Energy: 'All-of-the-Above' Framing Omits His Votes Against Clean Energy for Rural NY
Why this matters in NY-23
Propane is genuinely important infrastructure in rural NY-23. In areas without natural gas pipelines — common across the Southern Tier and Chautauqua County — propane heats homes, powers farm equipment, and runs small businesses. Langworthy’s general point is not in dispute. What this entry examines is the specific framing: whether an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy is consistent with his voting record on clean energy provisions that would have expanded rural energy choices and lowered costs.
Statement
Source: Facebook Post, May 23, 2026 Reported by: Butane-Propane News
“Propane is a critically important lifeline for the taxpayers I represent. It keeps families warm, farms running, and small businesses alive. I’ll always fight for an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy that protects choice and keeps costs low for you.”
Source: Congressman Nick Langworthy Facebook, May 23, 2026
The post links to a Butane-Propane News feature quoting Langworthy calling propane “a lifeline for millions of Americans and businesses, particularly in rural communities like [his] district in western New York and the Southern Tier” and “the only option in many communities for reliable, affordable energy.”
What “All-of-the-Above” Implies
An “all-of-the-above” energy strategy is a standard political framing meaning support for all energy sources — fossil fuels and renewables — with the goal of maximizing supply, maintaining consumer choice, and lowering costs. The phrase implicitly includes clean energy investments such as solar, wind, energy efficiency, and on-farm renewable programs that can reduce rural energy costs.
His Voting Record on Clean Energy
Inflation Reduction Act (August 2022) — Voted NO. The IRA included $391 billion in clean energy investments, including:
- Investment Tax Credits for rooftop solar and battery storage (§48)
- Rural energy efficiency and clean energy programs under USDA
- USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) expansion — grants for farms and rural small businesses to install solar, wind, and energy efficiency systems
- Residential clean energy credits available to rural homeowners
Langworthy voted against the IRA. Every Republican in the House voted against it; every Democrat voted for it (House vote: 220–207, August 12, 2022).
One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, enacted July 4, 2025) — Voted YES. The OBBBA, which Langworthy supported on the House floor and voted for, repealed or sharply curtailed the clean energy tax provisions from the IRA:
- Repealed Clean Electricity Production Credit (§45Y) and Clean Electricity Investment Credit (§48E)
- Terminated residential clean energy tax credits
- Eliminated electric vehicle credits before year-end 2025
- Imposed new restrictions limiting wind and solar projects from claiming credits unless in service by December 31, 2027
Rural impact: At least 271 wind and solar projects across 40 rural states are affected by these tax credit changes. Farm Aid and rural policy researchers documented that “mom-and-pop energy businesses” — the type of small agricultural operations common in NY-23 — face the greatest disruption from the terminated credits.
The OBBBA extended the USDA Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels through 2031, which benefits propane-adjacent liquid fuels. It did not restore rural solar, wind, or general efficiency programs.
The Tension
Langworthy’s advocacy for propane access is consistent with representing rural communities. His opposition to NY’s all-electric building mandates (Energy Choice Act) is a defensible position on state overreach.
But the “all-of-the-above” framing does not describe his national legislative record:
- He voted to block $391 billion in clean energy investments, including rural solar and efficiency programs that would have expanded energy choices for NY-23 residents.
- He voted to repeal clean energy tax credits that NY-23 farmers and rural businesses were using to lower their energy costs through on-farm solar and wind installations.
- The OBBBA he supported did not expand rural energy choice — it contracted the federal investment framework for the renewable portion of any “all-of-the-above” approach.
A constituent who heats with propane and also wanted to install rooftop solar or a farm wind turbine using federal tax credits has fewer options after Langworthy’s votes than before.
Assessment
Verdict: MISSING CONTEXT
Propane is a real and important energy source for NY-23, and Langworthy’s district-level advocacy for propane access is documented. The “all-of-the-above” framing, however, omits that his two most consequential national energy votes — against the IRA and for the OBBBA — reduced, not expanded, the clean energy options available to rural NY families and farms. An energy strategy that opposes federal investment in renewables while supporting fossil fuel access is not “all-of-the-above” — it is a fossil-fuel-first approach framed in neutral language.
Sources
- Butane-Propane News: Legislative challenges & economic booms have defined New York’s propane industry — archive pending
- House Roll Call 461 (August 12, 2022): Inflation Reduction Act — Langworthy voted Nay
- Langworthy floor remarks on H.R. 1 (OBBBA) — archive pending
- Tax Foundation: How the One Big Beautiful Bill Changes Clean Energy Tax Credits — archive pending
- Daily Yonder: Energy Cuts in OBBBA Raise Costs, Threaten Jobs in Rural Communities — archive pending
- Langworthy: Energy Choice Act press release — archive pending