliable energy supply we need to continue growing.” "Florida relies on interstate pipelines for nearly all of the natural gas that powers homes and businesses across the state,” said CEO of Florida Power & Light Company, Scott Bores. “Reliable pipeline infrastructure is essential to providing affordable, reliable electric service for our customers and supporting Florida's continued growth. We appreciate Congresswoman Lee's leadership on this important issue." “TECO Energy applauds Congresswoman Lee for focusing on the right things: making government more efficient and effective to protect consumers and save customers' money. In Florida, natural gas is the backbone of the electric generation system, and smart policy that unleashes these investments promotes reliability and economic benefits,” said TECO. “We look forward to working with her on this legislation to improve the bureaucratic process to get much needed infrastructure built that supports growth in Florida.” “Ensuring customer affordability and reliability has been and remains at the heart of everything Duke Energy does - from our operations to investments to our public policy engagement” said Louis Renjel, Chief Executive Officer of Duke Energy Florida and Midwest. “To that end, this legislation will help increase access to lower-cost gas supplies, strengthen energy reliability for Floridians and keep customer costs as low as possible.” Florida’s dependence on natural gas makes reliable pipeline infrastructure especially important. The state produces less than one percent of the natural gas it consumes, meaning nearly all of the fuel used to power Florida homes and businesses must reach the state through interstate pipelines. When approved projects are tied up in years of litigation, the resulting uncertainty can increase financing and construction costs, discourage investment, and make it more difficult to build the infrastructure needed to meet growing energy demand. Background: Natural gas accounts for nearly 73 percent of Florida’s electricity generation. Yet Florida produces less than one percent of the natural gas it uses, leaving the state heavily dependent on interstate pipelines to deliver its supply. Before an interstate natural gas pipeline can be built, developers must receive a certificate of public convenience and necessity from FERC. That approval comes after an extensive federal review process. Under current law, however, receiving a FERC certificate does not necessarily provide certainty that an approved project will be completed. Third-party organizations that are not landowners or otherwise directly economically affected by a project can challenge a certificate in federal court, potentially adding years of litigation after the federal review process has already concluded. Those delays have consequences beyond individual pipeline projects. Pipeline construction is capital intensive, and years of potential litigation create additional financial risk for developers and investors. That uncertainty can result in more expensive financing, higher required returns, and projects that become too costly to build. For projects that do move forward, additional costs incurred during years of litigation can ultimately affect the utilities that rely on pipeline capacity and the families and businesses paying their energy bills. The Mountain Valley Pipeline illustrates the consequences of prolonged litigation. The 303-mile pipeline was approved by FERC and originally scheduled for completion in 2018 at an estimated cost of $3.5 billion. After years of litigation and delays, the project’s cost grew to approximately $7.85 billion—more than double its original estimate. Congress ultimately had to intervene to allow construction to be completed. With electricity demand and utility costs increasing across the country, the Unleash American Pipelines Act would provide greater certainty after FERC completes its review and approves critical pipeline infrastructure. The Unleash American Pipelines Act enacts three targeted reforms. Standing Reform: Limits legal challenges to parties who have suffered direct and irreparable economic harm from the specific pipeline certificate at issue. Organizations may only bring claims if every individual member independently satisfies that standard, ensuring judicial review is available to those who are genuinely affected. Heightened Standard of Review: Requires courts to apply a clear and convincing evidence standard before overturning FERC's expert determinations, reflecting the depth and rigor of the Commission's review process and preserving the appropriate role of agency expertise. Exclusive D.C. Circuit Jurisdiction: Consolidates all pipeline certificate challenges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, eliminating forum shopping and creating a single, predictable appellate forum for all parties. This legislation is supported by Duke Energy, TECO, and Florida Power and Light.