CRES annually honors policy makers who have been steadfast leaders in driving and supporting clean energy legislation as our Clean Energy Champions and typically announces the winners during National Clean Energy Week (NCEW). We will be profiling each of this year’s Champions in more depth on the CRES blog; in case you missed them, we have already profiled U.S. Senators Rob Portman of Ohio and Mike Braun of Indiana.
Moving to the U.S. House of Representatives, CRES named Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK) as our third Champion. Rep. Lucas is the Ranking Member of the U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and has been a longstanding advocate for energy innovation provisions regardless of which party originated a bill.
The Committee oversees scientific research and development (R&D) and writes laws and grants funding related to R&D. Energy and environmental research are part of the scope of this Committee’s work. By supporting R&D in the energy sector, the Committee has enhanced domestic energy production and energy efficiency. The Committee has also been able to commercialize new energy technologies that support cleaner, more efficient energy at a lower price for Americans.
Rep. Lucas was essential to passing the Energy Act of 2020—the most comprehensive U.S. energy policy in over a decade—and the groundwork for America’s clean energy future. This year, he co-sponsored the Promoting Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure Act, which seeks to promote cooperation, collaboration, and trade with Canada and Mexico to expand energy infrastructure across North America, and create an alliance with our closest allies to foster American energy independence. He also helped advance the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act to increase funding for storage, solar, hydrogen, critical minerals, fusion energy, and carbon removal research by seven percent each year over the next five years.
Rep. Lucas is a prominent proponent of American energy independence, and he understands that innovations in clean energy make this possible. During Rep. Lucas’ tenure on the Science Committee, he has introduced and championed legislation to do just that, including the American Critical Mineral Exploration and Innovation Act of 2020, which promotes American investment in the production, manufacture, and recycle of critical minerals that operate as building blocks for clean energy.
As a fifth-generation Oklahoman, Rep. Lucas’ family has lived and farmed in the Sooner State for more than 100 years. Born in Cheyenne, Oklahoma, he graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1982 with a degree in Agricultural Economics. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election in 1994 after serving in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Rep. Lucas is committed to protecting American domestic research, especially as it relates to energy, and CRES knows he and his staff are reliable allies in many of our advocacy efforts. He recognizes the importance of sustainable, American-made energy solutions that stimulate the economy, and has worked hard to keep his state and the rest of the country on the forefront of clean energy production. CRES congratulates him on being named a 2021 Clean Energy Champion, and our team looks forward to working with his office for many years to come.
