THE ENERGY "CHOICE": ANYTHING BUT ELECTRIC

The Energy Choice Act (H.R. 3699), introduced in 2025 by Congressman Nick Langworthy and Senator Jim Justice, is marketed as a bill that would “restore consumer choice” and “save Americans money”. In reality, it would do the opposite - restricting state and local authority while federally mandating fossil fuel dependence - an ironic move from the party of “limited government”.

In a press release, Rep. Langworthy framed the bill as a response to what he called a “dangerous trend in blue states,” stating:

“The Energy Choice Act would end these costly bans and secure our nation’s energy future”.

This framing is intentionally inflammatory. Labelling state-level climate and building policies as “extremist” shuts down meaningful debate, discourages compromise, and allows disengaged voters to accept fear-based messaging without actually looking at the substance of the law.

Langworthy claims the bill is about “protecting families”, “stopping elites”, “fighting extremism”, and “preserving freedom”. In practice, it prioritizes the interests of the natural gas industry over consumers by:

• Limiting state and local authority over building standards

• Locking in fossil fuel infrastructure

• Undermining electrification efforts

• Overriding local control under the guise of “choice”

This is not consumer choice, it is federal preemption. The bill ironically removes the ability of states and municipalities to choose electrification in order to “protect” the choice to use fossil fuels.

According to the Public Health Law Center, this bill could take decision-making power away from local communities, slow efforts to reduce pollution, and interfere with how utilities set rates and build infrastructure. The language is so vague that it could affect things lawmakers aren’t even talking about, like zoning rules and utility prices. “Choice”, in this instance, really just means “choose anything but electric”.

Congressman Langworthy has claimed that climate-smart policy “rips away an affordable, reliable energy source” and replaces it with “higher costs, weaker grids, and winter blackouts waiting to happen”. The evidence says otherwise.

The Yale School of Environment notes:

 “There’s a growing recognition that electrification and getting beyond the gas system has tremendous benefits for consumers and communities. It’s cheaper, healthier, safer, and ultimately what we have to do for the climate. It is inevitable in the same way moving beyond coal power is inevitable.”

High efficiency electric appliances are increasingly outperforming fossil fuel alternatives on both cost and performance. The natural gas industry is well aware of this trend and has a clear financial interest in delaying electrification as long as possible, at the cost of our health, safety, and environment.

In fact, the American Petroleum Institute has openly announced plans to restructure its field offices around the country to better push back against the national movement away from fossil fuels.

Electrification improves public health, lowers long-term costs, and reduces pollution.  Yet Rep. Langworthy is choosing to advance legislation that benefits the natural gas industry rather than his own constituents. 

Why support a bill that requires you to twist yourself into knots in order to justify it?

No one is losing access to their gas services overnight. Nick Langworthy is clutching his pearls turning a slow, technical building code transition into an affordability panic to manufacture fear.

And we aren’t buying it.

Sources

Public Health Law Center. 9/19/25 - Bad Choice: H.R. 3699’s Threat to Public Health and Energy Affordability | Public Health Law Center. (n.d.). https://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/commentary/250919/9/19/25-bad-choice-hr-3699s-threat-public-health-and-energy-affordability 

Congressman Nick Langworthy introduces the energy choice act to end Blue-State Wars on American Energy. Congressman Nick Langworthy. (2023, October 26). https://langworthy.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-nick-langworthy-introduces-energy-choice-act-end-blue-state-wars 

Text - H.R.3699 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): Energy choice act | congress.gov | library of Congress. (n.d.). https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3699/text/ih 

Congressman Nick Langworthy introduces the energy choice act to end Blue-State Wars on American Energy. Congressman Nick Langworthy. (2023, October 26). https://langworthy.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-nick-langworthy-introduces-energy-choice-act-end-blue-state-wars 

Jonathan Mingle.  April 14, Jonathan Mingle, Jonathan Mingle, Jonathan Mingle is a freelance journalist and the author of Gaslight: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Fight for America’s Energy Future. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Mingle →, M. about J., Pearce, F., Pearce, F., Hurdle, J., Hurdle, J., Naw, E. F. and J., Fishbein, E., & Naw, J. (n.d.). To cut carbon emissions, a movement grows to “electrify everything.” Yale E360. https://e360.yale.edu/features/to-cut-carbon-emissions-a-movement-grows-to-electrify-everything#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20gas%20industry%20is%20extremely,and%20100%20percent%20by%202045.